Debating whether or not Microsoft SCOM is the right platform for your monitoring needs? Let us show you 5 reasons why SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor (SAM) is the better alternative. And if you need more convincing, you'll also hear from a customer as to why he made the switch.

1. Author
Christine Bentsen
Changing for the Better? Or Just
Changing? Is SCOM 2012 Your Best
Move?
17th Aug 2012

2. Agenda
Is Microsoft SCOM the right platform?
5 reasons why SAM is better than SCOM
Quick comparison - SAM Vs. SCOM
What IT Pros say about SAM
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3. Microsoft SCOM – The Right Choice?
 Often, SCOM is just something you have. Not something you chose.
 SCOM is expensive to maintain.
 SCOM is difficult/complex to use.
 Now that you’re going to have to do a major migration to SCOM
2012, perhaps it’s time to rethink SCOM entirely….
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4. Top 5 – “Yes” to SAM over SCOM
 Incredibly low TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) : Power +
Performance + Price
 Agentless monitoring
 Functional dashboards & common-sense navigation
 Robust application coverage, including custom apps
 Frequent updates (and easy upgrades)
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5. Quick Comparison – SAM Vs. SCOM
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6. Detailed Comparison – SAM Vs. SCOM
Regular Functional
Updates
SolarWinds has provided one major version release SCOM 2012 released in April 2012; the previous version
and at least one minor release each year for the last was named System Center 2007. The one before that
four years. As long as you keep your maintenance was MOM 2005, and before that it was MOM 2000.
current, you get the new version. It’s that simple. Even with Software Assurance, you can’t be sure you’ll
receive the latest full version
Agentless Monitoring
SolarWinds SAM provides agentless monitoring for SCOM is agent-based monitoring. Agents add another
hundreds of applications. layer of complexity. Agents are another piece of software
that needs to be installed, upgraded and watched.
There are often pre-requisites and compatibility issues.
Robust Reporting
SolarWinds provides the ability to create custom To create custom reports with SCOM, users need to
reports with the easy to use Report Writer tool. have a mastery of the SQL Reporting Services.
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7. Detailed Comparison – SAM Vs. SCOM
Out-of-the-box &
Customizable Dashboards
SolarWinds provides out-of-the-box dashboards for all SCOM 2012 has provided an easier way to create
of the platforms monitored. With feedback from dashboards in the latest version, customers are still
thousands of users, SolarWinds has created navigable forced to create a view rather than start from a
views to get the user to the root of the problem in very product-provided best practice dashboard.
few clicks.
Robust Server & Application
Coverage
SolarWinds provides coverage for MSFT apps as well as SCOM does a good job of providing coverage for
Unix, Linux, .NET, J2E and many more application and Microsoft applications and operating systems and now
hardware types including Citrix XenApp, Oracle, DB2, provides limited coverage for Unix, Linux, .NET
HP Proliant, Dell PowerEdge, IBM System-X, and and J2E.
VMware ESX/ESXi host server.
Integrated UI for Application,
Networks & Storage
SolarWinds customers can extend monitoring in the SCOM 2012 recently added basic Network Management
same web console to network devices, network traffic, and capabilities. This new feature, however, lacks support
storage arrays through native integration of SolarWinds for NetFlow, volume polling, and wireless devices.
other products, including Network Performance Monitor
and its modules and Storage Manager.
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8. Detailed Comparison – SAM Vs. SCOM
Extend Monitoring to
Custom Applications
SolarWinds SAM makes it easy to extend out-of-the-box With SCOM, users must create or purchase a
monitors with WMI performance monitors, SNMP Management Pack from third parties. In addition,
monitors, event log monitors, SQL query monitor, third-party management packs may not be compatible
process monitors, Windows Service monitors, with the latest version of SCOM.
DNS query monitors, and all-purpose and script monitors.
License Model
SolarWinds SAM is a fit for purpose product, only The SCOM 2012 license includes many components,
providing the features you need for effective monitoring, 8 in all. Many software components require many
at a very affordable price. management servers, 7 servers minimum. This
complexity and cost can be too much for many
companies.
Microsoft SCOM 2012 - Is it the way forward? - Slide 8 -

9. SAM Dashboard
SAM Summary page showing several applications being monitored
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10. SAM Dashboard
100+ build-in templates that leverage WMI,SNMP and scripting technologies
to provide real time data metrics on most critical applications
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11. SAM Dashboard
Historical Hardware
Information
SAM also provides out-of- the-box server hardware monitoring to
view server hardware health and quickly identify any hardware failures
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12. What IT Pros say about SolarWinds SAM
 SAM named Best of TechEd in the Systems Management and Operations category at
Microsoft TechEd North America 2012.
» Awards produced by Windows IT Pro, SQL Server Pro, SharePoint Pro and Dev Pro
 “With Systems Center Operation Manager (SCOM), something that should be
simple, like alerting us when a server is down or a disk is full, was buried or lost
because the product wasn’t communicating with all of the servers, agents were
down, or notification had failed…. SAM truly has changed how we work, how we
respond to problems, and how we discover problems. No management tool has
been able has been able to allow us to manage our environment this quickly or this
efficiently.“
 “Unlike many of the enterprise offerings we had worked with previously, SAM
was not bloated with information and had a clean, easy-to-use interface. Within
a week-and-a-half of playing with the free trial, we were able to accomplish
things with SAM that we had been trying to do with our previous system for
three years.”
» Jed Krisch, Manager, Technical Services, Carilion Clinic
 “With SolarWinds SAM I can keep track of everything in one place.”
SolarWinds SAM – A refreshing alternative to Microsoft SCOM 2012 - Slide 12 -
» Steve Borba, Network Security Engineer, Citizens Business Bank

13. Helpful Resources
We invite you to learn more about
SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor
Watch Video Test Drive Live Demo
Ask Our Community Download 30-day Free Trial
Webcast – 3 Reasons to choose
SAM over SCOM
Click any of the links above
SolarWinds SAM – A refreshing alternative to Microsoft SCOM 2012 - Slide 13 -

14. Thank You!