What is our primary use case?
We are using SolarWinds NPM to monitor our network. For example, we monitor Cisco Meraki for WAN, and other Cisco routers, and for LAN we monitor Cisco switches and firewalls.
What is most valuable?
There are a lot of valuable features with SolarWinds NPM. We can receive a lot of detailed data from the monitoring that can use useful for investigations, especially when you are troubleshooting. It is very helpful. Overall it was a very good experience.
What needs improvement?
SolarWinds NPM could improve the graphics of the interface and more customized reporting.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using SolarWinds NPM for approximately one year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
SolarWinds NPM is stable. We haven't faced any major outages.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of SolarWinds NPM is good, and it is simple. We have approximately 5,000 nodes.
How are customer service and support?
The support we have received from SolarWinds NPM has been very good. Initially, there were some issues with the solution but the support help us figure it out.
I rate the support of SolarWinds NPM a four out of five.
The knowledge base of the support could improve. However, every organization has its own use cases. Sometimes it's not a common use case and the support has not seen the particular problem. We might have something unique, which other clients never faced.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have used Centreon previously. We have evaluated it for some time. It was very easy to use but the requirements we had, were not fulfilled. We have engaged with some Centreon providers, and the support was not great. We bought a license for one year for Centreon, and the support from France was not great. That's why we decided that we cannot go with it for a longer time and on a larger scale. Additionally, we have used Alaloop for quite some time, and it was good.
We switched to SolarWinds NPM mainly because we were expanding, and in Alaloop we were mainly using it for WAN only, not for the LAN. Additionally, Alaloop was much more expensive compared to SolarWinds NPM.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of SolarWinds NPM was not straightforward. We had some difficulty configuring some of the new features for the devices properly. However, this was because we were new to the solution. We had the documentation which was helpful.
The full implementation took approximately one month.
I rate the initial setup of SolarWinds NPM a three out of five.
What about the implementation team?
We used third-party support for the implementation. The solution requires maintenance but we have not had any issues.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
SolarWinds NPM has different pricing models available. The cost of the solution is less than some competitors.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend SolarWinds NPM to others but it depends on how complex the network they have is and how large it is. Based on that information, you need to make a decision if the solution is the best fit. If their infrastructure is quite large, the good thing is they can expand it, even for the server infrastructure, not only for network infrastructure.
I would recommend the solution for a larger organization.
I rate SolarWinds NPM an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner