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SolarWinds Dameware Remote Support (DRS) vs. N-able N-central

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    SolarWinds Dameware Remote Support (DRS)

    Score8 out of 10
    N/ADameWare Remote Support from Austin IT company SolarWinds is remote administration software for the remote control of desktops, laptops, and servers behind or outside the firewall, allowing registry editing, restart services, logging activity, account and password management, and more. The mobile app also provides access from a phone or tablet. DameWare Remote Support licensing is per technician, the number of end-user remote machines is irrelevant; one technician may receive a license for…

    $520

    one-time fee

    N-able N-central

    Score9.2 out of 10
    N/AMSPs and IT professionals use N-able™ N-central® to monitor and manage devices and complex networks remotely. N-central provides visibility and efficiency as the user's needs scale. N-central can help users: 1. Proactively monitor everything on a customer network—not just servers and workstations—and troubleshoot. 2. Stay on top of threats with features like MFA, antivirus, integrated endpoint detection and response, data backup, disk encryption, email protection,…N/A
    Pricing
    SolarWinds Dameware Remote Support (DRS)N-able N-central
    Editions & Modules
    Dameware Mini Remote Control
    $370
    one-time fee
    Dameware Remote Support
    $520
    one-time fee
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    SolarWinds Dameware Remote Support (DRS)N-able N-central
    Free Trial
    YesNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional DetailsDameWare Remote Support and Mini Remote Control are licensed based on the number of technician users that use the software for remote administration. There are no limits or restrictions for the number of end-users supported or the number of remote endpoints/computers supported. As you buy higher counts of licenses, the per-seat pricing goes down giving you a reduced total price.—
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    SolarWinds Dameware Remote Support (DRS)N-able N-central
    Considered Both Products
    SolarWinds
    No answer on this topic
    N-able
    Chose N-able N-central
    With Bomgar there are codes and/or a website that the user has to login to before we can connect remotely. N-central allows us to click on the machine and log in. We can set it to prompt the user to accept the connection, or on some computers, we can just log right into it.
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    100%
    Would buy again
    11 Answers
    73%
    Would buy again
    11 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    11 Answers
    79%
    Delivers good value for the price
    11 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    91%
    Happy with the feature set
    10 Answers
    80%
    Happy with the feature set
    12 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    78%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    7 Answers
    60%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    6 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    90%
    Implementation went as expected
    9 Answers
    77%
    Implementation went as expected
    10 Answers
    Features
    SolarWinds Dameware Remote Support (DRS)N-able N-central
    Remote Administration
    Comparison of Remote Administration features of SolarWinds Dameware Remote Support (DRS) and N-able N-central
    Feature
    SolarWinds Dameware Remote Support (DRS)
    8.6
    65 Ratings
    9% above category average
    N-able N-central
    -
    Ratings
    Screen sharing10.053 Ratings00 Ratings
    File transfer10.050 Ratings00 Ratings
    Instant message8.347 Ratings00 Ratings
    Secure remote access with Smart Card authentication8.716 Ratings00 Ratings
    Access to sleeping/powered-off computers9.035 Ratings00 Ratings
    Over-the-Internet remote session8.548 Ratings00 Ratings
    Initiate remote control from mobile9.025 Ratings00 Ratings
    Remote management of servers & workstations9.158 Ratings00 Ratings
    Remote Active Directory® management7.239 Ratings00 Ratings
    Centralized management dashboard8.238 Ratings00 Ratings
    Session record8.55 Ratings00 Ratings
    Annotations7.94 Ratings00 Ratings
    Monitoring and Alerts8.75 Ratings00 Ratings
    Multi-platform remote control7.131 Ratings00 Ratings
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    SolarWinds Dameware Remote Support (DRS)N-able N-central
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    Score7.2 out of 10
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    Score10 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Remote Desktop Manager
    Score9.6 out of 10
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    BeyondTrust Privileged Remote Access
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    User Ratings
    SolarWinds Dameware Remote Support (DRS)N-able N-central
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.3
    (66 ratings)
    8.7
    (25 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    9.0
    (13 ratings)
    9.1
    (2 ratings)
    Usability
    9.0
    (10 ratings)
    7.3
    (7 ratings)
    Availability
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Performance
    8.5
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    5.0
    (9 ratings)
    1.0
    (8 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Online Training
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    5.0
    (8 ratings)
    8.4
    (2 ratings)
    Configurability
    9.5
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    9.5
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    8.0
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    9.5
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    9.5
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    SolarWinds Dameware Remote Support (DRS)N-able N-central
    Likelihood to Recommend
    SolarWinds
    I feel like this is a very robust solution that I would recommend to anyone who relies heavily on remote support. Most of the colleagues I work with already use SolarWinds products to one extent or the other. I feel the price for the solution is very fair and a good value for the product.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    N-able
    N-Able is perfect for an MSP environment. It gives all the standard functionality an IT professional needs out of the box and can be configured to show almost anything required. For example, we have configured a dashboard to show when our backups need attention for each customer. This is achieved by running a small script on repeat via N-Central everyday/evening, and the result gives us information on the dashboard to help us identify exactly what is working and what needs looking into.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    SolarWinds
    • Troubleshooting computers remotely without the need for the user to even be around.
    • Install software that needs to be installed manually without having to travel.
    • Viewing what the user is doing specifically that triggers the issue, making replicating issues way simpler.
    Read full review
    N-able
    • Remote tasks - entry-level techs can run basic tasks without physically touching a piece of equipment.
    • Remote support - remote controlling user devices is easy and saves a lot of time with having to initiate a remote session.
    • Management of devices, particularly patch management and anti-virus management - you can automatically approve and deploy patches and schedule automatic AV scans.
    Read full review
    Cons
    SolarWinds
    • It would be nice if the installed agent would be able to check in with the server so that I can connect to laptops, etc that have the agent pre-installed for when they are off network.
