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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%
  • Threshold alerts (271)
    9.0
    90%
  • Application monitoring (266)
    9.0
    90%
  • Out-of-the box templates to monitor applications (256)
    8.0
    80%
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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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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 AppStackâ„¢ dashboardScreenshot of Microsoft Exchange performance monitoring with AppInsightâ„¢ templateScreenshot of Microsoft IIS performance monitoring with AppInsightâ„¢ 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

(653)

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

(51-75 of 278)
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Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We have all IT departments involved with the deployment of SolarWinds for proactive monitoring, alerting, and reports for over 100 remote office location and two data centers. Currently, Netflow and Netpath are tools that we are building out and finding a great deal of insight with.
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
SW is used for monitoring various Windows & Microsoft applications for corporate IT. It is used for software like Active Directory, exchanges and such and help with keeping these in good health.
September 03, 2020

SAM Review

Score 6 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
It is being used to monitor applications and services across the organization. The plan was to replace What's Up Gold and Nagios with SAM. I've used it at many organizations when I was doing professional services on SolarWinds products.
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
SolarWinds Server and Application Monitor is being used effectively in our organization to monitor applications, databases, processes, services, etc. We are having multiple instances across the globe with separate instances being procured in each region. We are ble to manage and monitor entire customer applications, servers, etc. in an easy way.

Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
The IT department uses SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor to monitor our entire server environment, both physical and virtual. We are mainly a Windows shop and do additional monitoring of Active Directory, SQL, Citrix and custom apps or specific services we are looking to monitor. It keeps track of server up/downs, memory/CPU and application outages.
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use SolarWinds throughout the whole organization, for monitoring managed systems for our end-customers, and for in-depth analysis in case of incidents. Customized dashboards have been implemented per team. We have set up extensive alert triggers that interface with our main ticketing system for direct analysis by our Support Team. We have also automated a vast majority of the daily checks and monthly reporting via SolarWinds.
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Our company uses SolarWinds to monitor our Microsoft Windows Server environment including most, if not all, of the Microsoft applications running on those servers; that includes SQL, Exchange, SharePoint, ActiveDirectory, etc. running on those Virtual Machines.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We the application monitor to both keep track of and monitor the nodes on our network. It not only allows us to pinpoint areas of failure, but is a thorough system to documents IP addresses, MAC addresses, and SMTP devices such as networked cameras. The alert system in SolarWinds is probably the most useful tool - we have setup intricate monitors and alerts to correctly alert the right department at the right time. The versatility of the program allows us to monitor everything from servers, to switches, to specific processes running on VM's hundreds of miles away.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
SAM is used primarily for operations support, and is extended to datacenter and technical support teams. While we use some canned monitors, the bulk of our SAM components are custom written script monitors using Perl, PowerShell, VB, or TSQL. We monitor everything...
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We are using SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor in the IT department, for monitoring servers and networking devices. Before SolarWinds SAM we did not have a complete vision of our infrastructure performance and status, and now we can be proactive.
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized

SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor (SAM) is currently used to monitor the server and applications that are essential to the well being of our organization. Whenever we have a problem or an abnormality, we're alerted and we can take action more efficiently by knowing exactly where the problem is coming from.

It also gives us a quick overview of what's happening in the back-end of our organization.

We're also using it to monitor some special devices that we wouldn't be able to monitor efficiently. But SAM is really a great tool to help us monitor and take action accordingly to each situation.

Setting up SAM to monitor unorthodox application isn't the easiest thing to do but in the end of the day, if you can get it to work properly to monitor what you want, you'll be set to go and it will work like a charm.

Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use SolarWinds Database Performance Analyzer to help deal with Oracle performance issues. This is a primary source of information on what could be causing poor database performance. WE also use it to help identify poorly performing SQL queries by database wait time.
Brian O'Connor | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I have used SolarWinds products over the years, both free and paid. I've been involved in many network deployments, migrations and performance troubleshooting issues. SolarWinds products do a real nice job of finding all of your network assets, inventorying them and keeping a track on the possible issues going on.

