Checkmk is a solution for IT Monitoring of servers,
applications, networks, cloud infrastructures (public, private, hybrid),
containers, storage, databases and environment sensors. It can be
deployed under all major Linux distributions or users can run it as Docker
container or virtual appliance on other operating systems including
Windows.
The tool is available as a Raw
Edition, which is open-source, and as an Enterprise Edition with a many
additional enterprise features. The…
$0
up to 10 systems
Cisco Meraki Dashboard
Score 9.0 out of 10
N/A
As a cloud-managed network management solution, the Cisco Meraki Dashboard enables users to provision, configure, and troubleshoot global networking and IoT deployments.
In our organization which is a mash up of different hardware, software it was important to use an independent tool that wasn’t linked to one manufacturer incase a piece of hardware was dropped from support for example, we also value open-source software highly in our field. It’s important to in our IT environment to be able to customize and tweak software that we run. We don’t use the cloud monitoring aspect so Cannot comment on that side of the software.
Cisco Meraki is very well-suited for enterprise scenarios with multiple branches distributed across a large geographical area. You need to manage thousands of devices, and Meraki helps you do that in minutes. The cloud dashboard lets you configure and monitor devices, and deploy new devices and policies without being there. Some scenarios where Meraki is not well-suited include situations with limited internet connectivity.
Overall Checkmk is a great product that is made and ran by a European company that is open source and highly customizable, great support if needed. On prem support is a must for our organization which Checkmk supports. Our organization has been using Checkmk for over 5 years now Performance of the software runs excellent on its own Linux server, for any company with a good Linux admin, you can have a lot of un tweaking and creating custom checks for every aspect of your environment.
The dashboard is easy to navigate and offers many pages that are loaded with information. Cisco Meraki adds new features to the dashboard based on customer feedback and I have seen so many updates and changes that have improved upon the previous version. Most recently they have added Cisco's AI and are looking at an Automation option that will only further improve usability.
Checkmk free version is far superior to PRTG free version. For the paid versions PRTG was more efficient and easier to use. Checkmk provides unlimited services on their free version while PRTG is limited. We like to use the free version to avoid monthly or annual costs while still utilizing the same SNMP features.
Cisco Meraki Dashboard is more intuitive but does have a cut back feel to it, MistAI does seem to offer more variable to offer, while this is great for initial setup it is more complex for the site tech and service desk to get a high level view, so Cisco Meraki Dashboard has the better support feel.
The dashboard saves literal hours of drive time with its options. Locations that are states apart save actual days worth of travel time just by allowing us to enact simple solutions without needing boots on the ground. This saves manpower and keeps personnel open for more severe situations.
The ability to perform most networking operations via the dashboard allows many employees to do their job remotely. This gives them the opportunity to perform non-severe work from their homes and makes it feasible to let employees leave work early to beat traffic without sacrificing company time or efficiency.
