WhatsUp Gold is a world’s most leading Network Management software created by IPSwitch for medium and large managed service providers and IT enterprises.
As a network increases in size and importance, so does the need to ensure the network runs (and keeps running) effectively. To achieve this, it is necessary not only to know what devices make up the IT infrastructure (inventory) but also to keep an eye on those devices in terms of availability, health status and performance. While it is possible to manually monitor IT infrastructure, especially on a small network, it can become quite time consuming and even outrightly impossible in most cases. Because of this, several tools are available to help with IT infrastructure monitoring and these tools will include features like:. A way to add devices/services to be monitored (e.g. Text-based, CLI, GUI). Availability, performance monitoring, and/or health status.
Alerting to notify the appropriate persons when something goes wrong (or is about to go wrong) – SMS, Email, Etc. Reporting to provide details about what has happened/is happening Here's a list of the Top IT Infrastructure Monitoring Tools & Software of 2019:. 1. Solarwinds Network Performance Monitor (NPM) is a company that provides a lot of tools for different things.
Relevant to this article is the Orion suite of tools available from Solarwinds. This suite includes tools for performance monitoring, configuration management, server and application monitoring, and so on. While this makes their solution robust, it can be quite confusing to know which tools to use and which modules you will need to install to use a particular feature. This also means that the total cost of a complete solution can quickly add up.
Solarwinds Orion is Windows-based even though it can monitor a whole lot of devices. Configuration is also done from a full-fledged Orion web interface that can provide a wealth of information about the devices being monitored (depending on the specific tools installed).
Alerting and Reporting are also available in the Orion suite. We will consider two tools from the Solarwinds Orion suite: Solarwinds Network Performance Monitor (NPM) and Solarwinds Server and Application Monitor (SAM) When you think of general infrastructure monitoring, is the tool that fulfils that role in the Solarwinds Orion suite of tools. It provides information such as availability, health status (temperature, power supply, etc.), and performance indicators (e.g. Interface utilization). It can report this information on a variety of devices including Cisco, HP, and F5.
Official Site and Downloads: Solarwinds NPM is freely available to 2. Solarwinds Server and Application Monitor (SAM) provides deep insight into servers (e.g. IBM and Dell servers) and applications (e.g. Microsoft Exchange, IIS and Java). The tool comes with monitoring templates to help you get setup quickly. The templates can also be customized to monitor custom applications.
Solarwinds SAM is also available for a free, after which, licenses start at $2,995 for 150 monitors. Official website: Download 30 Day Trial FREE: 3. PRTG Network Monitor This is probably one of the best monitoring tools available on the market when you consider how simple it is to setup and how easy it is to use. Covers the whole monitoring spectrum in an all-in-one solution including:. Network monitoring.
Bandwidth monitoring. Server and application monitoring. Monitoring of virtual machines. Alerting (SMS, Email, Push notifications through mobile apps, etc.).
Robust Reporting. Intuitive web interface Even though PRTG provides an agent that can be installed on the devices to be monitored, it mostly relies on agentless monitoring by using a variety of protocols including, WMI, SSH, and so on. PRTG can only be installed on Windows OS but can then be used to monitor several types of devices including Linux, Windows, Cisco, HP, VMware and so on. PRTG is Absolutely Free for up to 100 sensors. If you to monitor more than 100 sensors, PRTG offers a and after that, the price starts at $1,600 for a 500-sensor license. For more information about the pricing, see the on their site. Note: PRTG works with “sensors”.
A device is not a sensor because you can enable multiple sensors on a single device. Even with this, PRTG is generally less expensive than other paid monitoring solutions. Official Website: PRTG 100 Sensors FREE (no Time limitation, etc): 4. WhatsUp Gold used to have a lot of following and widespread development in the past. For example, about 10 years ago, almost all financial institutions (banks) in Nigeria had a screen up for monitoring their different branches and they mostly used Whatsup Gold. Interest for this tool has waned in recent times although they recently revamped the product (version 16 and 17). Looking beyond the history, WhatsUp Gold is an easy-to-use tool that provides several features including:.
