SCOM and PRTG Network Monitor compete in the infrastructure and network monitoring space. PRTG appears to have the upper hand in ease of use and rapid deployment, making it ideal for less complex environments, whereas SCOM is preferred for environments with heavy Microsoft integration due to its robust MS capabilities.
Features: SCOM excels in monitoring Microsoft applications with a vast array of out-of-the-box management packs for efficient implementation. It offers deep integration and customization options for complex environments. PRTG Network Monitor is known for its comprehensive network monitoring with simple deployment through numerous ready-to-use sensors. Its intuitive configuration and minimal setup make it a user-friendly choice for various network management needs.
Room for Improvement: SCOM faces high resource demands and lacks intuitive dashboards and seamless third-party integrations, especially with non-Microsoft environments. Enhancements in third-party system monitoring can improve its offerings. PRTG Network Monitor could benefit from expanded sensor capabilities and improved integration with enterprise systems. Enhancing the mobile app's performance and refining report customization could also add value.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SCOM's on-premises deployment can be complex, needing significant setup effort. Its technical support, while generally strong, depends on the issue complexity. PRTG provides cloud and hybrid options facilitating easier deployment, and generally positive customer service with swift support. However, its support can lack depth for highly technical configurations.
Pricing and ROI: SCOM, as part of the Microsoft System Center suite, can be cost-effective for existing Microsoft agreements but incurs high licensing fees and administrative costs. It provides ROI through comprehensive monitoring, yet this is challenging to quantify. PRTG is lauded for its straightforward licensing model and cost-efficiency in smaller environments, offering ROI by covering various monitoring needs without additional expenses, although costs may rise for larger deployments.
PRTG Network Monitor runs on a Windows machine within your network, collecting various statistics from the machines, software, and devices which you designate. PRTG comes with an easy-to-use web interface with point-and-click configuration. You can easily share data from it with non-technical colleagues and customers, including via live graphs and custom reports. This will let you plan for network expansion, see what applications are using most of your connection, and make sure that no one is hogging the entire network just to torrent videos.
To monitor a large IT environment, it's important to be able to scale PRTG up. Paessler PRTG Enterprise Monitor includes all the proven capabilities of PRTG Network Monitor, which are enhanced by exclusive ITOps Board for a service-oriented, central overview of multiple PRTG servers.
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:
SCOM Benefits
There are several benefits to implementing SCOM. Some of the biggest advantages the solution offers include:
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.”
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