Meraki Dashboard vs SCOM comparison

Cisco and Microsoft are both solutions in the Network Monitoring Software category. Cisco is ranked #11 with an average rating of 8.2, while Microsoft is ranked #9 with an average rating of 8.3. Cisco holds a 1.8% mindshare in NMS, compared to Microsoft’s 2.4% mindshare. Additionally, 98% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 86% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

Meraki Dashboard

Read 52 Meraki Dashboard reviews

3,037 Views
2,235 Comparison Views

98% willing to recommend

SCOM

Read 81 SCOM reviews

4,752 Views
2,818 Comparison Views

86% willing to recommend

Meraki Dashboard

SCOM

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 10, 2024

SCOM and Meraki Dashboard compete in the IT monitoring and management category. Meraki Dashboard appears to have the upper hand due to its simplicity and ease of use, especially beneficial for non-technical users.

Features: SCOM offers robust monitoring for services, devices, and operations with a wide range of management packs, extensive capabilities for Microsoft products, and customizable monitoring solutions and notifications. Meraki Dashboard provides a simplified, single-pane management interface, cloud-based multisite visibility, and straightforward monitoring and control from one dashboard.

Room for Improvement: SCOM needs improvements in dashboard usability, reporting features, and alert customization. It also struggles with managing management packs and integrating non-Microsoft products. Meraki Dashboard users want better VPN client integration, lower licensing costs, and more intuitive configuration navigation, along with enhanced port configuration and device tracking.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SCOM typically requires a complex on-premises setup but benefits from high-quality technical and customer support, particularly with Microsoft Premier Support. Meraki Dashboard's cloud-first design allows for easier multisite deployment and management, reducing the need for extensive support due to its simplicity.

Pricing and ROI: SCOM is part of the broader System Center suite, offering substantial functionality at a competitive price, with its ROI coming from reducing disruptions and integrating into Microsoft environments. Meraki Dashboard, while more expensive, justifies its pricing through ease of management and built-in cloud-based infrastructure licensing, making it a worthwhile investment for organizations favoring straightforward management.

To learn more, read our detailed Meraki Dashboard vs. SCOM Report (Updated: December 2024).

Buyer's Guide

Meraki Dashboard vs. SCOM

December 2024

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Categories and Ranking

Meraki Dashboard

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

11th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

SCOM

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

9th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Event Monitoring (3rd)

Mindshare comparison

As of December 2024, in the Network Monitoring Software category, the mindshare of Meraki Dashboard is 1.8%, down from 2.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SCOM is 2.4%, down from 2.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Monitoring Software

Featured Reviews

Pete Grimshaw

Senior Infrastructure Developer at a non-profit with 1,001-5,000 employees

It's intuitive and allows you to manage your devices from a single pane of glass

We're refreshing our networks and looking at the new Meraki MX250 firewall, one of the higher-end security devices. We're happy with what the devices can do, but they lack a few features found on older firewalls or competing products. For instance, you should be able to see if something has been blocked by a firewall rule by looking at a live log of traffic moving through the device. It helps you troubleshoot issues and understand if your rules are working. You need to ensure the firewall is blocking the right things. That's unavailable in the Meraki Dashboard. You have to send the logs to a log server. We use SolarWinds locally, but it's not natively built into Meraki. We're also using Cisco ISA and another tool called Smoothwall.

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MarcMermuys

ICT System Administrator at College of Europe

Has efficient monitoring with robust integration capabilities

We use SCOM to configure different monitors using several management packs. It integrates systems like Active Directory and correlates them, and it is used for monitoring and managing systems SCOM allows integration of several systems, providing correlation between different systems such as…

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The product can scale if you need it to."

"We've been spending a lot less time on tickets and deployments, so we have more time to do other things."

"We have found the client dashboard to be very simple to use, especially in our Meraki environment."

"The dashboard itself is very simplified and easy to navigate."

"Scalability is one of Meraki Dashboard's strongest features. We have thousands of users if we're counting the end-users on our clients' network, but we have hundreds of clients."

"Meraki Dashboard centralizes control of all our equipment into one cloud-based console, so we can manage it from anywhere. We can resolve problems remotely outside of business hours because it is on the cloud. You can use the dashboard to change security settings or configure routers and switches."

"You don't have to be a network engineer to use it."

"I would say the ease of use is the most valuable feature. It's very easy to set up and get up and running."

More Meraki Dashboard pros

"This solution allows us to standardize all of the reports for monitoring the network, so it helps a lot for auditing purposes."

"The most valuable feature is the extensibility, as there are really no limits as to what you can do with it."

"This solution satisfies all of the requirements that we need for our Windows-based systems, so if you are using the Windows platform then this is an easy solution."

"SCOM has helped us to monitor all the VMs in our environment, especially the Windows servers."

