System Architect at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Real User
Easy to use and deploy
Pros and Cons
  • "Like other common Linux distributions, some of the most valuable features of this solution are the ease of use and deployment. It's simple and has a lot of packages and a lot of software."
  • "As far as improvements, sometimes I get a bit frustrated when I move from a previous version to a new one because some configuration has changed—I need to investigate the documentation to deal with some configuration. But it doesn't take much time, so it's okay."

What is our primary use case?

We use Ubuntu for the distribution of our products and our web application firewall. Previously, I have also used a desktop version of Ubuntu on my laptop. We use this operating system for our Zabbix server as well, for monitoring, testing, and so on. 

We mostly use a server version, so it's only a command console. There's no graphical interface. 

This solution is deployed both on-premise and on cloud. 

What is most valuable?

Like other common Linux distributions, some of the most valuable features of this solution are the ease of use and deployment. It's simple and has a lot of packages and a lot of software. 

What needs improvement?

As far as improvements, sometimes I get a bit frustrated when I move from a previous version to a new one because some configuration has changed—I need to investigate the documentation to deal with some configuration. But it doesn't take much time, so it's okay. 

I don't have any requests for additional features. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Ubuntu Linux for a little over 10 years. 

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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Ubuntu is stable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

This solution is scalable, but the scalability is more appropriate for hardware, not for the operating system. 

In my company, there are only a few users dealing with the desktop version of the Ubuntu operating system. As far as production environments and testing servers, there are maybe a few dozen users. 

How are customer service and support?

We have never contacted technical support. We've never had any problems which demanded support from the Ubuntu teams. 

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Before using Ubuntu Linux, I used CentOS, Debian, and Kali Linux. 

How was the initial setup?

The installation is really easy. The timeframe depends on the hardware speed, so it's rather fast. I handled the installation by myself. 

We don't actually have a technical team specific to Ubuntu—they're all IT guys, so we all have good skills for doing things ourselves. 

What about the implementation team?

We implemented this solution through an in-house team. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I'm surprised that Ubuntu Linux has a paid license, even some supporting stuff included. We don't use the paid version, we only use the common edition. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate Ubuntu Linux a 10 out of 10. It's really great. I recommend Ubuntu Linux to others who are looking into implementing this OS. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Network Engineer at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Real User
Beneficial reports, reliable, useful network overview
Pros and Cons
  • "I have found that the reporting feature in Zabbix is most valuable. Additionally, the solution has given us bandwidth options, we are able to see where problems are. For example, we noticed a problem that occurred because of a bad interface going in the wireless VLAN."
  • "The user web interface is a little bit too basic, we need to link Zabbix to Grafana to have more options, such as graphs and charts. The interface needs to be improved. Additionally, there could be better integration with Grafana API."

What is our primary use case?

Before the deployment of Zabbix, we experienced some delays on our internet connection, we decided to deploy it and we registered all our network devices, such as switches. We turned on the firewalls in Zabbix. We linked Zabbix to Grafana to receive a more accurate graph.

How has it helped my organization?

From the use of Zabbix, we are now able to see an overview of our bandwidth consumption, a direct view of what links are being used on our backbone switches, and if there is any unusual peak of traffic on our network devices. Before using Zabbix and Grafana, we didn't have any view of the results of our network. We used to connect individually to every single device and collect the data to analyze but now, we have the opportunity to see graphs and charts of all of the network metrics.

What is most valuable?

I have found that the reporting feature in Zabbix is most valuable. Additionally, the solution has given us bandwidth options, we are able to see where problems are. For example, we noticed a problem that occurred because of a bad interface going in the wireless VLAN.

What needs improvement?

The user web interface is a little bit too basic, we need to link Zabbix to Grafana to have more options, such as graphs and charts. The interface needs to be improved. Additionally, there could be better integration with Grafana API.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Zabbix for a couple of months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Zabbix is very stable. The resource consumptions are okay.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I cannot give too much information about the scalability features because our test environment is not very large. We have a small environment of only some firewalls and switches. We have some servers also, but we did not register them on Zabbix.

We have two users that are using this solution, the CTO and the principal network engineer.

We do not have plans to increase the solution right now but in two years we will.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward.

