We performed a comparison between Cisco Prime and SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager based on real PeerSpot user reviews.
Find out in this report how the two Network Management Applications solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI."Cisco Prime allows us to manage all the wireless controllers and access points."
"The solution provides data that allows us to time travel through logs and perform remote operations or troubleshooting."
"The technical support team is very good."
"The VLAN mapping function has been most impactful in simplifying our network management tasks."
"The endpoint information Cisco Prime generates helps us troubleshoot, and it's also useful for compliance reporting and endpoint identification."
"We use this solution to troubleshoot our wireless systems, specifically regarding signal strength."
"It gives you the ability to upgrade switches remotely, schedule the upgrade time, perform backups, and monitor the health of all networks."
"Cisco Prime is user-friendly, so we are comfortable using it."
"The features we find most valuable is the configuration backup automation, the configuration compliance, the security vulnerability detection and upgrading devices."
"SolarWinds NCM provides updates on the status of your network infrastructure. If any issues arise, such as a link failure or a device going offline, you will receive notifications and alerts. Additionally, if someone unplugs a cable, SolarWinds NCM will detect it. It also features a Topology Mapper that displays the connectivity of your network devices, giving you a visual representation of the network's structure. With SolarWinds NCM, you have a clear understanding of what's happening within your network and can generate comprehensive reports."
"The most valuable Real-time fault detection is beneficial as it enables the identification of changes made to a device's configuration through the SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager. This makes it easy to pinpoint which configurations were added or removed, potentially causing network issues. Such changes are saved in logs for future reference."
"Compared to other vendors, like NetBrain, managing the solution is easy. They made it very user-friendly."
"The solution's view is very nice, and they have a great customized dashboard."
"It's perfect for network configuration management. It's easy to use."
"The installation is straightforward."
"It is pretty straightforward to set up."
"I would rate the scalability of Cisco Prime a six out of ten. To scale up from a hundred to a thousand devices, the platform needs to be rebuilt logically. This process might require a downtime window and may involve changing the hardware or upgrading to a larger appliance."
"The overall management capabilities of Prime need to be improved."
"If you think about a centralized monitoring system, Cisco Prime is not good because it does not support third-party vendors like Palo Alto or FortiGate."
"The product's pricing can be cheaper."
"The product's performance monitoring feature could be more intuitive."
"Cisco Prime could improve the graphical user interface."
"The onboarding process could be improved and developed to enhance compatibility for non-Cisco devices."
"The solution can be slow at times."
"The network logs could be improved. When the error logs come across with those false positive alarms in the error logs."
"I'd like to see additional features like support for devices that don't use CLI for configuration backups, expanded inventory support for other vendors beyond Cisco, and compatibility with newer SD WAN devices. These enhancements would further improve the product's versatility and utility for users. we hope for future enhancements, especially in supporting security devices that lack CLI backup options."
"I would like to see more integration tools. Something like dialysis, for example."
"It would be great if they include a network service manager, network performance manager, or a privileged assessment in the next release."
"When we run the SolarWinds NCM jobs at the cellular line, it runs in the morning. They're just not finishing. We're getting false processing."
"Releasing a product compatible with operating systems other than Windows would be advantageous."
"The third-party plugins available in the solution could improve. I have received some issues with the templates."
"Our experience has shown that most of the problems we've had with SolarWinds NCM are related to software issues."
More SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager Pricing and Cost Advice →
Cisco Prime is ranked 2nd in Network Management Applications with 35 reviews while SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager is ranked 10th in Configuration Management with 22 reviews. Cisco Prime is rated 7.8, while SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager is rated 8.2. The top reviewer of Cisco Prime writes "Robust, cost-effective, and provides good visibility, but the scalability could improve". On the other hand, the top reviewer of SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager writes "Streamlines network configuration and compliance processes through its centralized dashboard, although its compatibility with multi-vendor devices may present limitations". Cisco Prime is most compared with Cisco DNA Center, Aruba Airwave, Huawei eSight, Fortinet FortiManager and HPE Intelligent Management Center, whereas SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager is most compared with Cisco DNA Center, Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform, OpenText Network Node Manager i, VMware NSX and IBM Tivoli NetCool. See our Cisco Prime vs. SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager report.
We monitor all Network Management Applications reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.
