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SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor

SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor

Overview

What is SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor?

SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor (SAM) delivers application and server monitoring capabilities. SAM allows for self-service for easy setup, 1200+ monitoring templates, and customization options, as well as integrate with other SolarWinds products.

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Recent Reviews

TrustRadius Insights

SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor is a versatile tool that has been widely used across various industries and departments for …
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True Insight

10 out of 10
January 27, 2022
Incentivized
I use SolarWinds Server Application Monitor to monitor my infrastructure as well as applications within that environment. It provides a …
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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 12 features
  • Server availability and performance monitoring (269)
    9.8
    98%
  • Application monitoring (266)
    9.0
    90%
  • Threshold alerts (271)
    8.9
    89%
  • Out-of-the box templates to monitor applications (256)
    7.9
    79%
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Pricing

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What is SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor?

SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor (SAM) delivers application and server monitoring capabilities. SAM allows for self-service for easy setup, 1200+ monitoring templates, and customization options, as well as integrate with other SolarWinds products.

Entry-level set up fee?

  • No setup fee
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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Microsoft's Azure Monitor is designed to analyze and optimize the performance of web applications and infrastructure, including virtual machines (VMs), Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), Azure Storage, and databases. Monitor Linux and Windows VMs and their health and dependencies—all on a single map.

What is SolarWinds Pingdom?

SolarWinds Pingdom is a website uptime monitoring and alert tool, with additional reporting and Real User Monitoring capabilities. Pingdom is part of SolarWinds’s DevOps package, enabling full-stack monitoring as a service.

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Features

Application Performance Management

Application performance management software monitors software to ensure performance and availability

8.7
Avg 7.6
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Product Details

What is SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor?

SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor (SAM) delivers application and server monitoring capabilities for IT pros enabling them to diagnose and troubleshoot issues faster. The vendor’s value proposition is that this solution prevents slow applications and downtime from impacting end-users and business services. Users can use this tool to pinpoint the root cause of application issues across various layers of the IT stack.

The vendor says SolarWinds SAM is affordable, easy to deploy, use and customize. Users can automatically discover their systems environment and start monitoring in about an hour. No professional services or consultation needed.

SAM is built on SolarWinds Orion® platform enabling native integration with Network Performance Monitor and other IT management software from SolarWinds.

SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor Features

  • Supported: Single Web interface to monitor multi-vendor applications and server infrastructure.
  • Supported: Out-of-the-box monitoring templates for 200+ enterprise applications.
  • Supported: Easily extend monitoring to virtually any custom or home-grown applications.
  • Supported: Gain contextual visibility of relationships and dependencies between applications and physical and virtual servers.
  • Supported: Monitor server hardware health, perform capacity forecasting, and manage asset inventory. Remediate server issues remotely with built-in management actions.
  • Supported: Monitor VMware and Hyper-V environments to identify problems impacting application performance.
  • Supported: Centrally manage IT asset inventory and keep track of server hardware and software information.
  • Supported: Leverage the wealth of built-in alerts and reports, and easily customize them as needed.
  • Supported: SAM is an agentless monitoring software. Optional agent installation extends monitoring to the cloud.

SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor Screenshots

Screenshot of Multi-vendor application performance monitoringScreenshot of Multi-vendor server monitoringScreenshot of Application dependency mapping with AppStack™ dashboardScreenshot of Microsoft Exchange performance monitoring with AppInsight™ templateScreenshot of Microsoft IIS performance monitoring with AppInsight™ templateScreenshot of Server hardware health monitoringScreenshot of Built-in virtualization monitoring for VMware and Hyper-V environmentsScreenshot of Easily extend monitoring to any custom or home-grown application

SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor Videos

An introduction to and a brief overview of SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor
In this video, the TrustRadius team is going to take a look at Solarwinds Server and Application Monitor, a powerful tool that can help you monitor your systems and identify issues early. We'll explore the overview, user sentiment, pricing, top features, and use-case, and help...
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Watch SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor Training Videos

SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor Competitors

SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor Technical Details

Deployment TypesOn-premise
Operating SystemsWindows
Mobile ApplicationNo
Supported LanguagesEnglish

Frequently Asked Questions

SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor (SAM) delivers application and server monitoring capabilities. SAM allows for self-service for easy setup, 1200+ monitoring templates, and customization options, as well as integrate with other SolarWinds products.

