SAM good for a glimpse
March 08, 2016
SAM good for a glimpse
Score 3 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Overall Satisfaction with SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor
I am using it to monitor exchange, SQL, and basic information on windows servers. It lets me know of high-level problems sooner than the users report them. At a previous employer, we had the CA APM product. We were never able to get it configured correctly for monitoring. However, the spectrum and eHealth products were configured and working.
- Easy to configure
- Single pane of glass because you can monitor network, vm, and storage as well
- Easy to use
- The product is not very detailed in monitoring application specifics such as exchange, IIS, SQL, etc.
- The technical support is lacking when you have a problem. Currently, the exchange insight is not monitoring correctly.
- I would like to see it make a direct connection to a node and the application that lives on it. For example, exchange applications problems do not turn the nodes red or yellow or create notifications on the node itself.
- I also do not like how you have to pay for node licenses so it becomes very expensive to try to monitor your environment especially if you are a smaller shop.
- It has made me aware of servers running high on resources before users have notified me.
- I have alerts setup to know when a service stops so business is not interrupted.
It does not give you near the detail SCOM does. The CA products are much harder to configure, but they give you a more fluid look and much more reliable information. Out of the four, I would rate SAM at the bottom.
SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor Feature Ratings
SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor Support
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Kept well informed Support cares about my success Quick Initial Response | Slow Resolution Poor followup Less knowledgeable Problems left unsolved Escalation required Difficult to get immediate help Need to explain problems multiple times |