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Fahad-Siddiqui - PeerSpot reviewer
Big Data Infrastructure Consultant at a government with 1,001-5,000 employees
Consultant
Flexible, sustainable, and a great tool on the market
Pros and Cons
  • "Nagios Core is very configurable. Whatever you want, you can do it."
  • "I believe Nagios Core will need to provide an option for big data platforms in the future."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case is for Infrastructure monitoring.

How has it helped my organization?

Nagios Core is a great tool for monitoring the infrastructure including MSM queues, and when we use the agent, we can add other things as well.

What is most valuable?

Nagios Core is very configurable. Whatever you want, you can do it. We have multiple agents and scripts available with the Nagios Core portals and the internet. The cost is also very acceptable.

What needs improvement?

Datadog provides the compatibility to integrate with these big data platforms like Cloudera and others. These services are very efficient and they provide customer support with it. In this case, I believe Nagios Core will need to provide an option for big data platforms in the future.

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For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with Nagios Core for the past five or six years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Nagios Core is highly stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Nagios Core is scalable for our purposes.

What about the implementation team?

The implementation was completed in-house because previously it was an open source tool. We can configure it to our own needs, based on our own requirements. The only task we had to complete is creating the script and using the tool. We had alerts created for our mobile phones, email and dashboard.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

When we look at pricing version eleven requires purchasing a license. With version seven no license was required since it was open source. When you upgraded to the licensed version only then did you pay for a license

What other advice do I have?

I would rate Nagios Core a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1330533 - PeerSpot reviewer
Partner Technical Support & Escalation Manager at a tech vendor with 51-200 employees
Real User
We are using the free version, and we can monitor pretty much everything we want to
Pros and Cons
  • "It is fairly easy to set up, and we can monitor pretty much everything we want to."
  • "We're using the free version, which limits us in terms of the things that we can do. If we had the paid version, a lot of our issues would probably go away. For example, we can't isolate instances that are being built or updated with the production ones. When they're being built, on Nagios, they're showing in red. It'd be nice to be able to partition those off until they're all green, and then we can bring them into the environment. This is probably because we've got the free version and not the paid version. If we went for the paid version, it would probably allow us to do exactly what we want to or remove the restrictions that we have, but if we are able to isolate instances in the free version, it would make life much easier."

What is our primary use case?

It is used for monitoring services on a bunch of virtual machines.

In terms of the version, we're fairly up to date. We are perhaps not the most up-to-date, but we're fairly current.

How has it helped my organization?

It provides visibility of the platforms.

What is most valuable?

It is fairly easy to set up, and we can monitor pretty much everything we want to.

What needs improvement?

We're using the free version, which limits us in terms of the things that we can do. If we had the paid version, a lot of our issues would probably go away. For example, we can't isolate instances that are being built or updated with the production ones. When they're being built, on Nagios, they're showing in red. It'd be nice to be able to partition those off until they're all green, and then we can bring them into the environment. This is probably because we've got the free version and not the paid version. If we went for the paid version, it would probably allow us to do exactly what we want to or remove the restrictions that we have, but if we are able to isolate instances in the free version, it would make life much easier.

In terms of new features, we're just using it for what it is. We are using what we've got now. We don't have any additional requirements as far as I'm aware.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for four or five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is fine. There are no concerns there. Our biggest challenge is that we get a lot of timeouts, but that seems to be because of our network setup. There are a whole bunch of spurious events being reported, but they're more timeouts in getting to the Nagios agents.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It seems to be all right at the moment. We don't seem to be having any problems with that. We have upwards of 20 users, and it is being used on a daily basis.

How are customer service and support?

I have not contacted them for a long time.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Nagios is the first one.

How was the initial setup?

From what I heard, it didn't seem difficult to set up. It was quite straightforward.

We're still rolling out and deploying new instances of VMs that we want to monitor. It's an ongoing process.

What about the implementation team?

We deployed it ourselves. Its maintenance is done by one or two people.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We are using the free version.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend it to others. It does what it is supposed to. It is pretty good. 

I would rate it an eight out of 10.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Nagios Core
January 2025
Learn what your peers think about Nagios Core. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2025.
831,158 professionals have used our research since 2012.
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Vice President - Operations & Client Support at Scicom Infrastructure Services
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
The dashboarding and heads up display is practical and useful. Dashboards and HUDS could use a facelift to be more in line with next generation monitoring tools.

