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SolarWinds NCM provides a solid device management platform at a reasonable price
Updated March 12, 2023

SolarWinds NCM provides a solid device management platform at a reasonable price

Anonymous | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager (NCM)

We use Solarwinds Network Configuration Manager primarily for the network configuration backup use case. We have it pull configurations on a daily basis from our Cisco Catalyst/IOS/IOS-XE/Nexus/WLC and Fortinet devices, both running and startup configs. We also use it to send daily config change notifications showing a diff between the previous and the current versions. Finally, we use it to send us weekly emails whenever there is a difference between our running and startup Cisco configs, meaning the config was not saved to flash.
  • Pulls down configurations of network devices
  • Provides diff reports/emails, comparing previous and current configs
  • Customizing isn't as straightforward as one would expect, could be made simpler
  • We are able to track changes, improve security, and improve BC/DR as a result of this product, and all for a very reasonable price!
LogicMonitor is very basic when it comes to config management, with support for a limited number of devices (though sufficient for us) and minimal frills/features. While we could have used it for the BC/DR portion of our solution, we wanted the better config diffs, compliance features, unsaved config reports, and the ability to grow further into it, so we kept [SolarWinds] N[etwork] C[onfiguration] M[anager].

Do you think SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager (NCM) delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager (NCM)'s feature set?

Yes

Did SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager (NCM) live up to sales and marketing promises?

I wasn't involved with the selection/purchase process

Did implementation of SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager (NCM) go as expected?

I wasn't involved with the implementation phase

Would you buy SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager (NCM) again?

Yes

SolarWinds N[etwork] C[onfiguration] M[anage] is a good fit for most small and medium-sized businesses that need an automated way to make sure their configurations are safe as well as to provide a way to track changes. The platform has been around for a long time and has many features, so there is some room for it to grow as well. Pricing is reasonable, though it's definitely not cheap, as it's meant to be an enterprise product. For organizations with virtually no budget, there are some open-source options, though they do take time to configure and manage.

Using SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager (NCM)

4 - The main users of NCM work in IT Infrastructure, specifically network engineering and operations; however, the infrastructure manager and our systems engineering team also has access to the software, in case of an emergency or other business reason.
2 - Support of the product is not too difficult, given its use cases are very specific, i.e. Cisco and Fortinet configuration management. The initial setup of the product can be a little tricky for a beginner, but once it's setup, the only typical ongoing maintenance is for software upgrades, typically once every 3-6 months to stay up to date.
  • Configuration backup
  • Configuration change management
  • Device inventory
  • See device configuration changes via daily email reports
  • Perform routing table change auditing
Medium complexity to set up in the beginning if using any non-standard devices or configurations, else fairly easy (e.g. Cisco Nexus or IOS-based devices). Reports are fairly straightforward to set up. Updates to the platform are fairly straightforward and don't take a major effort. Easy to add or remove devices.