Discovery. Configuration Management. Alerting (SMS, Email, etc). Reporting. Monitoring of Virtual environments. Some of these features are only available in certain editions, of which WhatsUp Gold provides four (4) different: Basic, Pro, Total and Total Plus.
It is also worth noting that WhatsUp Gold can only be installed on Windows OS and may not be as customizable as other Linux-based monitoring tools. While there is no specific pricing information on the WhatsUp Gold site, you can from their sales and also download a. WhatsUp Gold also uses a device-based pricing model (a device can have several elements) versus element-based which means that it may be cheaper than some alternative (e.g. Solarwinds or PRTG). Official Website: Trial Download: 5.
Nagios XI Nagios is probably the most popular network monitoring tool partly because it is also the oldest (among monitoring tools still in use today). It is a Linux-based solution that is very flexible and powerful because the core can be extended with plugins of which. Nagios comes in two flavors: which is free and open source and, which is the paid enterprise edition. Out of the box, Nagios Core is not great – poor reporting, text-based configuration, no support for graphs. However, Nagios XI builds on this powerful Nagios Core and then goes a step ahead by simplifying and making available (by default) many of the things lacking in Nagios Core.
Some of the features available on Nagios XI include:. A much better web interface (the default web interface on Nagios Core is quite bad). Auto-Discovery.
Graphs. Alerting (SMS, Email). Reporting. Configuration wizards While many of these features are available in Nagios Core with the use of plugins, they are available by default in Nagios XI which means the complexity of deployment is reduced. Nagios XI is available in two editions: Standard edition and Enterprise edition.
Licenses for each edition come in three (3) levels: 100 Node, 200 Node or Unlimited Node. The least expensive of Nagios XI (Standard 100 Node editions) costs $1,995.
You can view the price list. There is also an of Nagios XI to try before purchasing. ManageEngine OpManager is a comprehensive IT infrastructure monitoring solution with an easy-to-use responsive web interface. It can be installed on either Windows or Linux OS and offers several features like:.
Server Monitoring. Network Mapping. Monitoring templates. Alerting (SMS, Email). Reporting. Network Configuration Management. Network Traffic Analysis While most of these features come included in the base installation (or as a free add-on), some of them require you to purchase a separate license.
For example, the Network Configuration Management module is free for up to two (2) devices after which it requires a separate license. The Network Traffic Analysis module also requires a license after two (2) free interfaces. ManageEngine OpManager has three license types (apart from a free 30-day trial): Essential, OpManager Plus and Enterprise. The Essential license starts at $595 for 25 devices. You can view more information about the license types and also visit the for the different prices. Note: There is also a for monitoring 10 devices but with limited functionality. You can view an online demo of ManageEngine OpManager.
Official Site and Download: 7. OP5 Monitor is a network monitoring tool based on a fork of Nagios (Naemon). It packs a couple of nice features including:. Customizable/Personalized dashboards. Performance Monitoring.
Alerting. Reporting. Web-based configuration (unlike the default Nagios Core) OP5 Monitor is also built to scale – they have a license (Ent+) that can monitor over 100,000 devices! Other licenses available for OP5 Monitor include the free license which allows you monitor up to 20 devices, and the Pro license which allows you monitor up to 500 devices.
There is also an available to try out the product before buying/downloading. Zabbix is a free open source all-in-one network monitoring solution. It uses a client-server model where the Zabbix server gets monitoring information from the Zabbix agent (although agentless monitoring is also supported).
Some of the features provided by Zabbix are:. Web-based configuration. Performance Monitoring. Application Monitoring. Monitoring templates for quick and easy setup. Auto-Discovery.
Alerting. Reporting Zabbix is completely free – it does not have a paid enterprise edition.
However, the company behind Zabbix offers paid including 5 tiers of technical support, integration service and consulting services. Icinga is an open-source network monitoring tool that comes in two versions: Icinga 1 and Icinga 2. Icinga provides many features including:. Performance Monitoring. Alerting. Reporting.
