NetApp Active IQ vs. SolarWinds Hybrid Cloud Observability

If you have a NetApp or multiple NetApps, then you SHOULD use NetApp Active IQ. It is an invaluable tool. It acts like another FTE in our environment by keeping us informed. NetApp Active IQ is an excellent product; there are always areas for improvement based on evolving customer needs. NetApp Active IQ is a compliment to NetApp, pure and simple! Keep it linked at all times and make your account managers a part of your team; the product works so well, give your account managers something to do, have them keep you informed and have them help you update. I have seen a major change in NetApp account teams; they want to support their customers! Good Job NetApp!

Incentivized

- For small teams serving big organizations - it's a really simple tool to install and set up relatively quickly. - the new installer is also great - I don't have to understand what modules need to be installed; it's all streamlined. - The HCO Licensing allows you to run the Additional polling engines at a scale where the previous licensing model didn't. We can deploy APEs in locations now, which would not have been worth the investment in previously as there weren't enough devices in that location/region to spend the $$$$ on an APE License.

Incentivized

• Makes us aware of configuration issues we wouldn't easily be aware of otherwise.
• Generates automated documents guiding us through patching and upgrades to prevent problems.

Incentivized

• Automated dependency mapping is a big hit.
• High availability is extremely simple to implement.
• Simple to use and drill into issues.
• Analysis of growth patterns driving the recommendation engine.

Incentivized

• Full Stack Visibility - go beyond just the storage layer
• Integration with 3rd party Observability Platforms
• API Accessibility to create custom dashboards
• Improved reporting and customization
• More Granular Security and Compliance features

Incentivized

• Can be complex to setup
• Is strongest with network resources
• Assumes a fairly large amount of base knowledge

Incentivized

Despite some interface issues, it mostly accomplishes what we need it to accomplish - give us a heads up on problems in our environment and prepare us for upgrades/patches.

Incentivized

- decent ease of use - good training materials - good documentation - acceptable level of expected knowledge

Incentivized

You can see the list of tools above; NetApp Active IQ is a compliment to the tools. Not one monitor will take care of all your needs. I am ok with 3 dashboards for my environment. SolarWinds rotates in NOC mode, NetApp Active IQ is up on its own with all the NetApp's registered, and the Palo Alto Dashboard which monitors for vulnerabilities and risks. The tools work hand in hand in the environment, working both North/South and East/West, letting us know about anomalies, risks, and pending tasks to schedule. I love ALL my tools working together; lets me sleep really well at night!

Incentivized

Solarwinds has the best overlap of the two others I've mentioned - the other two tools (Datadog and Dynatrace) are great in their own way but Solarwinds is just good at everything; if I had to pick one tool of the above, it would be Solarwinds for the compatibility and ease of use, the other tools are more focused on being great at certain things while Solarwinds is the jack of all trades.

Incentivized

• It has caught problems on our clusters before they became true issues. It was immensely helpful to be aware of the problem so we could resolve in advance.
• It has provided specific steps to mitigate issues during patching and upgrades that we wouldn't have otherwise known about.

Incentivized

• one license requiring 1 PO to be raised
• sharing costs between departments for monitoring under one platform using APEs

Incentivized