SCOM and Cisco Provider Connectivity Assurance are prominent solutions in IT infrastructure monitoring and connectivity assurance. SCOM appears to have an edge in Microsoft environments due to its integration with Microsoft technologies, while Cisco Provider Connectivity Assurance is superior in network-focused capabilities.
Features: SCOM provides deep integration with Microsoft technologies, robust reporting, and the ability to create custom monitoring solutions through management packs. It supports monitoring Microsoft applications and both Windows and Unix systems. Cisco Provider Connectivity Assurance offers detailed insights into network performance, specializes in network health, and provides advanced connectivity assurance, making it ideal for organizations focused on network performance.
Room for Improvement: SCOM needs improvement in reducing alert volume and enhancing monitoring of non-Microsoft products. Its complex reporting capabilities require better documentation, and its dashboard features need modernization for better user experience. Cisco Provider Connectivity Assurance faces challenges with high cost and licensing, lacks integration with newer protocols, and could improve its user interface for a smoother experience.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SCOM offers flexible deployment options across on-premises and hybrid cloud environments. Microsoft offers extensive support and community resources but with variable ratings. Cisco provides both on-premises and cloud deployment, with strong technical support, though it comes at a higher cost.
Pricing and ROI: SCOM is often cost-effective within the Microsoft System Center suite, appealing to existing Microsoft users, with ROI dependent on usage. Cisco Provider Connectivity Assurance has a higher price point justified by network performance insights, making it worthwhile for businesses prioritizing network integrity.
Cisco Provider Connectivity Assurance offers real-time application and network performance monitoring, VPN management, and network diagnostics across multiple sites.
Organizations use Cisco Provider Connectivity Assurance for active and passive monitoring, stress testing, and troubleshooting performance issues. Deployed both on-premise and in the cloud, it supports IT infrastructure, security, and analytics with end-to-end performance measurement across cloud data centers. The modern, intuitive interface features TWAMP for real-time traffic accuracy and standardized reports, along with insightful dashboards for circuit performance, latency, jitter, and throughput monitoring.
What are the most important features?In industries like finance and healthcare, Cisco Provider Connectivity Assurance ensures robust performance monitoring and quick diagnostics for VPNs and internet lines. It aids in maintaining the integrity and security of data transference, facilitating active and passive monitoring, stress testing, and performance troubleshooting across geographically dispersed locations, ensuring seamless operation and compliance with industry standards.
SCOM (System Center Operations Manager) is a cross-platform data center monitoring and reporting tool that checks the status of various objects defined within the environment, such as server hardware, system services, etc. The solution allows data center administrators to deploy, configure, manage, and monitor the operations, services, devices and applications of multiple enterprise IT systems via a single pane of glass. It is suitable for businesses of all sizes.
SCOM Features
SCOM has many valuable key features. Some of the most useful ones include:
SCOM Benefits
There are several benefits to implementing SCOM. Some of the biggest advantages the solution offers include:
Reviews from Real Users
Below are some reviews and helpful feedback written by PeerSpot users currently using the SCOM solution.
A Manager at a financial services firm says, “The feature I like most about SCOM is that it is easy-to-use. I find it very user-friendly. I also like the knowledge base which it has. You can find the resolution to questions or issues directly within the SCOM itself. It will alert you with a recommendation of what you need to do at the same time. This sort of self-diagnosis or prompting is one of the great values you get from SCOM compared to other solutions.”
PeerSpot user Zahari Z., Information Technology Auditor at a financial services firm, mentions, “Availability monitoring is the feature I have found most valuable, as well as the capacity and ability to send notifications. There is a mechanism to set up a notification from the SCOM and whenever there is a drop in the availability the notification alerts not only for availability but for other issues as well. You can align thresholds according to the speed of your environment and you can have a threshold related notification, which is one of the useful features.”
Bill W., Sr. Systems Engineer at Arapahoe County Government, comments, “ I like some of their newer features, such as maintenance schedules, because SCOM records SLA and SLO time. When we patch, things are automatically put into maintenance mode so that the numbers for our systems being down, do not count against us.”
A Project Manager at a tech services company explains, “The feature I have found most valuable is the book feature. While we run the Sprint one we can add some setups for multiple sprints.”
A Systems Engineer at an educational organization states, “Because it's Windows-based, it actually reports quite well. It reports everything you can think of on the Windows server and allows you to monitor anything. It's excellent for those in the Windows world as it's very good at it.”
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