Sentinel vs SolarWinds Security Event Manager comparison

OpenText and SolarWinds are both solutions in the Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) category. OpenText is ranked #17 with an average rating of 7.5, while SolarWinds is ranked #34 with an average rating of 7.7. OpenText holds a 3.1% mindshare in SIEM, compared to SolarWinds’s 0.9% mindshare. Additionally, 82% of OpenText users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 82% of SolarWinds users who would recommend it.

Sentinel

Read 17 Sentinel reviews

4,240 Views
4,155 Comparison Views

82% willing to recommend

SolarWinds Security Event M...

Read 27 SolarWinds Security Event Manager reviews

1,612 Views
1,531 Comparison Views

82% willing to recommend

Sentinel

SolarWinds Security Event M...

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 18, 2024

SolarWinds Security Event Manager and Sentinel both compete in the security solutions category. Based on user reviews, SolarWinds is noted for its cost-effectiveness and support, while Sentinel is preferred for its advanced features and comprehensive capabilities.

Features: SolarWinds Security Event Manager includes straightforward integration, real-time monitoring, and user-friendly implementation. Sentinel offers extensive reporting tools, advanced threat intelligence, and sophisticated features for complex requirements.

Room for Improvement: SolarWinds Security Event Manager could enhance its scalability, alerting system, and up-to-date feature set. Sentinel needs more transparent documentation, streamlined configuration processes, and clarity in user guides.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SolarWinds Security Event Manager is noted for its seamless deployment process and responsive customer service. Sentinel has comprehensive support but could simplify initial deployment for easier setup.

Pricing and ROI: SolarWinds Security Event Manager is valued for its affordability and quick return on investment. Sentinel, though higher in initial setup cost, is seen as worth the investment due to its extensive features and long-term benefits.

To learn more, read our detailed Sentinel vs. SolarWinds Security Event Manager Report (Updated: February 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Sentinel vs. SolarWinds Security Event Manager

February 2026

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Review summaries and opinions

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

Categories and Ranking

Sentinel

Ranking in Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)

17th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

SolarWinds Security Event M...

Ranking in Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)

34th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

5.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) category, the mindshare of Sentinel is 3.1%, down from 3.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SolarWinds Security Event Manager is 0.9%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Sentinel	3.1%
SolarWinds Security Event Manager	0.9%
Other	96.0%

Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)

Featured Reviews

Simon Johnston

Manager, Customer Success at Coltek Business Soltuions

Simple antivirus solution integrates well but could improve pricing and currency options

I don't really have experience working with these solutions. I promote them for our clients, but I don't work with them. I can't share my experience with these tools as I make assumptions about that. For both Adlumin and CrowdStrike, both confirm that they're scalable and enterprise-ready and all those kinds of things. We haven't had any specific problem with either of those. We just have a preference for which one we would prefer. If somebody says they want to use a different one from the one that we prefer, then we have to find reasons why they aren't. But scalability is not one of the reasons that one is better over the other. I don't really have advice for people that are looking into using Sentinel; just do your research across what is available. On a scale of one to ten, I rate Sentinel a seven.

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Yashokanth Partkunan

Managed Services Engineer at Loop1 Systems

Has supported client needs efficiently but requires deeper analysis features and faster support

The log analyzing capability of SolarWinds Security Event Manager should go into more depth than the current environment. More modification and enhancements are required on the dashboard side in order to make it closer to optimal performance. From observation and feedback from users, they need more functionality related to monitoring, and in-depth analyzing needs to be improved.

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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

"It makes everything easier by automating some tasks and growing with our needs."

"The native integration with out-of-the box format is hassle free and allows data to be used advantageously."

"Sentinel gave us logs to tell us what's going right and wrong in your environment so we could secure the network."

"The most valuable feature is the flexible log for identifying security threats inside an application. Sentinel is very good at this."

"We can do advanced hunting queries and modify SQL queries to get desired results based on the rules triggering over the console."

"One of the most valuable features is the business intelligence engine. It's very important because it keeps track of everything that's happening and alerts us if something is different than expected. The first time I used it, I was shocked at how well it performed. Another valuable feature that I think makes this product worth the price you pay for it is that it connects to basically every system that provides some form of logging, and it's very easy to set up what triggers this."

"The tool is simple to use."

"The stability is phenomenal and we never had any issues with downtime or even had to restart."

More Sentinel pros

"It has in-depth monitoring capabilities and an easy way for setting up dashboards. I can expand in various areas, or I can reduce areas. It supports different types of breakdowns, filters, and rules. It is very simple for an out-of-the-box type of product. It doesn't take a lot of time to figure it out, which is unlike some of the solutions that I have looked at. It meets all the aspects."

"It performs network behavior monitoring, log monitoring, and disaster recovery monitoring."

"The most valuable feature is the ease of use for the end user."

"The solution helps you monitor database instances, application instances, other customer application things, Linux servers, IBM servers, and Oracle servers."

"SolarWinds is effective for server, network, and log monitoring. It's also good for IP address management. We also have a patch manager, but we're still working on getting that operational."