Graphing. Extensibility through plugins Icinga 1 is a fork of Nagios Core with added functionality like support for more databases, better web interface and easier plugin integration. Even though it is a fork, Icinga 1 is still compatible with Nagios plugins.
Icinga 2 is a complete rewrite of the Core and features a web interface that is smooth and responsive. Configuration is still done through text files but Icinga 2 reduces configuration complexity. Icinga 2 was designed to be scalable; therefore, it supports distributed monitoring. Icinga is free and does not have any paid editions. However, like Zabbix, paid are available. A live demo is provided. LibreNMS is a free open-source network monitoring tool and a fork of Observium.
It provides features such as:. Great graphs. Configuration can be done through web interface or command line interface. Auto network discovery. Alerting (SMS, Email, Slack, etc.) LibreNMS is completely free and does not even have any option for paid support.
Support is available through several channels like community forums, IRC, GitHub and Twitter. You can try LibreNMS by using the. Conclusion In this article, we have discussed the need for monitoring IT infrastructure and went on to highlight some of the tools that can be used for this purpose including WhatsUp Gold, LibreNMS, Solarwinds NPM, and Nagios XI. As a final note, it is important to consider your own requirements before choosing a tool as there is no one-size-fits-all. If you are looking for simplicity, ease of use and an inexpensive solution, then consider.
If you want a robust solution with a nice web interface, many modules and are not too concerned about cost, look at the. All of these tools will help keep your datacenter, business and network thriving by keeping tabs on every aspect and device you wish. Our recommendation would be to grab a Free download/Trial and see for yourself.
Our top picks? Definitely (NPM and SAM). They have been around for decades now and are top of their classes in terms of Features, updates and support.
Notice: All images used in this article are copyright of the respective tools.
WhatsUp Gold is an excellent tool for monitoring your network environment, as it offers many different features that make it very useful and versatile. It allows you to monitor everything on your network and between sites, including traffic, packets and bandwidth. There are so many uses that you can find for this application and its features even if you are Looking for an Alternative to Whatsup Gold. It’s a standard network checking tool like many others in the industry, however, as it also allows you to keep track of other mission critical services on the network such as databases, virtual machines, hard drive usage, web services, and much more. Features to Look For in WhatsUp Gold Replacement:. Full Enterprise Infrastructure & Network Monitoring/Management. Easy to Use User Interface.
Agent & Agentless Monitoring Capabilities. SNMP, WMI and Netflow Monitoring and Analyzing. Bandwidth Analysis & Monitoring Features.
Windows Server, Linux/Unix and Apple Mac OSx Monitoring. etc, etc With all of these features in mind, you might be asking why you would want to look at any other monitoring solutions that are out there outside of WhatsUp Gold?
As we've mentioned before in other articles, many of these Network Monitoring solutions have the same functions and capabilities, just different layouts and UI's – Some are Friendlier to use than others. As with all things in the tech related sector, there are many ways to accomplish the same objectives, and while the outcomes can sometimes be similar, the way in which these objectives are done may vary from product to product. That is why we have compiled a list of similar products for you to look at, so you can decide if there are any products that could possibly replace WhatsUp Gold as your next monitoring and alerting tool for your business network and infrastructure. Here's the Top Alternatives to Whatsup Gold of 2019:. Below you'll find some Quick Descriptions of each Alternative/Replacement we recommend to WhatsUp Gold and some screenshots of their Dashboards, along with Official website and download information (Free & Paid versions as well).
Solarwinds NPM (Network Performance Monitor) is a multi-vendor monitoring system that features advanced alerting with customizable triggers, giving your team the early warning system that they need to keep on top of all of your system issues and errors as they occur. There are also some excellent troubleshooting tools that help you and your team to start resolving problems as they occur, called NetPath and PerfStack. The system allows for the auto-generation of intelligent maps, which helps with overall network visibility for monitoring and watching specific performance metrics.
If your environment is especially complex, then you should also see visibility benefits by using Solarwinds Network Performance Monitoring. This all comes together to provide you with a smart and scalable system with amazing features. The main benefit of using this application is the way that it helps you and your team to reduce downtime and increase network visibility. NPM is great in the way that it offers fault monitoring, performance analysis, availability monitoring, cross-stack network data correlation and so much more.