    • DameWare could do better with the mobile app. I cannot connect in from the outside with the mobile app to provide quick support if needed. This kind of defeats the purpose of a mobile app. If I am on the network, I probably have access to my workstation.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    N-able
    • Customer support just points to online guides and I feel they aren't helpful.
    • During the trial they turn on a lot of features. In my experience, if you play around with the features, they charge you for them. Keep this in mind if you move forward with N-Able - they will charge for "trialed" services.
    • In my experience, some services that you're being charged for can't be disabled or monitored by you or your team. You only see them on the monthly invoice.
    • In my opinion, the "Scripting Automation" doesn't provide value. You're either going to be writing your own batch or Powershell to make scripting work.
    • In my opinion, monitoring software deployments is painful.
    • The default monitoring template can't be duplicated, edited, or referenced. You'll find that the default monitors in an unusual way and will throw needless recurring alerts into your ticketing system. To avoid this, you need to create a template from scratch which takes many hours to set up.
    • In my opinion, they're more concerned about a quick buck than customer service. "Buyer beware" company.
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    SolarWinds
    This application is one of my most used tools when it comes to supporting end users and the network as well. I don't have to run all over the place to get things done when I can access multiple computers on the network at the same time to accomplish multiple tasks in a minimal amount of time.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    N-able
    Overall we have liked our solar winds experience, however, as our company has grown to support larger enterprises, this product does not have the functionality that our teams need in order to fully support them. The lack of granularity with backups and lack of ability to support nutanix environments is slowly drawing us into the use of other tools.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    SolarWinds
    Because it has enhanced my ability to trouble shoot more issues during the day. Instead of having to go to each machine and spend time at the machine, I can remote in from my desktop and assist the person 90 per cent of the time. I also use it from home to remote in which saves me the time from having to return back to the workplace.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    N-able
    The user interface is fairly straight forward, with logic groupings for objects. I did not deploy this software, but am one of the daily administrators. Once you get the correct agent package (Which can be a challenge) the integration into AD is not bad. The UI could be more customized, but that may have been a design choice.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    SolarWinds
    Yes, always available.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    N-able
    No answers on this topic
    Performance
    SolarWinds
    The application always seems responsive to me
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    N-able
    No answers on this topic
    Support Rating
    SolarWinds
    I use a Samsung mobile device; DameWare Mobile was working and then after an Android update it started crashing. I reported the issue to DameWare and worked with the technicians and developers to gather data for them to correct the issue. They quickly published a beta release for me to test (which corrected the crashes) and then published an update to the Google Play Store.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    N-able
    Every time we have reached out to SolarWinds they are quick to respond, even offering support chat 24/7. Their support team is great and works with you to find solutions to issues. They have taken items we had issues with before and used those to create updates so that the issue is handled better in the future.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    In-Person Training
    SolarWinds
    It was excellent
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    N-able
    No answers on this topic
    Online Training
    SolarWinds
    The videos were more than sufficient to learn the product
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    N-able
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation Rating
    SolarWinds
    It helps greatly if you know someone already using DameWare Remote Support. I was fortunate as my tech support guys were using it at their hospital and assisted me through the purchase, download and implementation of remote support. As well as, knowing how many licenses to purchase at the time. You have to make sure that anyone assisting in IT can have access to the program with their own license.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    N-able
    Make sure if you your using a vm you follow the instructions for provisioning to the letter or it will be starting from square one
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    SolarWinds
    We previously utilized LogMeIn. They increased the pricing of their solution which made us reconsider it. I inherited LogMeIn. I am not a big fan of hosted solutions for some vital IT processes. There was convenience in LogMeIn, but there were also risks about the solution that I was never completely comfortable with. I had utilized DameWare at a previous company, so I knew what I was getting with it. It was an easy decision for me to make. DameWare is an exceptional product.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    N-able
    Our version of SolarWinds was old and running on old hardware, but it was way easier to setup and do things with. It did not do everything N-able does such as patch management, or at least we didn't have a module to do so if one existed. However it definitely seemed easier to use and possibly more stable.
    Read full review
    Scalability
    SolarWinds
    You get an 8 because of the constant initial freeze on most connections. Takes a reconnect to have it work.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    N-able
    No answers on this topic
    Return on Investment
    SolarWinds
    • DameWare has allowed us to maintain our non-traditional approach to IT support. It allows our administrators to work from anywhere and has extended their reach to clients domestic and abroad.
    • Return on investment was realized as soon as we purchased the licenses. We don't have to maintain a large office space or overhead costs due to the flexibility it allows our administrators.
    • First call resolution has increased drastically since implementing DameWare company-wide. The user no longer has to wait to reproduce an error. We can screen share and view it as it happens and mitigate the issues.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    N-able
    • We have lost hundreds of hours on the phone/emailing support with no resolution for any of our issues
    • We had to move all of our services away which was very painful
    • Staff satisfaction was low having to deal with this company
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    SolarWinds Dameware Remote Support (DRS) Screenshots

    Screenshot of DameWare Remote Support Management ConsoleScreenshot of Remotely Connect to Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X ComputersScreenshot of Over-the-Internet Remote Session via Secure Proxy ServerScreenshot of Connect to Remote Computers from iOS and Android Mobile Devices

    N-able N-central Screenshots

    Screenshot of N-able N-central DashboardScreenshot of Remote desktop access with Take Control