What is most valuable?
ServiceNow API integration - Allows us to automate monitoring alerts for our internal infrastructure as well as our client environments.
Highly Customizable - The platform is capable of almost anything in terms of reporting/monitoring/alerting. If I determine there is something I need to be monitoring, I can quickly create an event that will be generated. When combined with ServiceNow intergration, our Support Team can quickly address issues.
Phone-Home Collectors - Having the ability for the collectors to report back to a central database over the internet is an amazing feature. Rather than spending weeks establishing a Site-to-Site VPN with each of our customers, we simply provide and ISO file to our clients and input the address/key of our database. We can turn up collectors in a matter of minutes.
How has it helped my organization?
I work for a Managed Service Provider and we rely heavily on our monitoring/alerting platform. One of the primary functions of our Support Team is the acknowledgement of alerts and communication with our clients on the health of their environment. ScienceLogic has given us the ability to generate tickets directly from monitoring events. When a client requests that we provide alerts on a specific function/feature being unavailable, I can typically create a new event policy that fits the bill.
Our Client team works to provide meaningful information to our clients in the form of reports. ScienceLogic allowed for us to create PRI utilization reports that we can send to our clients. The automation / scheduling of the reports reduces the administrative overhead put on the Client team and myself.
What needs improvement?
Simplified Interface - ScienceLogic can be a bit overwhelming when you begin working with it. The amount of customization is sometimes too much. A simplified user interface would help to alleviate this.
NetFlow Support - I would like to see ScienceLogic support Netflow so that it can be used to identify applications that could be affecting network bandwidth.
Configuration Backup - Another feature I would like to see added to ScienceLogic. It is unfortunate that I have to use different systems to perform certain functions of a Network Management System (NMS)
For how long have I used the solution?
We have used the solution for approximately 2 years.
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
There were no deployment issues to my knowledge. I wasn't part of the initial deployment. However, the infrastructure consisted of a Database, Administration Portal and Data Collector. All were deployed as virtual appliances on a VM host.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Overall, the system has been very stable. In the two years we have had the system, I have only encountered two instances where the database would experience issues. It would lock up and collectors would stop sending data to it. A system reboot typically cleared up any problems I would see.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have not encountered any scalability issues yet. We have grown from monitoring 100 devices to upwards of 500. The system doesn't seem to be experiencing any problems.
How are customer service and technical support?
Customer Service:
The customer service has been excellent. Whenever I have a question or require assistance, they are helpful and polite.
Technical Support:
The Supoort Team consists of some great engineers. I feel confident that when I submit a support ticket, I will get an engineer who understands the system and how to best resolve the problem I am experiencing.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We were not using an NMS prior to ScienceLogic. As we grew, we wanted a way to provide monitoring/alerting and ticket generation from the platform. ScienceLogic fit that bill perfectly.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straight forward from a high-level. We received assistance from ScienceLogic on the initial installation / configuration. I was not involved in the actual deployment but it sounded like it went well.
What about the implementation team?
We worked directly with ScienceLogic on the installation. I was not involved in the initial deployment. The co-worker who deployed the system seemed to be happy with their level of expertise.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Licensing is based upon the number of the devices, as well as the tier of the device being monitored. For example, a Tier 1 license is going to cost less than a Tier 6 license. I suggest that you appropriately classify your devices in the proper tier. Otherwise, you may find that the automated discovery of the devices will put them in the incorrect tier.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Our team evaluated SolarWinds as well as ScienceLogic. From a pricing perspective, ScienceLogic was superior. Also, the deployment of ScienceLogic was better suited to our Managed Service Provider environment. Having to establish Site-to-Site VPNs for all of our clients would significantly increase the deployment time. The phone-home collector available from ScienceLogic is an excellent solution for any MSP.
What other advice do I have?
Pros:
- The platform is excellent for monitoring / alerting / ticket generation to ServiceNow
- You can customize virtually every aspect of the system.
- Phone-Home collectors allow you to deploy remote appliances within different networks with no need for VPNs.
- Virtual or hardware appliance options
- Excellent Customer Service and Support
Cons:
- The User Interface is a bit overwhelming until you become more familiar with it.
- No Configuration Backup support
- No NetFlow support
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Cool review