The products only get better as development grows. Its a great visual tool to analyze your network and get notified when your assets are unavailable. There are other free tools out there to do this, but Server monitor takes care of everything you can think of.
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized

Our environment is very distributed throughout the United States. SAM gives me good insight to what's happening in our various data centers and local sites, in addition to the valuable information that I am getting from NPM about the nodes themselves, resource usage and other metrics. Thanks to the SAM alerts and App Insight I am able to better tune the applications that we are monitoring (AD/SQL mostly). It has exposed some misconfigurations on our SQL servers and lack of resources on some servers. In addition to identifying servers that needed more resources to be allocated we identified some nodes that were over provisioned allowing us to reclaim processors, memory and storage.

If I were to offer a criticism it would be that between NPM, SAM and other SolarWinds monitors that are part of the suite there can be an overwhelming amount of data. It isn't trivial to tweak what you are monitoring and getting alerts for. Depending on the size of the environment don't be surprised if it takes a lot of resources (human time) to get it setup and working to suit you. It will work doing a next, next install but you can end up getting overwhelmed by data you might not care about.

Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Solarwinds SAM is used by the Information Services & Technology department to monitor a variety of systems in order to ensure that applications function well and meet the needs of the clinical staff. Some of the uses at our facility include DNS User Experience, Enterprise Fax Monitoring, DHCP, SQL, IIS, Citrix, and some specialized Windows applications. For physicians, fast response time in applications is crucial, so for them every second gained is important.
ZAREH OHANIAN (MSM, CISSP, ITIL) | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We currently use SolarWinds to monitor our network infrastructure for 90+ clinics as well as our DB environments to ensure optimal data transmission takes place. At Peoplefinders.com I used the product, both to monitor the Network performance for our various websites for B2B and B2P operation, as well as to proactively respond to poorly performing sales figures, as there was a direct correlation between 'Website access speed' and 'Sales $.' Thus, the tool allowed us to eliminate the network as a possible root cause.
Jeff Allen | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
To be honest we do not have this fully deployed and configured as we have not had the time. Out of the box I am using it as a monitor and alert system to notify me when things are not consistent or available.

Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor together with SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor is being used to monitor all network devices, physical and virtual servers. I would say the system is being used by the whole organization, as we are covering all applications in the company. All URLs/services/process/disk space are monitored with response times. After implementing the SolarWinds SAM, we are getting insights into the application response times. Also, the live performance data for servers is amazing. It also addresses the ease of building different reports for the organization. Alerts and reports can be customized to your needs. You will really feel the real difference if you are moving from SCOM reports to SolarWinds. SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor also allows you to build MAPS/Diagrams with live view, so it's easy for your NOC team to monitor and report. Custom tagging allows you to group servers in the same project which will come in handy when you create views. Custom views and the custom menu are really helpful to customize the view for each individual/department.
Lasha Jojua | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
SAM module mostly used by IT monitoring team to report more detailed info in case of issues. We are using it for proactive monitoring, more or less deep view of app performance running on business critical servers, better than just hardware health info. Team is able to start fix with good value of data, provided by monitoring team.
Ramoan Seymour | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use Server and Application Monitor to provide us a greater in-depth analysis of our IIS, FTP, Exchange applications, DHCP servers, DNS services, our Active Directory and Sharepoint amongst others. Using the results, we can pinpoint bottlenecks in performance for services, app pools, and other applications. This helps us spend less time trying to figure out the root cause and more time fixing the issue.
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor to support our managed infrastructures on customers sites. They are individual silos and they check in with our pollers. Our internal support teams use the web interface to troubleshoot and preemptively fix issues for their specific customers. Additionally, we use powershell and SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor hand-in-hand for specific custom monitors for our applications.
Score 5 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized

SolarWinds is being used to monitor systems that are in place across the whole organization. Some alerts create incidents in our ticketing software using a third-party orchestration software. Server and Application Monitor is combined with several other SolarWinds products/modules to get more capabilities. At least four team members manage different products with access provided to dozens of IT users. The intention is to be proactive to mitigate issues before the customers experience issues or use the data collected to improve troubleshooting.



Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Monitor all servers both physical and virtual, including Windows Linux and multiple OS. We use it to monitor alerts on all systems and pull performance metrics from the environment. It gives a great overall view of your environment and helps you to be proactive.
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