Comparing Licensing Costs: NMIS vs SolarWinds

Are you tired of paying too much for your network management software? Look no further than NMIS. In this article, we will compare the licensing frameworks of NMIS and SolarWinds, two popular network management solutions, and show you how you can save big by switching to NMIS. 

 

Licensing Structure 

One of the major differences between NMIS and SolarWinds is their licensing structure. While SolarWinds charges based on the number of interfaces, NMIS licenses per node/device. Even the most simple of devices has multiple interfaces, with network infrastructure having hundreds of variables worth monitoring. This means that with SolarWinds, you could end up paying for multiple interfaces on a single device, driving up costs unnecessarily. With NMIS, however, you only pay for each device you want to monitor, no matter how many metrics you are collecting from it, making for a more cost-effective solution. This avoids situations where important metrics have not been collected from monitored devices due to licence limitations and means IT teams are always able to have a complete and unrestricted view of their network.  

 

Database Licensing 

Another significant cost difference between the two solutions is their database licensing. SolarWinds uses Microsoft Windows Server and MS SQL Server, which can be expensive to license. NMIS, on the other hand, uses a NoSQL database (MongoDB) that is much less expensive to license. This can result in significant savings for customers, especially for those with large networks. 

 

Total Cost of Ownership 

In addition to the licensing costs, it’s essential to consider the total cost of ownership when choosing a network management solution. SolarWinds may have a lower initial cost, but its licensing fees, coupled with the high cost of maintaining a Windows Server and MS SQL Server environment, can drive up the total cost of ownership. In contrast, NMIS’s licensing fees, combined with its lower infrastructure requirements, result in a significantly lower total cost of ownership over time. 

 

Scalability 

Another benefit of NMIS is its scalability. With SolarWinds, adding more devices to your network can be troublesome – not only in the cost of servers to host the platform, but also limitations in functionality when deployed at significant scale. With NMIS, however, the platform infrastructure requirements are estimated to be nearly 10x more efficient, and more importantly the software has been design with extreme scale in mind. This makes NMIS an excellent choice for large enterprises, telecommunications carriers, or organizations that plan to expand their networks in the future. 

 

Flexibility 

Finally, the NMIS Suite is a flexible solution that can be customized to meet your organization’s specific needs. It has been developed to suit any environment, and provide insights at any scale. There is an old saying in the organization that “if it has an IP address, NMIS can manage it, and even if it doesn’t NMIS probably still can!” From its early open-source days, the software has been developed with this attitude in mind, making it the ultimate in flexibility for network management systems.  

 

In conclusion, if you’re looking for a cost-effective, flexible, and scalable network management solution, NMIS is the way to go. Its per-node licensing structure, use of a NoSQL database, and lower infrastructure requirements make it a more affordable option compared to SolarWinds. Not to mention, its open-source roots provide you with the flexibility you need to customize the software.