I only needed to download the application and then deploy it in the VMware Workstation, that was it. Once the virtual appliance is connected to the network, it will automatically receive access via DHCP. Lastly, we use the interface to configure specific ports, the initial deployment is quite simple. 

The time it takes for the deployment takes only a few minutes.

What about the implementation team?

We only require one network engineer for the maintenance of the solution.

What was our ROI?

We have received a return on investment because the solution is free and any gains we make are profit.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Zabbix and Grafana are both open source products, we only needed to go to their website and download the application and we began to use them. The solutions are free.

What other advice do I have?

Zabbix is a good and very cost-effective product. It does its job very well. We downloaded it for performance monitoring and it's very effective.

I rate Zabbix an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
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Zabbix
April 2024
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PeerSpot user
IT Manager at a financial services firm with 51-200 employees
Vendor
Zabbix sends alerts which are useful to prevent server outages.

What is most valuable?

The e-mail and SMS alerts are two features I have found valuable.

How has it helped my organization?

Zabbix sends alerts e.g space on drives etc... which is useful as a prevention of server outage.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for 3 years.

What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

No issues with deployment.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

No issues with stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

No issues with scalability.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We previously used Spiceworks.

How was the initial setup?

The setup was straightforward, monitoring simple environment.

What about the implementation team?

We implemented in-house.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

1 virtual server equals 1000 USD.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Spiceworks.

What other advice do I have?

I recommend this solution.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
PeerSpot user
Senior Consultant at a tech services company
Consultant
The most valuable features are the monitoring and the ease in which we can set it up at customer sites.
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features are the monitoring and the ease with which we can set it up at customer sites with our custom Zabbix proxy and tools."
  • "The dashboard and the graph section could be a little bit more professional."

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features are the monitoring and the ease with which we can set it up at customer sites with our custom Zabbix proxy and tools. It is very agile and it is easy to do custom setups.

What needs improvement?

The dashboard and the graph section could be a little bit more professional.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Zabbix for about five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

There were no issues with stability, but we needed to adjust some of the standard values in the configuration. However, that was to be expected.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I haven't scaled yet, but we plan to do this with two front-ends, two Zabbix cores, and HA MySQL.

How are customer service and technical support?

We haven't used technical support yet. I have attended a course with one of the employees at Zabbix, and he was very good.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We did not use a solution previous to this one.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup and the subsequent upgrade were both very easy.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

There are no licenses.

What other advice do I have?

Just go for it. The possibilities are endless and very large.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: We have teamed up with Zabbix and have become a partner.
PeerSpot user
PeerSpot user
Associate Solutions Engineer with 501-1,000 employees
Vendor
By proactively monitoring, it helped us to fix problems before any major disaster. Dashboards and reports can be improved.
Pros and Cons
  • "It provides high scalability, alerting, notification, templating, and end-to-end security."
  • "There are a lot of areas for improvement, specifically in the dashboards and reports functionalities."

What is most valuable?

It monitors almost everything.

It provides high scalability, alerting, notification, templating, and end-to-end security.

How has it helped my organization?

By proactively monitoring, it helped us to fix problems before any major disaster.

What needs improvement?

There are a lot of areas for improvement, specifically in the dashboards and reports functionalities.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have used this solution for four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

There were no stability issues.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

There were no scalability issues.

How is customer service and technical support?

I haven’t used technical support yet.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is a bit complex, as lots of things need to be planned carefully during the implementation of the solution, such as the hardware sizing, customizing templates for monitoring the customer's environment, and much more.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

It is a true open-source solution, so there are no licensing costs.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We evaluated many products such as HPE SiteScope, Nagios etc.

What other advice do I have?

An in-depth knowledge of the product is needed to customize it, according to your customer's needs.

It is advisable to hire a consultant and do a PoC (proof of concept) before arriving at conclusion.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
it_user692547 - PeerSpot reviewer
it_user692547Lead - Solution Specialist at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Consultant

Zabbix is good solution considering open source platform. It meets customer basic needs . Inbuilt dashboard and report capabilities needs to improve more.

Regards
Sameer

Associate Founder at KerBBo Consulting
Real User
The most valuable feature is the monitoring of virtual machines
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature is the monitoring of virtual machines."
  • "Zabbix isn't a great tool for cloud-specific monitoring - its connection to public clouds needs to be improved. Other areas for improvement would be the lack of dashboards and integrations."

