SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager Reviews

I implemented SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager for one of the large service providers in my building. The solution is used for troubleshooting network or device issues, such as the device not receiving the correct data.

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.

The third-party plugins available in the solution could improve. I have received some issues with the templates.

I have been using SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager for approximately three years.

The stability of the solution is good. However, it was not always the best. There was an issue where the National Security of the USA was hacked through the solution.

SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager is scalable.

We have more than 60 clients using the solution.

The documents for setting up SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager are straightforward, but configuring the monitored device is a challenge because our support team lacks the necessary knowledge. It's crucial to assess the impact of these configuration changes on the integration with the NCM module, such as high resource utilization or other potential issues. It's essential to evaluate the effects of these changes on both sides.

The deployment tool one to two days because we had to verify the setup and configure the devices. We have to add the devices through the SSMP We are not only doing one device, we are doing more than 20. The more devices added to the solution will add more time. 

There is a license needed to use SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager.

I would recommend this solution to others.

I rate SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager a ten out of ten.

We use the solution to manage the configuration for different vendors.

They should enhance the solution's visibility for features. There should be an easier way to have the topology of our network. Also, they should include more automation features.

We have been using the solution for one and a half years.

It is a stable solution.

The solution is scalable. It is most suitable for small and medium enterprises.

The solution's technical support service response could be faster.

Positive

The solution's initial setup process is moderately complex. Before starting the deployment, the network engineer must take specific training for the tool.

The solution's cost depends on the deployment requirements. It ranges from $3 to $30,000. We have to pay additionally for support and maintenance.

We evaluated Zabbix, PRTG, DNA Center, AirWave, etc. In comparison, SolarWinds is low-cost and has integration with different vendors.

I advise others to find the right business partner to help them with the solution. I rate it as a seven.

They are four areas that we use the Network Configuration Manager for

1. Automate configuration backup. 

2. Configuration compliance. We have created checklists for different types of devices and check for configuration compliance as per our config guidelines.

3. Security vulnerability detection for Cisco devices. Identify open CVE's with devices.

4. Firmware upgrades / IOS upgrades of Cisco devices. This feature has seen one major improvement in the ability to perform parallel upgrades.

NCM has provided for the following benefits - Mainly to to with audit readiness on 3 fronts - regular configuration backups, configuration hardening and Vulnerability management.

The features we find most valuable are the configuration backup automation, configuration compliance, security vulnerability detection, and upgrading devices.

The Network Configuration Manager needs to improve the access control list compliance.

We have used SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager for more than six years now. We are on the near latest release 2020.2.5 HF1 as of June 2021. We have adopted an N-1 version deployment policy.

Platform stability is extremely good. A few areas of improvements required - better handling of NCM jobs failing - for example if an NCM job has multiple devices to be backed up, a detailed report/log of the success or failed status is required.

SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager is very scalable. We have a deployment that covers over 12,000 network devices.

We have used technical support many times. They're good if you escalate properly. It is an area that needs a bit of improvement in terms of helping prioritize the ticket. Whenever we open a ticket with them, I think by default it lands up in an open bucket. So I don't have the option of saying that there is an absolutely critical requirement and I need some urgent help. I can't classify that when opening up a ticket for the first time.

The initial setup was pretty straightforward. The initial setup did not take very long. I think the base platform was set up in a day's time. But I think configuration compliance policies, which is actually more of writing the policies rather than anything to do with SolarWinds, are slightly more time-consuming. The creation of policy is time-consuming. That has more to do with the organization policy, i.e., do I need Telnet enabled, do I need Telnet disabled, etc.

I would highly recommend SolarWinds Network Configuration Management to other customers. I rate this product at a nine out of ten.

We really did not evaluate many other options. We were actually using the Kiwi CatTools version which is also a part of SolarWinds. But I think SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager is a big brother of Kiwi CatTools and I think since we were already familiar with Kiwi CatTools the migration to NCM was pretty easy.

We are using the solution mainly for running backup jobs and comparing integrations. 

NCM is a very good tool. We can use it to compare configurations, for example, and download configurations to see whether something is running configurations. It is good for managing Cisco devices and managing their configurations. 

It is pretty straightforward to set up.

The solution is stable.

It is scalable. 

Nowadays, since last week, I've been facing one issue with the NCM jobs.

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. They're just stuck at a point and just showing me post-processing is happening. So it's not completing, and whenever I cancel it and run it again, it gives me the error. However, not all the time. It gives me the connection refused or a time-out. And when I go to the device, only the job is running. I find the connection profile is running fine and there is no blocking, and there is nothing at the network devices level. However, when I run the job, it's just giving me the connection refused by that particular device. I have raised one case with the vendor about this issue. However, they are just looking at it now, and they will respond to me when they identify something. I haven't gotten an answer on what the issue is.

