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SolarWinds NPM

SolarWinds NPM

Overview

What is SolarWinds NPM?

SolarWinds NPM is a monitoring and performance management platform. It provides performance troubleshooting support, auto network discovery, customizable thresholds, and can be rapidly deployed.

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Recent Reviews

TrustRadius Insights

Users have found this product to be extremely versatile and useful in a variety of situations. One key use case is for professional …
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TrustRadius Insights
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Awards

Products that are considered exceptional by their customers based on a variety of criteria win TrustRadius awards. Learn more about the types of TrustRadius awards to make the best purchase decision. More about TrustRadius Awards

Popular Features

View all 10 features
  • Alerts (228)
    8.9
    89%
  • Hardware health monitoring (215)
    8.8
    88%
  • Network monitoring (231)
    8.7
    87%
  • Customizable reports (212)
    7.9
    79%
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Pricing

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NPM

$1,638

On Premise
per year

Entry-level set up fee?

  • Setup fee optional
For the latest information on pricing, visithttp://www.solarwinds.com/products/pric…

Offerings

  • Free Trial
  • Free/Freemium Version
  • Premium Consulting/Integration Services
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Product Demos

Why I Recommend SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor (NPM)

YouTube
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Features

Network Performance Monitoring

A network performance monitoring system monitors the entire network for performance problems and collects performance data such as network traffic analysis performance bottlenecks, etc.

7.9
Avg 8.2
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Product Details

What is SolarWinds NPM?

SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor (NPM) delivers comprehensive network fault monitoring and performance management that scales and expands with a company's network monitoring needs. Users can collect and view availability, real-time and historical statistics from routers, switches, firewalls, servers, and any other SNMP-, ICMP-, or WMI-enabled devices directly from a web browser.

The vendor states that SolarWinds users can get a full NPM installation up and running the same day they download, and that implementation does not require a team of consultants. NPM provides visibility into the health of network devices and servers on the network, ensuring that users have needed real-time information to keep their network running at peak performance.

Network Performance Monitor helps IT Pros:

  • Detect, diagnose, and resolve network performance issues and avoid downtime
  • Respond to multiple condition checks, correlated events, and device dependencies
  • Automatically calculate capacity exhaustion dates using customizable thresholds based on peak and average usage
  • Streamline network troubleshooting with a Web interface
  • View paths to critical business services hop-by-hop, even into the cloud, with the NetPath™ feature
  • Get deeper visibility into complex network devices with Network Insight™ features for Cisco ASA firewalls, Cisco Nexus switches, and F5 BIG-IP load balancers

SolarWinds NPM Features

Network Performance Monitoring Features

  • Supported: Automated network device discovery
  • Supported: Network monitoring
  • Supported: Baseline threshold calculation
  • Supported: Alerts
  • Supported: Network capacity planning
  • Supported: Packet capture analysis
  • Supported: Network mapping
  • Supported: Customizable reports
  • Supported: Wireless infrastructure monitoring
  • Supported: Hardware health monitoring

Additional Features

  • Supported: Seamless conversion upgrade to AIOps-powered Hybrid Cloud Observability
  • Supported: Multi-vendor device support for any router, switch, firewall, VPN concentrator, wireless access point and other devices that support standard protocols
  • Supported: Intelligent alerts for correlated events, sustained conditions, and complex combinations of device states
  • Supported: Insight on hardware health by monitoring, alerting, and reporting on the state of key device sensors
  • Supported: NetPath for hop-by-hop monitoring of critical business services, on-premises or into the cloud
  • Supported: Network Insight for Cisco Nexus switches, F5 BIG-IP load balancers, Cisco ASA firewalls

SolarWinds NPM Screenshots

Screenshot of Network monitoring software used to reduce network outages and detect, diagnose, and resolve multi-vendor network performance issues.Screenshot of See relationships for routers, switches, interfaces, volumes, and groups, updated automatically without user intervention to maintain the network, not network maps.Screenshot of Reduce visibility gaps into critical network switches, firewalls, and load balancers with Network Insight for Cisco Nexus, Cisco ASA, and F5 BIG-IP.Screenshot of Reduce the flood of unnecessary network alerts. Create alerts based on simple or complex nested trigger conditions, defined parent/child dependencies, and network topology.Screenshot of Identify dead zones and improve wireless coverage. With its network monitoring tool, users can access out-of-the-box wireless reports, including wireless availability and rogue access points.Screenshot of Configure alerts by calculating dynamic baseline threshold data with network performance monitoring software.

SolarWinds NPM Video

Network Performance Monitor overview

SolarWinds NPM Integrations

SolarWinds NPM Competitors

SolarWinds NPM Technical Details

Deployment TypesOn-premise, Software as a Service (SaaS), Cloud, or Web-Based
Operating SystemsWindows, Windows® Server 2016; SQL Server 2016 SQL Server 2016 SP1 SQL Server 2017 (including installations on Linux)
Mobile ApplicationNo

SolarWinds NPM Downloadables

Frequently Asked Questions

SolarWinds NPM is a monitoring and performance management platform. It provides performance troubleshooting support, auto network discovery, customizable thresholds, and can be rapidly deployed.

LogicMonitor, OpenText Network Node Manager i (NNMi), and Broadcom DX Unified Infrastructure Management are common alternatives for SolarWinds NPM.

Reviewers rate Alerts highest, with a score of 8.9.

The most common users of SolarWinds NPM are from Enterprises (1,001+ employees).
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Comparisons

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Reviews and Ratings

(600)

Community Insights

TrustRadius Insights are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, 3rd-party data sources. Have feedback on this content? Let us know!

Users have found this product to be extremely versatile and useful in a variety of situations. One key use case is for professional presentations. Users have praised the product for its ability to create visually appealing and engaging slides that captivate audiences. The ease of use and intuitive interface allows users to quickly create polished presentations without the need for extensive design skills. Additionally, the product's extensive library of pre-designed templates and customizable options provide users with a wide range of choices to cater to their specific needs.

Another important use case for this product is for educational purposes. Teachers and students alike have found value in using this product to enhance their learning experience. With its interactive features such as animations, videos, and quizzes, it enables educators to create engaging lessons that capture students' attention and facilitate better understanding of complex concepts. Users appreciate the product's collaborative capabilities, allowing for seamless group projects and real-time feedback.

Furthermore, this product has proven to be a valuable tool for businesses in creating impactful marketing materials. Users have reported that the product's drag-and-drop functionality makes it easy to design eye-catching brochures, flyers, and social media graphics. The ability to seamlessly integrate images, text, and various graphic elements ensures that businesses can create visually appealing marketing materials that effectively communicate their brand identity.

Lastly, users have praised the product's ability to simplify personal projects such as photo albums or event invitations. The variety of customization options allows users to personalize their creations and add their own touch. Whether it's creating personalized greeting cards or designing stunning wedding invitations, this product has been a reliable choice for users seeking high-quality results without the need for extensive design knowledge.

Overall, this product has proven to be versatile and adaptable in various contexts, making it an indispensable tool for professionals, educators, businesses, and individuals alike. Its user-friendly interface combined with its extensive features and customization options allow users to unleash their creativity and achieve impressive results in a wide range of use cases.

Users recommend considering the whole stack of Network Modules on the SolarWinds platform instead of NPM as a standalone product. They believe the other modules are valuable additions for monitoring, managing, and analyzing the network. SolarWinds NPM is considered the best network performance monitoring solution on the market. Users suggest using it for network monitoring and exploring other modules for specific infrastructure monitoring. While NPM is a good tool for network monitoring, users advise looking into alternative options for advanced monitoring needs. Some users suggest improving the navigation to make it more fluid and user-friendly. Overall, users recommend SolarWinds NPM for managing and monitoring network infrastructures due to its reliability and cost-effectiveness. They also recommend trying the live action feature and Meraki for enhanced network analytics. Users suggest considering other products with better UI and capabilities. SolarWinds NPM is worth the price if affordable, especially with sponsorship. Working with third-party services or SolarWinds to properly set up the tool is recommended. Using multiple tools in conjunction with NPM provides more visibility. Users recommend signing up for Thwack and utilizing their resources for assistance with SolarWinds products. Trying the demo first before purchasing is advisable. NPM is considered a core module in every company that chooses SolarWinds as their monitoring tool. It is important to ensure that the server can handle the software. Experienced staff maximizes the benefits of the platform. Users suggest downloading a trial copy of NPM to test it out. NPM outperforms other tools according to user opinions. More theme options and additional ways to export data are requested. Other modules from SolarWinds that work well with NPM, such as Server & Application Manager, should be explored. Support team and Thwack community are highly praised by users. Users should not be overwhelmed by features and take advantage of free trial resources. SolarWinds is recommended for enterprise-level monitoring, but Loop1 consulting is advised for complex environments. Initial setup can be time-consuming. The 30-day evaluation of the full product is excellent. Becoming a Thwack member provides access to extensive resources and support. SolarWinds may have a higher cost but is considered worth it. Proper provisioning of hardware, software, and infrastructure is crucial before deploying SolarWinds. Users recommend setting up the trial version first and getting familiar with the product. SolarWinds NPM receives high recommendations from users and is praised for its great dashboards.

Attribute Ratings

Reviews

(126-150 of 236)
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March 07, 2019

SolarWinds looks nice and gets the job done, but can be bloated and unreliable.

Joshua Fox | TrustRadius Reviewer
Joshua Fox
Systems Engineer
HealthEdge (Hospital & Health Care, 201-500 employees)
Score 5 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
SolarWinds NPM is better for people who are not very network savvy and cannot develop their own solutions, or who need the reports and graphs. It is not super reliable and is bloated for what it does, but the reports and graphics are what make the product appealing to decision makers.
March 05, 2019

Expensive and clunky, but effective for basic monitoring of large environments.

Verified User
Engineer in Information Technology
Online Media Company, 201-500 employees
Score 4 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
SolarWinds NPM is good if you need basic hardware health stats for a large environment. Its built-in support for many types of hardware takes away a lot of the work of importing network MIBs. Its ideal case is for a very static environment where new nodes are added at regular intervals. It's poorly suited for a dynamic environment where you scale servers or containers based on your current workload.
March 05, 2019

Robust, high-grade network visualizer you'll want to check out

Verified User
Administrator in Information Technology
Information Technology and Services Company, 51-200 employees
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
It is perfect for IT departments that have wide-scope monitoring needs. Companies that only need to monitor up/down status may find this solution to be overkill, as it is VERY robust and granularly configurable.
March 02, 2019

Solarwinds NPM is awesome!

Verified User
Manager in Information Technology
Industrial Automation Company, 5001-10,000 employees
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
I think the product is well suited for a network of components that include servers, routers, switches, wireless and virtual machines. I don't think the product would be suitable for a small business environment because of its initial cost of ownership including subscription costs, appropriate resources to configure and use the solution, hardware, and software licensing.
February 15, 2019

SolarWinds NPM is a great tool for the price

Verified User
Administrator in Information Technology
Consumer Goods Company, 5001-10,000 employees
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
The overall network monitoring tool is great. The "Grouped By" feature and search feature are great if a little confusing at times to get the parameters correct. Drilling down to the top 5 conversations and seeing what was consuming the pipe is a great option. For the cost, SolarWinds NPM is great.
February 10, 2019

NPM good for Small IT Departments

Aaron Coody | TrustRadius Reviewer
Aaron Coody
Systems Administrator
Scott Equipment Company, LLC (Construction, 501-1000 employees)
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
If you need monitoring of hardware environments for uptime and net flow to see where your traffic is going, this product does a good job. if you are using it for network diagraming, not so much. With that said, NPM always meets or exceeds what we need as a small IT department.
February 08, 2019

Solarwidns NPM

Chris Short | TrustRadius Reviewer
Chris Short
Director of IT
Medicat, LLC (Information Technology and Services, 11-50 employees)
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
Network Performance Monitor is well suited for internal environments where network response time matters. This would include SAN and clustered resources, complex multilayer switching environments and sites with multi-location routing (e.g. we have switches that are 800 miles apart where we need to ensure certain ms response times for our DR objectives).
February 07, 2019

SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor, shines light into the darkest corners of your network.

Verified User
Administrator in Information Technology
Civil Engineering Company, 10,001+ employees
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
I can't off the top of my head think of anywhere you wouldn't want to use it. Its ability to work in the cloud allows for end to end visibility into hybrid networks. That helps take a lot the mystery out of what is happening in those scenarios.
February 01, 2019

SolarWinds NPM is a great network visibility tool to help identify and minimize outages

Verified User
Director in Information Technology
Telecommunications Company, 51-200 employees
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
It's well-suited for small-to-medium sized organizations with a need to monitor network devices, VMs or servers with the need to get a quick look at their health and the ability to drill down into the nitty-gritty of each device if need be. Also, the alerting features are great for small teams or individuals. If you need multiple individuals to be alerted of issues/outages for devices and you don't have the appropriate distribution lists set up, or need to notify a large number of distribution groups when problems arise, it isn't well equipped to handle more than two.
January 25, 2019

Network Performance Monitor, Monitor your performance, TODAY

Verified User
Engineer in Information Technology
Financial Services Company, 1001-5000 employees
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
SolarWinds NPM is fantastic for monitoring and viewing historical data. However, it is not a product you would install for real-time traffic and utilization scenarios. NPM monitors devices in intervals, which is beneficial for certain business reasons.
January 23, 2019

Great tool for a large organization.

Verified User
Employee in Information Technology
Information Technology and Services Company, 10,001+ employees
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
Well suited areas for SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor would definitely be for a client who has a lot of geographical presence. Also when the number of devices to be managed is fairly high and requires a dashboard and an overview of the entire network.

It is not suited for small networks.
January 22, 2019

NMP BOOM!

Verified User
Administrator in Information Technology
Retail Company, 51-200 employees
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
It does a good job out of the box with my older HP switches. I have issues with it collecting hardware status data from the new Aruba switches.
January 19, 2019

One of the Best Tools

Verified User
Consultant in Information Technology
Information Technology and Services Company, 10,001+ employees
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
SolarWinds NPM shows status, load summary, bandwidth, the percentage of utilization, average response time, memory, and CPU of the devices I upload to it. This gives us more visibility whats devices are up to. It's also useful and gives more kernel information when adding Checkpoint, ASA devices. Also, when adding a Cisco wireless controller, it will provide us the AP associated with the channels and client counts.
January 19, 2019

NPM -- Making your days (and nights) more about what YOU want to do rather your networks whims.

Verified User
Administrator in Information Technology
Education Management Company, 1001-5000 employees
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
Any time you have more than 50 devices in a network, SolarWinds is going to be helpful. When it starts to take a noticeable time to check on your infrastructure, it's time for an NMS. The cost will likely be prohibitive until the 250 or 500 mark though. At those numbers, it's not hard to write off NPM as cheaper than a dedicated infrastructure staff member.
January 18, 2019

NPM Was great in our small data Center

Verified User
Engineer in Information Technology
Government Administration Company, 10,001+ employees
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor for us was very well suited to our solution. We run a smaller Data center so we were able to include all ports in the data center into our NPM solution. We found that NPM was a great tool for quickly troubleshooting or monitoring a network daily, creating logs, and tracking up-time. NPM can be great in smaller LAN and WAN solutions, or even mid-tier solutions. I think it may struggle with larger or enterprise solutions. I'm not positive, however, as our solution was smaller and SolarWinds worked great for this. For a brownfield solution, SolarWinds would be great, coming in and finding every device using ping or other methods of discovery really helped us discover what was actually in our data center.
January 17, 2019

The All Seeing Eye - Another Fantasic SolarWinds Product (NPM)

Rob Bates | TrustRadius Reviewer
Rob Bates
Public & Private Cloud Senior Engineer
Creditsafe (Financial Services, 1001-5000 employees)
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
NPM is a fantastic addition to any engineer's toolset, albeit pricey, though it is well worth the cost if you have the budget. For my organization, we're global and have users across the globe in different offices. SolarWinds NPM allows us to see exactly what all of the switch ports are doing and also allows us to pinpoint errors across the network, including bandwidth utilization. In all honesty, it is difficult to highlight any scenario where the tool would not be helpful.
January 11, 2019

SolarWinds NPM is our robotic NOC

Verified User
Director in Information Technology
Real Estate Company, 10,001+ employees
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
We have used several products over the years and in fact, our current implementation of NPM is side-by-side with other products like SCCM. NPM is the one platform that people can look at and immediately understand. Many of the other platforms require a significant amount of background knowledge in order for people to consume their information.
January 11, 2019

Solarwinds is good monitoring tool to view network.

stephen schleeper | TrustRadius Reviewer
stephen schleeper
Telephony Engineer
Sunstate Equipment Co. (Construction, 1001-5000 employees)
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
SolarWinds is a great monitoring tool but has no ability to monitor itself unless in a cluster. We use a single VM and when it has problems we just stop getting alerts. We have found that having 2 monitoring systems is best so they can alert you of each other when they have problems.
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