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is the monitoring of virtual machines.

What needs improvement?

Zabbix isn't a great tool for cloud-specific monitoring - its connection to public clouds needs to be improved. Other areas for improvement would be the lack of dashboards and integrations.

For how long have I used the solution?

I used Zabbix for around three weeks on a test basis.

What other advice do I have?

I really do not like this solution, almost all of its features are awful. I would rate it nine out of ten for on-premises environments but five out of ten for cloud platforms or BAS.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
PeerSpot user
Director at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Consultant
Integration With Other Open Source Solutions Expand Possibilities For Data Visualization

What is most valuable?

Highly adaptable to almost any environment and technology. The use of features, like Low Level Discovery, Templates, and Macros, allow an easy and customizable deployment over large environments.

Regarding notifications, the ability to use different media types and custom scripts gives Zabbix virtually no limits (mail, SMS, Telegram, Slack, etc.). Integration with other Open Source solutions, like Grafana, expand the possibilities for data visualization.

How has it helped my organization?

Availability problems are easily detected, minimizing downtime. Performance problems are detected before having an impact in customer experience. There is a centralized view of the whole IT system (HW to apps), and new devices services are easily integrated.

What needs improvement?

Reporting and SLA customization.

For how long have I used the solution?

Five years.

What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

None.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

None.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

None.

How are customer service and technical support?

Customer Service:

We are partners, so customer service does not apply to us.

Technical Support:

We are partners with Zabbix. The response whenever we needed their technical assistance was excellent.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We used Cacti for data visualization. We switched because of the benefits of using Zabbix as a central monitoring solution instead of having multiple tools to manage.

How was the initial setup?

Straightforward. Documentation on the initial setup is available at Zabbix's website and easy to follow.

What about the implementation team?

We are Zabbix's partners.

What was our ROI?

Being truly Open Source, the only investment is in the time needed to get to know Zabbix and all the features it brings. This time is later gained in downtime minimization, easy scalability, and overall system status visualization.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Zabbix is Open Source, there is no licensing or pricing. As with any monitoring tool, there is a time cost which is required to learn how to use it well.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We evaluated Nagios. We preferred Zabbix for the easy to use GUI and because it is 100% Open Source.

What other advice do I have?

In our opinion Zabbix is an amazing monitoring solution which allows for any service or device to be monitored. In most cases, integration is supported out-of-the-box. In some cases, additional scripting or minor development is required.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: We are Zabbix resellers.
PeerSpot user
PeerSpot user
Consulting System Engineer at ENEA
Real User
We value the auto-host discovery, template import, and bulk import/export features.
Pros and Cons
  • "We value the auto-host discovery, template import, bulk import/export features. Newer versions also add nice features, such as multi-IP per host."
  • "We had some scalability issues with a large number of nodes."

What is most valuable?

We value the auto-host discovery, template import, bulk import/export features. Newer versions also add nice features, such as multi-IP per host.

How has it helped my organization?

We operate an HPC cluster. On several occasions, the datacenter(s) counted above 1000 hosts. An easily scalable solution is most valued against other solutions which are simpler to operate and have a smoother learning curve, such as Nagios.

The design of Zabbix allows the user to change metrics and check on the server side, instead of changing them on the client side, via a configuration file.

What needs improvement?

I use an older version of the product, so I cannot answer this question.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using the solution for seven years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The underlying database needs proper tuning and maintenance to avoid table fragmentation.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We had some scalability issues with a large number of nodes. It was as if the underlying relational database is on the same machine and has fragmented tables. The server CPU could ramp up to 100% and the metrics are not refreshed properly.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We switched in order to get the benefit of the ability to redefine metrics server-side, nested templates, and the really powerful graphs available at the time.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was really straightforward. However, as soon as you reach 100 monitored clients, the default MySQL configuration doesn't scale up. I'm sure that a newer Zabbix version relies on better backend solutions for data storage.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

It's free software released under the GNU/GPL license.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We evaluated Nagios.

What other advice do I have?

It is unnecessary if you have below 100 hosts. Otherwise, it's a great tool, with a nice web interface.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Zabbix Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: April 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Zabbix Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.