"The inbuilt management pack that Microsoft provides is really helpful. I know it's a mature product, and they keep upgrading the management pack."

"It can send messages to our ticketing system."

"The product has helped our organization with in-depth monitoring."

"The product’s auto-remediation feature helps with automation."

More SCOM pros

Cons

"More integration would be an improvement."

"The tool is useful for managing devices and monitoring their current state, but it falls short in troubleshooting network issues, particularly with access points. It does not provide a complete understanding of the root causes of the issues. As a result, network engineers have had to use additional tools to complement it and conduct assessments. The only way to improve the tool would be to enhance its capability to identify and resolve network issues effectively."

"It would be helpful to have the ability to create a floor plan based on an existing PDF or JPEG, which is automatically converted into a usable network map."

"For instance, you should be able to see if something has been blocked by a firewall rule by looking at a live log of traffic moving through the device. It helps you troubleshoot issues and understand if your rules are working. You need to ensure the firewall is blocking the right things. That's unavailable in the Meraki Dashboard. You have to send the logs to a log server. We use SolarWinds locally, but it's not natively built into Meraki. We're also using Cisco ISA and another tool called Smoothwall."

"They can improve the landing page in Meraki Dashboard. When I go into an organization, they can include a lot more infographics. They can also simplify it a bit and consolidate it. For example, if I've got five branches and I go into customer A's profile or organization, I'd like to see an infographic on the landing page providing a snippet of the entire network layout, that is, all branches in one snapshot. From there, I would like to go into the network that I want to work on or view."

"I am concerned about the fact that once your licensing expires the devices stop working and become a brick."

"It is not appropriate for large, enterprise businesses."

"Price could be reduced."

More Meraki Dashboard cons

"There could be more integration of SIM in the solution."

"Non Windows monitoring is fairly weak. Network device monitoring is not reliable."

"The interface is a little bit cumbersome and certain actions could be simplified."

"In terms of features that could be improved, I would say the agent integration into the operating system. We are having difficulties integrating Linux into some of the networking devices."

"Third-party tools have had to be created to make SCOM management pack creation more efficient and effective. However, this weighs down the application as it just adds a resource requirement, which is ballooning the size of the necessary storage and all that for essentially substandard components."

"The dashboard features are not user-friendly for our management team, only for the technical department."

"Then there is also an issue with capacity and limited space. That is something that needs to be improved."

"System Center just provided upgrade and update features for Windows clients, and Windows systems, and did not support Linux, Android, or iOS, and other operating systems. They need to provide better integration with other operating systems if they don't already."

More SCOM cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"My view is that it's expensive, but it's the best."

"It is said to be expensive."

"The pricing for a small setup is only a few hundred dollars a year. The fee is subscription-based."

"From a pricing perspective, they are still expensive."

"Meraki Dashboard's pricing is reasonable. It is sold yearly, typically for one, three, or five years. I rate its pricing a five out of ten."

"Typically, the license model is for one, three, and five years. They can just be a bit more flexible around it and look into providing an option for 24 months."

"The Meraki Dashboard has more competitive pricing."

"You don't have to pay for the dashboard."

More Meraki Dashboard pricing and cost advice

"The platform is cost-effective due to our existing Microsoft support."

"It is more expensive than the competition."

"The pricing and licensing are fair."

"We have an enterprise agreement that includes this product as part of it."

"We have an EA with Microsoft, and it comes as part of the EA."

"SCOM is very cheap because it's included in the license for the System Center suite, which is around $8,400 per CAL."

"Two customers bought the enterprise agreement with Microsoft and paid for Software Assurance. But few customers don't buy it for Software Assurance. They just buy it and deploy it, and they think that we will be using it for the next five years."

"It is the cheapest product available in the market."

More SCOM pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

24%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Government

Financial Services Firm

16%

Computer Software Company

11%

Government

10%

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Meraki Dashboard?

We greatly utilize the network because we can plug it into the DNS, VPN, or equipment. It's very good. Meraki Dashboard enhances wireless network management. We appreciate its flexibility, as it al...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Meraki Dashboard?

Meraki Dashboard's pricing is reasonable. It is sold yearly, typically for one, three, or five years. I rate its pricing a five out of ten.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Meraki Dashboard?

They could improve the product by providing enhanced utilization reports and more detailed independent access reports.

See all answers

What do you like most about SCOM?

The tool helps to monitor Windows servers. It offers alerts from a central location.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SCOM?

I am not aware of the exact pricing as it is managed by my supervisor. As an academic institution, we receive substantial discounts.

See all answers

What needs improvement with SCOM?

SCOM is not as straightforward in terms of user interface or general experience, which could be improved. Additionally, I would like to see a software-as-a-service version in Azure to eliminate the...