Pricing: 30 Day Free Trial with Unlimited Monitoring Capabilities! Download: Download the Free Trial at their Official Website. Via Solarwinds.com 2. Solarwinds SAM (Server Application Monitor) is a really easy platform to get started with, with installs usually only taking a few minutes to get up and running. It is very similar to Solarwinds NPM in the way that the interface works and scans the network, but it not focused on the networking segment of your environment. Instead, it monitors your servers and important computers on the network, as well as the vital applications that your company relies on to keep business operations functioning as usual.
Another way that Solarwinds SAM makes it quick and easy to get setup is with over 1200 application templates that you can implement in your environment. This means that all you need to do is select the right templates for the applications that you use the most when doing your initial setup and the SAM will do the rest for you.
The system also intelligently maps out the software dependencies on your network, so if you are missing any components that are required for your applications then you will be notified. The way that Solarwinds SAM operates encourages IT professionals to be proactive and not passive in their approach to infrastructure and server monitoring. Your team can easily moitor the performance, capacity and overall running condition of all servers, both Windows and Linux. These systems can be installed locally, across the WAN, or even in the cloud. There is a specialized Microsoft Monitoring suite that fit in with the traditional applications associated with most corporate environments such as Active Directory, Exchange and more. There is even Azure and AWS integration and monitoring that allows for even greater visibility on the network.
You can sign up for a free trial here if you want to try it out to see how it performs before you commit. Pricing: 30 Day 100% Free Trial!
Download below to get started within minutes! Download: Free Trial Download Here. Via Solarwinds.com 3. PRTG PRTG allows you to monitor the whole network, and not just specific devices. This means that you are able to take a look at your entire infrastructure layout at a single glance, making it very easy for you and your team to see what is happening at any time. You are able to look at traffick, network packets, applications, bandwidth, cloud infrastructure, databases and virtual machines and hosts.
From here, you can run constant monitoring on each element on your network with functions such as ping, SNMP and WMI monitoring. If server monitoring is a concern, then you can also keep a close watch on CPU usage, hard disk utilization, hardware monitoring, web services like IIS, IoT devices such as biometrics and access control, as well as CCTV cameras and other network capable devices.
One of the best things about the way that PRTG works is the way in which it allows you to use most technologies for monitoring and logging. PRTG also offers network auto discovery, which helps during the initial setup of your monitoring environment, it also helps whenever new hardware is added to the network as it automatically discovers and categories each instance of new hardware and software as it is detected. If you setup a predefined IP range for scanning, PRTG can find anything as it comes online within your networking environment. If PRTG recognizes a specific device type then it automatically deploys a known template for that device. This makes it almost effortless to maintain the monitoring on your network as you go about the daily tasks of managing your network. Other great features include a mapping utility that lets you create a custom webpage that is accessible from outside the network and can be customized to suit your specific needs. Alerts are also standard, and they let you and your IT team know when thresholds have been activated.
Pricing: Pricing starts at $1600 for 500 sensors and 1 sever installation, and goes up to $60,000 for unlimited sensors and 5 server installs. Via Paessler.com 4. ManageEngine OpManager ManageEngine OpManager is a comprehensive network monitoring and management system that gives a vendor neutral, multi-faceted solution for your business.
It is able to manage your network and offers an advanced management and fault finding capabilities as well. You are able to monitor things like network devices, WAN links, VoIP devices, servers, virtual appliances and servers from both VMWare and Hyper-V, as well as traditional Microsoft products such as Exchange and MS SQL. You can also monitor hardware information such as CPU usage, memory levels and usage, thread counts, and even SQL DB information.
Being able to actively monitor your server resources is of crucial importance if you are going to keep an eye on how things are running within your environment because you want to know what the issues are before they become a bigger problem. OpManager allows you to tweak your network devices and monitoring configurations so that you can find out exactly what the issues are that are causing performance degradation and system outages.
This reduces the overall time taken to resolve issues, and is a huge help when troubleshooting is needed in the least amount of time possible. Hard drive space monitoring is also critical for your servers and computer infrastructure. When an anomaly is detected you will receive alerts that will help you to zero in on the issue and hopefully resolve it before it becomes a serious system issue or crash. If you would like to try out this application, then check out the demo page where you can register to receive a link to the demonstration. Pricing: Free 30 Day Trial – Request Quote on Official Website! Via ManageEngine.com Open Source Alternatives: 5. Nagios XI Nagios XI offers an easy to use server monitoring and alerting platform that makes it easy for you and your team to see what is happening on the network.
It is aimed at enterprise clients and offers the kinds of features that you need to keep your operation running smoothly. From this single application you can monitor server applications, services and networking component monitoring. Like other products that we have looked at thus far, Nagios XI offers a Quick-start feature that will have you up and running in much less time than if you were to manually configure your network from scratch. If you are unsure of the setup process, or if you think that you could do with a bit of help, Nagios offers support from knowledgeable techs that will help you to deploy Nagios XI with a remote assist installation. This helps you to save valuable time so that you can continue to manage your environment. The best part is that you can schedule a Quick-start for free.
The advantages of using the Nagios XI system are obvious, as they are able to assist you with a that not only provides you with monitoring of all of the essential servers that your organization needs to stay running, but it also helps you to identify and notice trends in performance and faults on the network. The way that Nagios XI is structured means that the overall visibility of your networking environment is enhanced and intensified as more events become noted during the course of the day. You and your team will soon start noticing trends and patterns on the network, especially if there is suspicious behavior that you need to worry about. The system can even collate third party data that lets you compile your own reports for additional understanding of how your network is performing, and what could be happening that you were not previously aware of.
The system lets you become more proactive and is sure to help you to keep a watchful eye on how the infrastructure and server equipment on your network is performing, as well as helping you to reduce the overall troubleshooting times that are required when you are repairing outages and downtime. Pricing: Pricing starts at $1,995 for the standard edition of the software. For more pricing information be sure to check out this link. Download: 6 PandoraFMS Pandora FMS is another great Open source monitoring platform that has a similar model to Nagios – a Free Version (community) and a Enterprise Version that has over 10,000 different agents for any type of environment. Pandora FMS is named after its Flexibility and scalability factors. Some of their main features include:. SNMP, ICMP, HTTP, SMTP monitoring capabilities.
Health Checks for CPU, HDD, Memory and many other Hardware components in your system. Systems Overloads. Monitor Both Windows & Linux/Unix Operating systems.
WMI Monitoring for Windows Environments and much more! Pricing: FREE for the Community Version Download: 7.
Zabbix Zabbix is another old school monitoring tool that has been around for years, and its latest version as of this writing (4.0) is starting to really look like a great monitoring tool with a good UI. Some of the Features and capabilities that Zabbix provides with their software package are as follows:. SNMP and Agentless Monitoring Compatibility. Notifications and Alerts for Issue that arise. Encryption between all Zabbix components and communication channels. Open LDAP & Active Directory Integration and More!
Pricing: Software is Free to Download – Others services including Support, Setup, Templates, Integration, Development, etc are Additional Charge. See Download: Conclusion Overall, it is not difficult to recommend any of these software applications for your business. There are many factors that need to be taken into consideration if you need to be kept up to date with all of the latest happenings on your network. Older applications like Nagios were fine for companies that only needed to keep an eye on connectivity between sites, and with network devices within the organization. Where programs like WhatsUP Gold start to fall short in the modern corporate and enterprise markets is that it doesn’t really do too much else.
For this reason, we have no problem recommending Solarwinds NPM, Solarwinds SAM, PRTG or OpManager as the application of choice for most of the large scale networks that you might encounter within your business. They offer all of the monitoring and alerting features that most IT departments are looking for, as well as extra information gathering functions. All of this comes together to provide you with a set of tools that will help you to keep one step ahead of any network issues and outages, and will help you to reduce the time to troubleshoot and resolve any system problems. Good Luck and Happy Monitoring!