"The out of the box reports and dashboard. It was easy to trim down these windows to something we could quickly use."

"It supports high availability, which is very helpful."

"User-friendly configuration is key, and the configurations are simple, not complex."

More SolarWinds Security Event Manager pros

Cons

"There are still a few vendor-specific devices for which Sentinel needs to work on integration, such as Netskope devices."

"I rate Sentinel a six out of ten for scalability."

"There is a need for more flexibility in customization, especially when working with different vendors and platforms."

"Price is always a consideration, so the price would be nice if it were lower."

"I would like to see a better reporting work structure on the dashboard."

"It is an ancient product."

"The solution does not allow outsourced authorizations."

"You need a lot of Unix scripting knowledge in order to manage the tool, which is one of the main issues that we faced."

More Sentinel cons

"It won't tell you when your backups are failing, but it will give you hints when your database is running on full recovery."

"It is a very technical program. They can simplify it so that it isn't so hard to deal with."

"I would like to have a more customizable dashboard."

"I imagine we will have to develop our own reports soon, this seems to be more cumbersome."

"SolarWinds should improve its correlation capabilities. The correlation does not automatically detect and reduce the events fast enough. You have to manually do a correlation report, which means the tool is not scalable in many ways."

"The only issue is the pricetag. SolarWinds is a costly solution."

"The reporting could be more robust. It can be a lot more granular and that will make it a lot more useful in comparison to how it is incorporated at the moment."

"One of the drawbacks of being so flexible is that it is also a fairly complicated software application to install, configure, and maintain."

More SolarWinds Security Event Manager cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Sentinel's slightly on the expensive side."

"Sentinel is moderately priced."

"The solution’s pricing is aligned with its competitors."

"Sentinel is a subscription-based solution."

"We receive a pricing discount because of our ongoing partnership with Micro Focus."

"We inquired about getting support from the vendor, Micro Focus, but the cost was very high."

"The price of SolarWinds Security Event Manager is reasonable."

"Licensing is on devices, so if you have many, then this may be high."

"The pricing model would benefit from having package deals with other SolarWinds products."

"It is in the appropriate mid-range. It is not as expensive as some of the other solutions. It is also not cheap."

"Licenses can only be purchased in blocks of fifty at a time."

"The tool is available at a good price for customers compared to other solutions in the market. I rate the product's price as an eight out of ten."

"We do a yearly license renewal. For a year, the solution costs roughly $500,000 USD. There are no costs beyond this yearly fee."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

14%

Manufacturing Company

11%

University

Marketing Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	9
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	7

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	19
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	7

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for NetIQ Sentinel?

I don't have too many comments overall about pricing as we're in South Africa, so it makes more sense if it's billed in rand. They nearly always bill it in dollars, so if it can be billed in our cu...

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What needs improvement with NetIQ Sentinel?

I'm not sure what the room for improvement is for Sentinel. It needs to stay current, and it does, so I suppose that's fine. I don't have a high demand for what it should do. Price is always a cons...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for NetIQ Sentinel?

It's our go-to choice for antivirus. I use Sentinel a lot.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SolarWinds Security Event Manager ?

The tool is available at a good price for customers compared to other solutions in the market. I rate the product's price as an eight out of ten.

See all answers

What needs improvement with SolarWinds Security Event Manager ?

See all answers

What is your primary use case for SolarWinds Security Event Manager ?

I work with all SolarWinds products mostly, including Network Configuration Manager and NPM. I am a reseller. I usually recommend SolarWinds products for Loop1. It's for the bigger ones; we are the...

See all answers

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Sentinel

January 2026

Download Sentinel product report

Buyer's Guide

SolarWinds Security Event Manager

January 2026

SolarWinds Security Event Manager report

Download SolarWinds Security Event Manager product report

Also Known As

NetIQ Sentinel, Novell SIEM

SolarWinds LEM, Solarwinds SIEM, TriGeo, Log and Event Manager

Overview

Sentinel is a full-featured Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) solution that simplifies the deployment, management and day-to-day use of SIEM, readily adapts to dynamic enterprise environments and delivers the true "actionable intelligence" security professionals need to quickly understand their threat posture and prioritize response.

OpenText

When TriGeo was acquired by SolarWinds, TriGeo SIM became known as SolarWinds Log & Event Manager. This product is a leading Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) product and log management solution, which provides log collection, analysis, and real-time correlation.

SolarWinds

Sample Customers

Faysal Bank, GaVI, Handelsbanken, ISC Mªnster, Lambeth Council, Swisscard, The Municipality of Siena, Tukes, University of Dayton, University of the Sunshine Coast

NetSuite, EasyStreet, Legacy Texas Bank, and Energy Federal Credit Union, to name a few.

Buyer's Guide

Sentinel vs. SolarWinds Security Event Manager

February 2026

Free Report: Sentinel vs. SolarWinds Security Event Manager

Find out what your peers are saying about Sentinel vs. SolarWinds Security Event Manager and other solutions. Updated: February 2026.

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