Progress WhatsUp Gold, Nagios Core, and Tivoli Monitoring (legacy) are common alternatives for SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor.

Reviewers rate Server availability and performance monitoring highest, with a score of 9.8.

The most common users of SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor are from Enterprises (1,001+ employees).
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Comparisons

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Reviews and Ratings

(649)

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!

SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor is a versatile tool that has been widely used across various industries and departments for monitoring and managing servers, applications, and network infrastructure. Users rely on the software to ensure that critical systems are up and running smoothly. With its ability to monitor servers, applications, and network nodes, customers appreciate the comprehensive insights it provides into their IT environments.

One of the key use cases of SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor is its role in proactive monitoring and alerting. Users have praised the software's capability to detect issues such as CPU utilization, memory usage, response time, and low disk space. By setting up corresponding alerts, users can address potential problems before they impact end-users. This proactive approach helps prevent system failures and ensures optimal performance.

Another important use case of SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor is its ability to provide detailed insights into server metrics and application performance. Users can monitor various elements such as CPU, memory, and disk usage on servers, as well as track the health of applications like Exchange, SQL, IIS, and SharePoint. The software's integration with other products in the SolarWinds Orion family enhances network management capabilities, allowing for a unified view of segmented networks.

Additionally, SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor is valued for its flexibility in monitoring different types of systems and services. It supports Windows, Linux, Unix, and AIX servers both on-premises and in the cloud. Users have leveraged the software to monitor services, processes, URLs, IP addresses, MAC addresses, SMTP devices like networked cameras, and even Linux services such as IPTables. This broad range of monitoring capabilities makes it a valuable tool for organizations with diverse IT infrastructures.

Overall, SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor has proven to be instrumental in maintaining system stability by providing real-time alerts for potential issues and facilitating efficient troubleshooting. Its ease of use and customization options allow different departments and administrators to tailor monitoring and alerts to their specific needs. The software's comprehensive insights, proactive monitoring, and wide range of supported systems make it a valuable asset for organizations looking to ensure optimal performance and availability of their IT infrastructure.

Customizable Dashboard: Users appreciate the fully customizable dashboard in SolarWinds SAM, which allows them to tailor it to their specific requirements. This feature has been mentioned by several reviewers and enables users to easily access the information they need for effective monitoring.

Proactive Alerting: Reviewers have praised SAM's proactive alerting capabilities, with alerts being triggered for offline servers, low disk space, rebooted servers, and critical network device outages. This feature has been highly valued by users as it helps them stay on top of potential issues and address them promptly.

Reporting Capabilities: SAM's reporting capabilities have received positive feedback from users who find the detailed reports provided by the software helpful for meeting regulatory requirements and ensuring system stability and performance. The granularity in alerts and reporting has been mentioned by multiple reviewers as a valuable feature of SAM.

Confusing User Interface: Users have expressed frustration with the user interface of SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor, stating that it is confusing and difficult to navigate. Some users feel that there is a steep learning curve and find it overwhelming, especially for first-time users.

Lack of Comprehensive Documentation: Several users have criticized the documentation provided for SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor, stating that it is spotty and lacking in examples. They believe that more comprehensive and detailed documentation would greatly aid in understanding and troubleshooting the software.

Poor Customer Support: There have been complaints about the customer support provided by SolarWinds. Multiple users have reported that customer support has worsened over time, causing frustration due to delays in reaching the correct support team and resolving issues in a timely manner.

Users have recommended several key actions for users considering SolarWinds based on their experiences. These include:

  • Recommending utilizing the software for internal use, specifically for monitoring servers and applications.
  • Suggesting taking advantage of the free trial to test the software before making a purchase decision.
  • Advising researching and planning before implementation to ensure the software is suitable for one's needs.
  • Encouraging careful design of the environment, especially when using the software in different locations.
  • Recommending purchasing a license that matches the number of components needed for monitoring.
  • Urging cautiousness when it comes to support and potential glitches with the software.
  • Suggesting working with a detail-oriented engineer for proper setup and configuration.
  • Promoting interaction with the user community site to learn from others' experiences and share knowledge.
  • Emphasizing the need to understand the licensing model before signing up and selecting appropriate licensing based on the number of nodes to be monitored.
  • Suggesting exploring other SolarWinds offerings and using them in conjunction with this software.

While users find SolarWinds to be a valuable tool, they also mention that it may not be suitable for beginners due to its learning curve. Overall, it is recommended to carefully consider setup, pricing, and requirements before implementing SolarWinds.

Attribute Ratings

Reviews

(101-125 of 277)
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Jay Myers | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • Solarwinds has provided sufficient ROI over the years by allowing us to monitor usage, like from our firewall and make decisions that affect network security and saving us the potential loss of funding.
  • SAM in conjunction with network monitoring has allowed us to see a minute to minute monitoring of our internet usage and gave us the information we needed to allow for our business service team to approve an increase in our internet bandwidth.
Ryan Andrus | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • It is a pretty affordable option that provides good information about what is currently happening in your environment.
  • It allows us to see growth trends which helps us budget and plan our capacity, which is critical for a government entity that is tied to a strict budget.
  • Realtime data that allows a network manager to stay ahead of issues as they happen across the network.
Adam Morrison | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • Employee time spent. We have saved many days by having this tool. It has prevented troubleshooting old issues.
  • The application management portion of this product that allows service restarts has saved employee hours by automatically restarting problematic services until the full root cause can be determined.
Fernando Villamil | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • The fact that you can now see something you knew nothing about is always a big plus.
  • Adding value by streamlining other software that is included in Solarwinds Sam makes it a corner store. Convenient software at a glance versus working with teams to figure out who's the problem is it. The resolution time is in minutes now.
  • One negative item I have is, I can't think of everything, so why did I not monitor it. Not an actual negative, the system is very flexible so if you can think of it you or someone else has probably already done it. Just need to look it up.
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • We have a 24-hour dispatch center at our utility. Proactive monitoring of applications gives them the ability to be notified of service failures and even restart them using the Solarwinds console. This cuts down on helpdesk tickets and also gives them a better uptime.
  • Often, we would chase wisps when searching for application related issues (services stopping, etc.). SAM has given us a better window into that.
  • We are definitely saving money every year by using SAM. We estimate that we saved the purchase price in labor in approximately 4 months.
Score 3 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • When properly configured, SAM can provide notice of outages that can be mitigated quickly
  • Due to the complexity of the system, you need a qualified, dedicated administrator or team of administrators to properly manage SAM
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • With Solarwinds, our biggest achievement due to its use is the fact that we were able to cut down by more than half our finding during our annual Penetration testing.
  • Using Solarwinds, we were able to mitigate and remediate our Pen test's findings, such as findings related to AD accounts and passwords.
  • Being able to automate a lot of the processes helps with the set it and forget it mantra, especially with server monitoring and network traffic monitoring.
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • Application downtime was reduced by 50% and found issues fast using SAM. SAM monitors the availability and performance of applications and server infrastructure, providing you with key health metrics that help you improve service reliability.
Harvey Guindi | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • Positive: greater awareness, and the ability to troubleshoot and understand capacity and performance metrics.
  • Positive: Discovery and awareness of dependencies and related systems or network paths when troubleshooting experience issues.
  • Negative: processing both discovery and troubleshooting is not always intuitive, and takes significant time.
September 20, 2019

SolarWinds Review

Score 5 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • Useful for non-IT people to monitor the sites from our service center. Visually, (although not pretty in design) green is good and red is bad. Our call center can easily see that.
September 17, 2019

Efficient Data Monitor

Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • Definitely had a positive impact due to the ease of identifying the exact area where optimization is required.
  • Its worth every cent that has been spent for purchasing the product.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • One of the biggest areas of ROI is for our DBA, with the combination of SAM and DPA we have been able to streamline the maintenance and troubleshooting of applications. On several instances, it has taken us probably less than 5 minutes to tell supervisors where the issue lies when something is not working.
  • The second area that it helps is helping us see trends on our servers to know if we need to address specific areas of growth to ensure continued productivity and smooth operations.
  • Initially this was not part of our "initial" purchase with SolarWinds, however, now it is definitely one of the core SolarWinds modules that are used on a daily basis to assist in monitoring our network.
Damien Solodow | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • Switching to SolarWinds has enabled us to much more swiftly discover and respond to system or application issues than our previous system. The lower administrative overhead involved has freed up considerable time for our network and systems admins for more business valuable tasks than tweaking monitoring.
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