What is our primary use case?
With SQL Server instances at multiple physical locations and in the cloud, my main use case for Redgate Monitor is to know immediately when there are performance issues or outages. Redgate Monitor allows for detailed monitoring with easily customized alerts and reporting thresholds. It is simple to set up and performs exactly as needed.
With mission-critical SQL Server instances at multiple physical locations and in the cloud, I can give a quick specific example of how I use Redgate Monitor in my daily work. It is critical for us to know immediately when there are performance issues or outages. Redgate Monitor provides an intuitive dashboard that allows for detailed resource monitoring. Redgate offers an indication of your server, perhaps when it is under attack and where from. A simple extension would allow further action to be drawn from this, such as looking up the IP in an IP blacklist, which could advise you to block further access from that IP address.
I also use Redgate Monitor to raise performance issues of stored procedures and resource processes. It identifies the underperforming stored procedures, and from that, I can leverage any missing index or SQL performance information caught by SQL Server. I also use Redgate Monitor for aggregating performance metrics and troubleshooting performance issues using wait statistics.
What is most valuable?
The best features Redgate Monitor offers include detailed resource monitoring, instant alerts, and easy customization. A user can quickly see how your server is performing and which queries are taking the longest.
The instant alerts and customizable options help since it is a multiple-platform database observability for the entire estate. I use this to optimize performance, ensure security, and mitigate potential risks with fast, deep-dive analysis and intelligent alerting.
I love Redgate Monitor because it helps manage an entire database estate from a single pane of glass.
Redgate Monitor has positively impacted my organization by creating database observability to proactively mitigate potential risks with instant problem diagnosis and customizable alerting. It accelerates daily database maintenance by automating time-consuming manual tasks, such as identifying long-running queries or tracking blocked processes, which frees up time to proactively improve the performance and security of servers. I have seen time savings from twenty percent to forty-five percent. It also helps to minimize downtime.
What needs improvement?
One of the areas that Redgate Monitor needs to improve includes providing a dedicated section of code for missing indexes. I do not think the custom metric alerting is as flexible as SQL Sentry.
It is a bit expensive for MSPs to use for their day-to-day monitoring.
The automation layer could also be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Redgate Monitor for the past eight years, even in my previous organizations.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
According to my experience, Redgate Monitor is stable. I have not experienced lagging or downtime. It is very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Redgate Monitor is highly scalable. It can be used by any size of organization, and it can handle the needs of an organization.
How are customer service and support?
The customer support is very proactive, supportive, and available twenty-four hours per day, seven days per week.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I previously used SQL Sentry Performance Advisor.
I switched from SQL Sentry Performance Advisor to Redgate Monitor because Redgate Monitor offers flexibility in the custom metric monitoring compared to SQL Sentry Performance Advisor.
What was our ROI?
I have seen a return on investment because it has enabled our clients to review all their estate in one place, far easier and better than what SCOM was providing them with. It has been a great tool because it helps our team. It allows us to proactively fix issues before they happen. It allows us to quickly react to issues without having to wait for someone else to notice. It cuts down on the amount of time spent doing daily checks.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The experience with pricing and licensing is that the licensing cost per license is affordable. The cost could be a little bit lower, especially for small and medium enterprises to use this tool.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Before choosing Redgate Monitor, I evaluated other options such as Dell Spotlight.
What other advice do I have?
Redgate Monitor is a great tool for getting a feel of the general health across all instances and for aggregating performance metrics to trend over time. It is not the best tool when you are trying to drill into specific performance issues or for specific performance tuning. I would rate this review nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?