Likelihood to Recommend As a one-person IT department, Atera is almost like having another person to help, especially as we integrate the AIT functionalities. We have several locations spread over nearly 200 miles, and Atera has enabled me to remote in and fix something that before would have had to wait until we could justify an all-day or overnight 300 mile round trip.
Read full review Riverbed Modeler is well suited for wireless, wired, ZigBee, and Cisco networks. All these scenarios are efficiently designed and simulated using Riverbed Modeler, as all the devices are available in its object pallet, so we just need to drag and drop for the best scenario design in the given dimensions. The simulation results are around 95% accurate. However, it is not suited for data security, as data encryption algorithms are not available in Riverbed Modeler.
Read full review Pros Support, if you need them they are there and they always have the answers you need. The AI scripting features allow you to really hit the ground running. You can give it a prompt and it will give you a script that will be very close to what you need. All you have to do is polish it up and test it out. I love having the ability to use multiple remote access tools, in the event a machine has an issue with one of them, or if a cloud service goes down, you have a fallback. The shared script library is an amazing resource for troubleshooting and streamlining. The development teams are open to adding features and have done so frequently based on user requests. Read full review Allows the USE of C++ In Routing protocol of individual switch nodes Easy to use, Easy to setup a working network model, allows to even have computers and all sorts of peripherals like IP Printers etc You can stress test your network simulation, absolutely fantastic tool, bridges Monte Carlo with visual representations of the network in question Great Customer Support Good training articles available online, used as a staple in university setting. Read full review Cons Some basic functions need some extra work Some basic things are behind paywalls Feature board is not credible. Ideas taking very, very long to implement Atera has no clear road map SNMP monitoring needs a make over and needs more options Read full review Riverbed Modeler needs to improve the scenarios of LAN MAN WAN, as the available scenarios under all of these follow a simple area structure that's not connected to the ISP when it comes to simulation. This generates dummy traffic. Riverbed Modeler also needs to work on the selection of result sets so that, as with most designed networks, we can select any result parameter to show. All the parameters are displayed, whether they are relevant or not. It needs to display only relevant result parameters to select. The back-end TCP/IP model needs more clarity to expose the structure to some changes. Read full review Likelihood to Renew As of right now, we have found nothing that can offer as many features as Atera does along with the affordability. They are doing monthly releases each month and not just making small changes (shared scripting library, chocolatey support, Install packages, Splashtop SOS support, Scheduled tickets to name a few). The uptimes are great and accessibility to the dashboard has yet to be limited. We are a happy customer and bordering on fanboy status now
Read full review Usability This has been a great platform to handle both service requests and device maintenance. Without it, we would have to do manual ticket creation through another platform that does not link with a RMM making the help desk inefficient and frustrating both Employees and the Executives of the company. The addition of AI makes all of this even easier!
Read full review Support Rating Atera support provides answers to my questions lightning fast. They have never left me feeling like I'm out there on my own. I can ask questions by email, or by chat, or by opening a ticket with them and they are always on it quickly. They also have a forum where other Atera users can help you if you need it, and you can also add feature requests via the forum.
Read full review Alternatives Considered Atera was the clear winner for us. The interface and tools were very easy to learn and setup. Atera's licensing incorporates good feature sets and value levels. Some of the other products were difficult to setup and lacked good flow between tools. The value proposition was also not as good.
Read full review The only thing comparable to OPNET is Packet Tracer, which is basic and very limited. Packet Tracer in terms of tool comparison between the two is like OPNET's stone-age relative.
Read full review Return on Investment We have been able to add new employees/devices without increasing my staff to support them. The value of charging per technician verses per device cannot be stated enough. Without that pricing, I wouldn't be able to budget enough to pay for all of the things I get with Atera. They have a customer portal which allows the end user to check on submitted tickets, open new tickets and recommend any new features. Read full review It comes with a costly paid license, but simulating the network before actual deployment saves a lot of costs, in case after deployment we feel performance is not good and we need to change. This would waste a lot of money, but Riverbed saves this money. Its OPNET GURU academic edition is available free of cost, but with limited functionality, which is good for students in maximum case. This will degrade our sale of Riverbed Modeler. A one-time investment in Modeler saves a lot of cost regarding networks, topology, designing, and provides a lifetime license with updates. Read full review ScreenShots