Valuable Features:

Nagios doesn't get the respect it deserves; most likely due to the fact that it doesn't have a licensing cost. However, when implemented correctly, this is a powerful enterprise toolset. Specifically, Nagios provides massive flexibility in terms of the types of endpoints you want to monitor (infrastructure, rudimentary application, process, and storage) and a wide variety of conditions to evaluate across including binary type conditions analysis (like threshold exceeded or not) or degrees of conditions violations (such as 30% warning; 80% critical). The dashboarding and heads up display is practical and useful for enterprise/network operations center use cases. The extensibility of Nagios also allows for integration to ticketing systems further adding value for service support and production monitoring use cases. 

Improvements to My Organization:

  • Low cost approach for massive scale infrastructure monitoring
  • Rapid deployment, if you know what you are doing you can have a solid Nagios implementation up and running in short order
  • Accurate and actionable information 
  • Ability to fine tune alert and condition management engines

Room for Improvement:

Dashboards and HUDS could use a facelift to be more in line with next generation monitoring tools that really have amazing UI’s. Sadly, many people may think that Nagios itself as a tool may not be sophisticated because it lacks the typical definition of a sophisticated UI. This is to ensure it is more in line with next generation monitoring tools that really have amazing UI’s. Sadly, many people may think that Nagios itself as a tool may not be sophisticated because it lacks the typical definition of a sophisticated UI.
 
Nagios has significant capability and opportunity for customizations to really “dial-in” the implementation to suit your specific enterprise requirements. But, enabling many of these capabilities requires an SME and to sustain and support the implementation requires effort and manpower. The larger the implementation and more extensive the customizations- the more resource intensive the deployment will become.

Application level monitoring is limited.

Other Advice:

To really maximize the power of Nagios, you need an SME (but true if anything in IT).

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Sid Roy - PeerSpot reviewer
Sid RoyVice President - Operations & Client Support at Scicom Infrastructure Services
Top 5LeaderboardReal User

Thanks Chris, I appreciate the feedback. Yes- many, many of my major clients are moving or are on Orion. They LOVE it for the most part. I would recommend you also take a look at AppDynamics Server Infrastructure Monitoring if your use case isn't heavily tied to network device management. It can be pricey, but the ability to also have the application layer diagnostics- well, it is powerful. Have a great day, let me know if I can provide any details.

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Azam S M - PeerSpot reviewer
Infrastructure Lead at Danat Fz LLC
Real User
Notifications are received promptly; very easy to set up and manage
Pros and Cons
  • "Provides timely notifications."
  • "The UI is a little outdated and graphics could be displayed in a better way."

What is our primary use case?

Our main goal with Nagios is to keep a close eye on our servers and the services running in our AWS environment. We’ve got a mix of Windows and Linux systems, each running specific services, and Nagios alerts us whenever something isn’t quite right. It’s also great for monitoring the sites we host on IIS. We've relied on Nagios since 2013, and it’s been a real game-changer when you have so many moving parts to track.

How has it helped my organization?

I can say Real-time Monitoring and Alerts, Comprehensive Coverage, Cost-effective Solution, Historical Data and Analysis, and Reliability and Stability

What is most valuable?

The value of the solution is that we get timely notifications if there are any issues and they can be solved immediately. Nagios provides all the plugins required. 

What needs improvement?

The UI is a little outdated so it's not as user-friendly as it should be and the graphics should be displayed in a better way. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using this solution for 10 years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable and reliable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of this solution is impressive, particularly because it allows us to expand our monitoring capabilities as our infrastructure grows. With Nagios Core, we can easily add new hosts, services, and devices as needed, ensuring that we maintain visibility across an increasing number of systems. While configuring additional checks can require some setup time, the flexibility it offers makes it well-suited for scaling. Additionally, the open-source community provides plugins and resources that help address scaling challenges, making it adaptable for both small and large environments.

How are customer service and support?

Because the solution is open source, there's no direct support from Nagios. We post our questions to the community and that provides sufficient support. 

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is easy and straightforward. Deployment probably took us an hour or two and was not implemented all at once. New areas come up all the time that require monitoring so we research which plugin will be useful and implement that. It's enhanced gradually whenever we have a specific requirement. The implementation was done in-house. There is some maintenance involved, including for the upgrades. I manage the solution but there's a development team to monitor the services, around eight to 10 people. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The product is open-source, so it’s completely free to use. We have it deployed on an Amazon server, which costs us a small amount approximately $30 per month for AWS hosting

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We tested ManageEngine and another open-source product like Zenoss but we found Nagios easier to set up and manage. 

What other advice do I have?

I recommend this solution because it’s very user-friendly. There are excellent resources available online, and it provides everything we need to meet our requirements.

I rate this solution nine out of 10. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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reviewer2032893 - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Monitoring & IT Service Automation Product Consultant and Team Lead at a transportation company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Top 20
Is stable and customizable, but cloud monitoring needs improvement
Pros and Cons
  • "Our customers like that Nagios Core is an open source solution. It can be customized to our customers' specific needs."
  • "Cloud monitoring is an area for improvement because there aren't too many plugins available."

What is most valuable?

Our customers like that Nagios Core is an open source solution. It can be customized to our customers' specific needs.

What needs improvement?

Cloud monitoring is an area for improvement because there aren't too many plugins available.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using Nagios Core for almost two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is a stable solution, and I would rate the stability at eight out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I would rate the scalability at five out of ten.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Nagios Core is an open source solution, and there are no licensing fees.

What other advice do I have?

Nagios Core is a good tool overall, and I would rate it at six on a scale from one to ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Massimo Rubboli - PeerSpot reviewer
Information systems manager at Golfera
Real User
It's a stable solution for infrastructure monitoring, but it's complex to set up and use
Pros and Cons
  • "Nagios Core is stable."
  • "The dashboard and monitoring features could be improved."

What is our primary use case?

I'm primarily using Nagios Core to monitor infrastructure like servers, virtual machines, and telephone usage like IP-DECT antennas. I don't use all of Nagios Core's data functionality. I only use the monitoring features.

What needs improvement?

The dashboard and monitoring features could be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

We've been using Nagios Core for about five years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Nagios Core is stable.

How was the initial setup?

The Nagios Core setup is complex, but I can handle it all myself. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate Nagios Core seven out of 10. Nagios Core is not easy to use, so I don't recommend it for everyone.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Rizwan Shabbir - PeerSpot reviewer
Systems Administrator at Mentor Graphics
Real User
Useful network connectivity checks, reliable, but graphical interface lacking
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature of Nagios Core is the ability to check the availability of the server for network connectivity. Additionally, the interface is good."
  • "Nagios Core can improve the graphical interface, it would make things a little easier."

What is our primary use case?

We are using Nagios Core mainly for servers. We check the network hardware connectivity. We check for the availability of the network and for hardware failures.

We have deployed Nagios Core on a VM and it's working very well. The specs of the VM are very low because it doesn't require so much storage

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of Nagios Core is the ability to check the availability of the server for network connectivity. Additionally, the interface is good.

What needs improvement?

Nagios Core can improve the graphical interface, it would make things a little easier.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Nagios Core for approximately five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability of Nagios Core has been good in our usage.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Nagios Core is scalable for our needs. We don't have many servers and network activity, we have approximately 200 nodes, and it's fulfilling our requirements.

We do not have plans to increase our usage of the solution this time but maybe in the future.

How are customer service and support?

We do not have support for this solution, it is free.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I have not used another solution previously.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of Nagios Core is not complicated, once you are used to it, it can be easy. The full implementation took us approximately three hours.

I rate the initial setup of Nagios Core a three out of five.

What about the implementation team?

We maintain Nagios Core in-house.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We are using the free version of Nagios Core.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I have evaluated other solutions.

What other advice do I have?

This solution can meet basic requirements. If someone is using it on a larger scale they might have difficulty managing it.

I rate Nagios Core a seven out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
PeerSpot user
Manager - Service Management ( Event & Capacity ) with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
It is stable and fit for purpose. Setup is bit complicated due to the large set of libraries it needs.

Valuable Features:

It is stable and fit for purpose. Various plugins are available as per your need in the open source marketplace to use and customize according to the need.

Improvements to My Organization:

We use other enterprise products for most monitoring activities. However, Nagios has been the product to go to if we need a cost effective solution that can directly fit our needs. We use it in our business operations center to view dashboards (i.e. it provides a Google map view) of critical systems within stores.

Room for Improvement:

Setup is bit complicated due to the large set of libraries it needs, but this may be because it's open source.

Use of Solution:

We use only Nagios Core.

Deployment Issues:

We have had no issues with the deployment.

Stability Issues:

Stability wise it just works without any major maintenance.

Scalability Issues:

It's highly scalable and will scale according to your needs.

Implementation Team:

It is an open source tool which provides capability to customize it according to the needs. So internally you need to have expertise to consume its servers unless you go for the paid options.

Cost and Licensing Advice:

You should be sure that you have the expertise to customize it, and I would recommend the paid-for Nagios XI for the additional support.

Other Advice:

This is a fit for purpose product which means that if you have a definite list of requirements and are not willing, or unable, to spend money on big enterprise tools, then Nagios is a tool to go to. Also, any changes to the customization means that you need to have the skill sets internally within the organisation to effectively use it. Otherwise it's a great open source product.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Nagios Core Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: January 2025
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Nagios Core Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.