I've been using the solution for three to four years.

We have been using NCM for a long time, and many of the clients are using it. It's been stable for us. If my client is happy, I'm all happy.

This is a scalable product.

I'd rate the scalability at a seven or eight out of ten.

We're using the solution across multiple projects. I'm not sure how many users are on it in total. It's likely more than 1,000.

I just recently raised an issue with support. 

Apart from that, I haven't had any issues with NCM. I had issues with other modules, just not with NCM. With relation to NCM, this new ticket is my first experience with SolarWinds vendor support and I'm expecting them to give me me some sort of valuable resolution.

I'm not sure why we chose this solution. 

It was not my decision. The stakeholders and my sales team took that decision. They just purchased it and asked me to deploy it. If it was in my hand, I would go for another tool also to explore options. I'm not sure what the other tools are, however, I would have explored a bit more before choosing. 

I've been using SolarWinds for a long time. I'm using NBM, NTA, and other models also. For me, it was not a tough task to set up the solution. That said, I only am familiar with the ORM platform and its features. 

If someone does not have any knowledge of ORM or SolarWinds and they just start with the NCM, then they may face issues and may consider it difficult to deploy. 

Therefore, while deployment is easy, whenever someone is new, they may face some issues running the jobs, and figuring out the jobs and configurations and it all works. For me, it was easy since I already have certain experience and certifications.

NCM deployment takes the usual amount of time as compared to other modules. I deployed on two to three instances and along with other modules. It doesn't take much time. I would not say it's unresponsive. It just takes time.

I'm not from the sales team. I don't handle licensing. The cost structure might be available on their website. 

We are a partner.

I have different projects. I'm not working on a single project. Some of the clients are using a cloud-based instance. Some of them have physical on-premises setups. Most of them are on the cloud.

Before using anything, I would advise new users just go look at the requirements. For example, what are the requirements that you have to monitor? If you have just some devices by which you want to monitor the status of and need only some of the statistics, then NCM is not needed. Companies should not purchase anything blindly; they should understand the infrastructure and requirements.

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.

We are using SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager for managing network configurations of our network devices. It helps with configuration management, network visibility and automation, and compliance and reporting. Additionally, the solution can help in mapping out network topology.

With SolarWinds NCM, you have a clear understanding of what's happening within your network as regards configuration changes, the status of the network devices, backup status, and compliance. You can generate a comprehensive report of all these.

Our experience has shown that most of the problems we've had with SolarWinds NCM are related to software issues.

I have been using SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager (NCM) for approximately three years.

The solution is stable.

I rate the stability of SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager a seven out of ten.

SolarWinds NCM is scalable.

We have three clients and roughly 30 users using this solution. The users are mostly network support engineers.

The response times could improve for the support team from SolarWinds NCM.

In the past, we've encountered bugs and other issues with SolarWinds NCM software and reached out to their support team for resolution.

There is still room for improvement in their software. 

I rate the support from SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager a seven out of ten.

Neutral

The setup of SolarWinds NCM can be difficult in a large environment. However, if you have a small environment with a few nodes, the process is easier and faster.

The deployment typically takes two days.

The cost is fair.

If you want to manage your network configurations, SolarWinds NCM is easy to understand compared to Cisco Prime, HP, NNMi, and other configuration managers out there.

For those who are new to the field and don't want to delve into technical materials, I recommend SolarWinds NCM as it is easier to understand.

I rate SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager a nine out of ten.

I use it for monitoring the entire network for the company. We oversee nodes, we oversee devices heading up to crossing the threshold for CPU usage. We oversee power, we oversee if they're down or if they're failing. We oversee any node down or any router from any vendor. We have MPLS, so we have a lot of those MPLS routers on the node. We can see when those routers are down. 

SolarWinds can give us not only that, but we can also create running tasks. It can schedule backup for the devices. We can do active jobs, we generate reports and oversee and look for any peaks of ranges or network slowness or network interruptions. These events trigger immediate alerts and the alert brings up the attention to the NOC that brings up the troubleshooting with whoever is local, depending upon who manages the network in that place. It's a helpful tool and I really like it.

The network logs could be improved. When the error logs come across with those false positive alarms in the error logs. We see days or weeks on those error messages. I think this needs to be addressed or they need to mitigate the house cleaning or the housekeeping of those errors or those logs. I mean that's one of the things that I will say that can be a little challenging sometimes. I'd like to see when you look for the node, via IP or via the name of the product, a quicker response in the search for the node. Sometimes when I search it, I have to look three times for the node in a different way. The search for that particular device or search for that particular product, I have to sometimes dig in on my own DNS and find the IP. Then I go to SolarWinds copy and paste it the IP. It's a pain. Let's say the search or the browse for any particular note needs to be improved for the GUI.