See all answers

Comparisons

Cisco DNA Center vs Meraki Dashboard

Compared 24% of the time

ThousandEyes vs Meraki Dashboard

Compared 12% of the time

SolarWinds NPM vs Meraki Dashboard

Compared 8% of the time

Zabbix vs Meraki Dashboard

Compared 8% of the time

Mist AI and Cloud vs Meraki Dashboard

Compared 6% of the time

More Meraki Dashboard Competitors

Dynatrace vs SCOM

Compared 19% of the time

Zabbix vs SCOM

Compared 13% of the time

Datadog vs SCOM

Compared 8% of the time

LogicMonitor vs SCOM

Compared 5% of the time

Nagios XI vs SCOM

Compared 4% of the time

More SCOM Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Meraki Dashboard

December 2024

Download Meraki Dashboard product report

Buyer's Guide

SCOM

November 2024

Download SCOM product report

Also Known As

No data available

System Center Operations Manager, SCOM 2012

Learn More

Cisco

Microsoft

Overview

Meraki Dashboard is a comprehensive cloud-based platform that offers centralized management and control for all Meraki networking and security products. It provides a user-friendly interface, allowing administrators to easily monitor and configure their network infrastructure from anywhere. With real-time visibility, troubleshooting becomes effortless, ensuring optimal performance and minimizing downtime.

The intuitive dashboard offers a holistic view of the network, enabling quick identification of potential issues and proactive measures. It simplifies network deployment and scaling, with zero-touch provisioning and automatic firmware updates. The robust security features include advanced threat protection, content filtering, and VPN connectivity.

Meraki Dashboard also offers powerful analytics and reporting capabilities, providing valuable insights into network usage, application performance, and user behavior. With its seamless integration and scalability,

Meraki Dashboard is the ideal solution for organizations of all sizes, ensuring efficient network management and enhanced productivity.

SCOM (System Center Operations Manager) is a cross-platform data center monitoring and reporting tool that checks the status of various objects defined within the environment, such as server hardware, system services, etc. The solution allows data center administrators to deploy, configure, manage, and monitor the operations, services, devices and applications of multiple enterprise IT systems via a single pane of glass. It is suitable for businesses of all sizes.

SCOM Features

SCOM has many valuable key features. Some of the most useful ones include:

Application monitoring
Database monitoring
Threshold alerts
IT Asset Discovery
Predictive capabilities
Server usage monitoring and capacity forecasting
Application performance management console
Server availability and performance monitoring
Collaboration tools
Virtualization monitoring
Patch management
Out-of-the box templates to monitor applications
Application dependency mapping and thresholding

SCOM Benefits

There are several benefits to implementing SCOM. Some of the biggest advantages the solution offers include:

Management and monitoring of Windows as well as Unix/Linux platforms
Remotely connect to Windows machines and perform administrative tasks from the console itself
Custom dashboard creation to help monitor the datacenter with ease
Agent based monitoring
Integrates well with other Microsoft products
Easy to use and reliable

Reviews from Real Users

Below are some reviews and helpful feedback written by PeerSpot users currently using the SCOM solution.

A Manager at a financial services firm says, “The feature I like most about SCOM is that it is easy-to-use. I find it very user-friendly. I also like the knowledge base which it has. You can find the resolution to questions or issues directly within the SCOM itself. It will alert you with a recommendation of what you need to do at the same time. This sort of self-diagnosis or prompting is one of the great values you get from SCOM compared to other solutions.”

PeerSpot user Zahari Z., Information Technology Auditor at a financial services firm, mentions, “Availability monitoring is the feature I have found most valuable, as well as the capacity and ability to send notifications. There is a mechanism to set up a notification from the SCOM and whenever there is a drop in the availability the notification alerts not only for availability but for other issues as well. You can align thresholds according to the speed of your environment and you can have a threshold related notification, which is one of the useful features.”

Bill W., Sr. Systems Engineer at Arapahoe County Government, comments, “ I like some of their newer features, such as maintenance schedules, because SCOM records SLA and SLO time. When we patch, things are automatically put into maintenance mode so that the numbers for our systems being down, do not count against us.”

A Project Manager at a tech services company explains, “The feature I have found most valuable is the book feature. While we run the Sprint one we can add some setups for multiple sprints.”

A Systems Engineer at an educational organization states, “Because it's Windows-based, it actually reports quite well. It reports everything you can think of on the Windows server and allows you to monitor anything. It's excellent for those in the Windows world as it's very good at it.”

Sample Customers

Coop eG, Peet's Coffee & Tea, Priefert Manufacturing, Century Care Management, Clifton College, Zürs Ski Resort, Capital FM Arena, MAXI Autohöfe

Dialog Telekom

Buyer's Guide

Meraki Dashboard vs. SCOM

December 2024

Free Report: Meraki Dashboard vs. SCOM

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