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Nagios (Check_MK) Review
April 06, 2017

Nagios (Check_MK) Review

Andrew Kener | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with Nagios

We are currently using Nagios (specifically the Check_MK plugin) to monitor approximately 200 hosts and over 4000 services. In addition to host/services we are also monitoring and alerting on application logs for our app support team. We are using the Business Intelligence feature to do cluster monitoring and sending alerts to PagerDuty for SMS, email, and phone notifications.
  • Simple. I can have a server setup within minutes that will provide 99% of all the functionality I need. Not a lot of monitoring systems can make this claim.
  • Extensible. I have yet to encounter needed functionality that couldn't be added by means of plugins, scripts, etc.
  • Stable. I have never had a Nagios server crash on me nor have I ever lost data due to bugs/instabilities in the software. I am more confidant in my Nagios install than I am in the underlying server/OS.
  • Scalability. It hasn't been an issue for us due to the small number of hosts we are monitoring but once you get into thousands+ hosts, Nagios tends to have difficulty scaling.
  • Configuration. Configuration can be difficult once you go off the beaten path, especially if you aren't proficient with scripting.
  • Agent management. Having an agent definitely simplifies some things but it adds more complexity to the overall management process.
  • Deploying Nagios has saved us potentially thousands of dollars per year on monitoring.
Nagios is well-suited for smaller ( < 10,000 hosts) environments where a low-cost solution is desired. Either a support package or motivated admin is really needed to get the most value from it. It would definitely be my first recommendation for monitoring.