SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager (NCM) is worth the money
February 12, 2026

SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager (NCM) is worth the money

Geoff Benedetti | 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 (NCM) to automatically backup up configurations of all our network devices comprised of Cisco Routers and Switches. We can then look at and compare configs if we need them to build a new switch or router or for troubleshooting. I also use it to push out commands to multiple devices at once which is very handy.

Pros

  • Automatically backs up devices on a schedule
  • Allows you to compare configs side by side and illustrates differences
  • Allows you to push out scripts to multiple devices at once
  • shows where you have policy violations with regard to Cisco's best practices

Cons

  • Doesn't seem to be accurate with end of life, end of support information.
  • The user interface can be complicated and takes time to figure out
  • It's not cheap and prices just went up so we were looking at other options, but I've been using it for years and am accustomed to it
  • Support can be hard to reach and hard to understand
  • It saves time and money with it's scripting functionality
  • It saves time and money with it's config comparison tool
  • The fact that it automatically backs up configs has impacted our ROI positively
It's pretty easy to use, however there is a small learing curve. Support is difficult to contact sometimes and they don't always get back to you quickly. They seem to want you to create a support ticket via email and they want to respond to you by email. I think if you can talk to someone, support resolution time is expedited.
Auvik has some similar features but it is very expensive. SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager (NCM) has gone up in price but it is much more affordable than Auvik. Auvik has no way of sending a script to more than one device at a time so that is a downside of Auvik versus SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager (NCM).

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?

Yes

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

Yes

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

Yes

SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor (npm), SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer (NTA), SolarWinds Kiwi Syslog Server, SolarWinds IP Address Manager (IPAM)
Network Configuration Manager is well suited for backing up configurations of all your devices. It also has a great comparison tool for seeing only the differences in config. Another great feature is it's ability to push a script to any number of devices. This is very handy for pushing changes to one, 10 or multiple devices. There are also some great reports that you can run against the devices in inventory.

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