I have worked with SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager for about a year.

I think so far stability is going great.

They need to improve their response time. Sometimes they take longer than expected. They need to respond quickly after a ticket is opened. I will email them and I won't see the response for another two or three hours. I have to give them a call and it's a pain. It's a nightmare. I keep bringing that up to them all the time. I would improve that.

Just make sure you only put the nodes that you need to monitor and make sure whoever needs to have nodes in SolarWinds, keep the people besides your team or your group, who want their own nodes there. Make sure you set up the right rules and the standards and the thresholds where you need to get communication for error messages or CPU alerts or power heat or any type of alerts. The alerts, they need to be very clearly addressed in order for you to monitor your devices. We have faced some problems in the past that the alerts are not really set up properly. We have to randomly change the thresholds and the numbers and the ranges. I would recommend that you make sure you monitor only what you need to monitor. Make sure if you need to trigger those alerts, make sure that you have somebody or a team to respond. And, they can have a group responsible for whatever they need to troubleshoot. 

I would rate it at a seven out of ten.

I'm using SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager to configure and manage devices like Aruba, and it's working fine.

It's perfect for network configuration management. It's easy to use.

It would be great if they include a network service manager, network performance manager, or privileged assessment in the next release.

I have been distributing SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager for about three years. 

SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager is very stable for now.

SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager is scalable enough. 

Technical support is perfect.

The initial setup was straightforward. I use a team to deploy and maintain this solution.

I have a yearly subscription.

On a scale from one to ten, I would give SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager an eight. 

We use this solution to store and manage the configuration of Cisco switches and routers.

It significantly reduces the time required to make changes to routers and switches. A single script can be run on all the devices on the network at the push of a button. It also helps to enforce change management as change is implemented via the NCM interface and managers do not have the exec password but rather request for change via NCM which can be approved by those designated to.

The feature that I really enjoy is the ability to script changes across all of your devices.

For example, if you wanted to change the administrator password for all of your Cisco devices, you would simply put that config change in one window on the NCM, and with a push of a button, it sends it across to all the devices on your network.

The integration with the network performance monitor wasn't complete as at the last time I used it. 

It has a separate interface page within the web interface. I would prefer to have the NCM features on the same interface as the natural performance monitor device page.

For each device, when you open the network performance monitor, it will give you all of the information about the device, but many of the natural configuration management features are not on that page. You have to go to a separate page. It would be nice to have tighter integration with the NPM (Network Performance Monitor).

I would like to see NCM be more aggressive in adding new device support to the product.

I have been using this solution for seven years.

This solution is very stable. I have never had any real issues with stability.

When you deploy it with an external SQL server database that is properly managed and properly tuned, you won't experience any issues.

We know that the SQL Server is scalable, and you can take it to large sizes.

NPM allows you to add pollers to scale it, but I am not sure that NCM has the ability to utilize the additional pollers in a NPM. I have never tried to scale it to thousands of devices. I have only scaled to a few hundred, and I know that it handles a few hundred devices with no issues in one box.

Technical support is good. I have no complaints.

I have used other products and switched to SolarWinds NCM because of the ease of use. The design system is better with fewer bugs.

The initial setup was very easy. There were no issues at all.

I was an integrator and would help to deploy the solution for some of the companies.

We have a team of three to manage and maintain the solution.

Most of the companies would require an integrator to help them deploy the solution.

NCM pays for itself within the first 3 years of use as you do need less dedicated Cisco certified engineers fully on site once it is implemented

The NCM is licensed per device. 

You have a base license for 50 devices, and then you can add more licenses as you go. 

It scales from 50 to a hundred and so on.

Also, they have an annual fee that covers upgrades. You have a 12-month license to download new updates.

Larger organizations would be able to have people invest the time to learn how to use the system and deploy on their own. 

Smaller organizations would need an integrator to help them through the deployment process.

We definitely plan to continue working with this solution. 

There are less popular devices that are not directly supported by NCM. You have open-source Linux devices that you really can't support with NCM. They have their own tool that you have to use. We have a couple of those, but generally, NCM is a tool we use for the majority of the well-known brand network purposes.

My advice to others who want to use this solution would be to get it if you have a network with several departmental devices to take care of. 

Do an early set up of your approval process to make sure that change management is built-in. If you have several people with the admin password who are able to go in and make changes to all your devices at one time, it makes the entire system much less stable. You need to ensure that you put in all of the controls very early on, and have levels of authorization for change.

This should be done very early when you deploy the system.

I recommend using SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager.

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.