Item: PRTG Network Monitor
Rating: 8
Author: Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

PRTG is being used to monitor a number of different IT technologies mainly in the infrastructure realm. There are several key uses:

Device monitoring (Security, network, telephony, servers, power)
Device troubleshooting (monitoring statistics of problematic device which could be any network connected device) over time to determine a baseline and solve problems
Reporting on network utilization for capacity planning
Netflow reporting for external connections

There are various problems the tool addresses - both proactive and reactive use cases. It provides baselines, verification reporting and ability to alert to issues present. We use various technologies for alerting, from Teams messaging, to emails to direct incident creation in ITSM software.

Pros and Cons

Ability to monitor ALMOST anything that is network connected
Flexibility in monitoring choices (SNMP, Scripts, PINGS, WMI etc)
Easy to use web GUI for creating monitors, reports, and alerts

Licensing on a per entity basis can be cumbersome for devices which have a ton of monitoring points like network switches\routers. Each sensor may count against a license, which could be a lot of you were monitoring every TX\RX of an SFP for example
A better method to easily template\copy monitors across devices
The navigation in the web GUI could be a little more straightforward in terms of the hierarchy

Most Important Features

Flexibility
Ability to monitor anything
Ability to integrate alerting on a number of different channels
Easy to upgrade\maintain

Return on Investment

Increased efficiency
Consolidate tools - less to manage and pay for
Reduced MTTR for complex issues

Alternatives Considered

SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor (npm)

PRTG is much simpler to use than SolarWinds. SolarWinds wins in the category of a massive amount of purpose built bolt-ons. If the intention is to go after a system which you can fully use to customize and integrate into your needs easily, PRTG wins. This was what the need was as other tools existing in the organization to do many of the "purpose built" tasks - this was to fit a niche and has grown considerably since purchase based on the flexibility of the product.

Key Insights

Do you think PRTG Network Monitor delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with PRTG Network Monitor's feature set?

Yes

Did PRTG Network Monitor live up to sales and marketing promises?

I wasn't involved with the selection/purchase process

Did implementation of PRTG Network Monitor go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy PRTG Network Monitor again?

Yes

Other Software Used

TotalView, Micro Focus Network Node Manager i (formerly HP Network Node Manager), SolarWinds Engineer's Toolset

Likelihood to Recommend

If there are a number of different protocols and devices to monitor PRTG is really an all in one solution. There are network specific solutions, telephony solutions, server solutions, etc - but this tool can do anything. Even if you don't use this tool as your main "monitoring solutions" every IT professional should have access to this tool for at least troubleshooting purposes.

If you are looking for something specific built for a task you may be able to find [a] more direct and easy tool to use that would be easier and quicker to setup as customization is not needed.

Perfect for EASY customization!

Overall Satisfaction with PRTG Network Monitor