IN case you’re assessing Teams monitoring options, the journey begins understanding the product roadmap. Second, depending on your monitoring platform, there’s options for monitoring. Depending on the monitoring products in your environment, whether SCOM, Azure Monitor, Splunk, SolarWinds or others, there are easier lifts to achieve some perspective into the SaaS model for the M365 platform. Lastly, I hope these links help point to proof of concepts to embrace ‘user experience’ deep monitoring.
M365 Product Roadmap
The Microsoft 365 roadmap provides estimated release dates and descriptions for commercial features. It includes updates that are currently in development, rolling out, or fully released. You can access the latest updates and detailed descriptions on the Microsoft 365 Roadmap
Good for your Azure Tenant, Microsoft Teams Premium allows for real-time telemetry. Build your own action alerts to be aware of user issues. The solution uses real-time telemetry with details about devices, networks, and connectivity to troubleshoot user problems with Microsoft Teams scheduled meetings.
Best practice – Encrypt credentials on SCOM MS to prevent cleartext in scripts. To begin, this includes details to verify SnapIn, verify credentials stored, store credentials.
Verify CredentialManager Snapin is installed
RDP to SCOM MS server(s) as SCOM Notifications SVC account with SA access
Open PowerShell as administrator
Paste command(s) into PowerShell window to test network connectivity to SNOW environments
{ write-host -f red “CredentialManager PoSH Module NOT Installed” }
CredentialManager snapin PowerShell output
Verify Stored Credentials on server
First, verify any credentials stored on server, specific to ServiceNow or not. Second, we begin to use the Get-StoredCredential command. Third, we will setup the credential for REST integration, lastly verifying credential.
Setup Credentials for SNOW RESTAPI
RDP to SCOM MS server(s) as SCOM Notifications SVC account with SA access
Open PowerShell as administrator
Paste command(s) into PowerShell window to test network connectivity to SNOW environments
If no output, there are no credentials stored under the RDP login.
Get-StoredCredential
Commands specific to ServiceNow to verify credentials exist
I’m ISO (in search of) the mythical single pane of glass. In my best Steve Irwin voice… Integrate SCOM and SolarWinds – We are strong together. To me, integration occurs everywhere, at home, in your job, anyone you work with. Contribute, don’t consume 🙂 Everyone is unique, including preferences, and past experiences. In my career, I’ve been lucky to administer both tools for Fortune 100 companies (and more tools) across my career. I hope this blog provides a way to use both tools to get the full value for the least cost!
Integration typewriter picture – stronger together – integrate SCOM and SolarWinds
Integration
The real meat of this is how to get the most for the least cost!
Let’s ‘Integrate SCOM and SolarWinds’ into our unicorn. To date, getting data from SolarWinds into SCOM allows for easiest PowerBI Apps/reports
In my experience, the MSI requires Solarwinds Support login to download the SolarWinds Management Pack for SCOM.msi. Downlload and configure article here.
SCOM view of SolarWinds data
3rd party options (free)
Cookdown vendor method to grab SolarWinds data into SCOM
Most times the Remedy application is old, deprecated, outside it’s service life, rarely integrated with monitoring. One customer’s PowerBI report shows the utility at a glance (see picture below)
PowerBI report referencing ITSM insights for teams, totals, volume
I think of My Big Fat Greek wedding to ‘Compare SolarWinds and SCOM’. The wedding reception, where the father says the root of his daughter, and son-in-law’s last names, are from the greek word for Orange, and Apple. “so in the end, we’re all fruits” We are the same but different, where diversity and inclusion is key. Everyone’s got a voice. Contribute, don’t consume 🙂
First, I’ve been lucky to administer both tools for Fortune 100 companies (and more tools). Second, I hope this blog provides some clarification of the strengths, weaknesses, and costs associated with both tools. Here’s hoping wordpress readers identify with my background – saving money, cutting coupons, looking for on-sale, buy one get one deals. Thirdly, while everyone’s past experiences may not be the same, cost is still a big factor. Lastly, proprietary tools, Security, and other requirements can make or break an implementation.
Here’s a link to a PPT built to ‘Compare SolarWinds and SCOM’ feature wise, that goes along with ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’ and the fruit. PPT title ‘better together’, is loaded with links and breaking out key capabilities.
Some items NOT covered in the PPT comparison
Example context – SAW/PAW/Red Forest
Both tools can store credentials within the application, obfuscated.
SCOM allows gMSA’s (managed service accounts) for key services including run as accounts. View the Monitoring Guys blog plug here for CJ, Scott, and Tyson’s contributions 😛
COST
SolarWinds small enterprise example
Windows Server, SQL licenses (no cost given)
Monitors Windows, Non-Windows, Microsoft products
Community of custom application monitoring
Renewal cost per year in 2020 $48K/year
Add HA for SQL Enterprise licenses is same, where SW HA/High availability is the SolarWinds cost, not compute licenses for Windows Server, SQL
***500 license SAM, VOIP, IPAM, NPM/NCM.
Redesigning licensing to unlimited (site license) was $344K
Wow! Site licenses cost considerably more.
Though for clarification, 500 licenses equates to 500 monitors targeted at 500 servers.
SolarWinds costs broken out by feature
Add unlimited VMAN, DPA, SCM, VNQM adds $256K
Migrate functionality to site license ($48K > $344K)
Adding SolarWinds features with site unlimited licenses
SCOM small enterprise example
Windows Server, SQL licenses (no cost given)
No license limitation for products/features used, community built solutions
Monitors Windows, Non-Windows, Microsoft products
Large community of custom application monitoring
No yearly support costs (included with Microsoft support agreement)
SQL Enterprise licenses is same, where SW HA/High availability is the SolarWinds cost, not compute licenses for Windows Server, SQL
ESX monitoring via NiCE VMWare 3rd party pay pack is $10K/year
OpsLogix Teams integration helps with NOC/NOSC/SOC integration
Including NiCE Oracle monitoring $10k/year
I’ll leave the cost comparisons to you.
Securing the Applications and web consoles
SolarWinds (SW)
Secure SW website search, Smart Cards post, 2FA/MFA/RSA post
NO DISA STIG for SolarWinds, so IIS, Windows Server, SQL, WebServer ALL apply
NOTE: I’ve NOT supported SolarWinds recently to see Security scans for other vulnerabilities and STIG settings (Windows Server, SQL, IIS, Network blog. STIG dashboard ‘how to’
Licensing
Licensing is a big differentiator cost wise
SolarWinds needs an EA for Windows Server, SQL licenses.
SCOM has been part of the EA (Enterprise agreement) for at least 15+ years (since SCOM2007, if not MOM2005). Windows Server license (now CPU based), SQL license, however NOT enterprise comes standard. One reason the System Center suite is successful might be this built-in licensing, as well as the feature depth and cost the tools provide.
Hardware requirements
In my experience interacting with customers, SolarWinds support recommends hardware configuration well above vendor recommendations. Support recommendations requesting high compute to provide memory level SQL speed and responsive web console. However, the compute is basically ESX host level compute in the realm of 128GB of memory per server, in High Availability (HA), meaning x4 – 2 servers for 2 sites.
Monitoring tools are rarely Tier1 Applications with respective Service Level Availability (SLA). Expectation alone presents a disparity, and false impression. People just see a tool and base on personal experience.
Ferrari vs. GMC Cyclone – fooled you eh
Is it really surprising if one is faster than the other?
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