jneiberger
Technical User
I need your opinion on something. We're still researching VoIP monitoring/management applications. We currently have HP NNM for fault management but we realize the need for increased visibility into the network once voice gets thrown into the mix. We've been considering a few options:
1. Concord eHealth (expensive, but very cool)
2. AppareNet Professional Voice (expensive, and I'm not sure I like it or trust it)
3. Orion Network Performance Monitor (relatively cheap and pretty cool, but has no voice-specific monitoring, e.g. jitter)
4. Netflow analysis software
5. NetIQ (I just now began looking at this. It looks pretty cool, but I have a suspicion that it's rather pricey)
6. Viola Netally (very cool voice-specific application; rather pricey)
We're open to using a couple of smaller tools, such as the combination of Orion NPM with some Netflow analysis software, instead of using one giant killer application like Concord eHealth or NetIQ. We wouldn't get some of the more granular metrics, like jitter, and we wouldn't get some of the cooler reports that we'd get from the big apps, but I don't know if we really need those things. I almost wonder if we would be happy with simply using something like Orion NPM for fault monitoring and for gathering statistics on bandwidth, delay, and packet loss, and then use NetFlow tools to keep a good eye on what's actually running on the network.
Initially, we aren't even going to have many IP phones in the network since we're going to start out with trunk replacement. That means that any solution that monitors or relies on IP phones isn't going to be helpful for a while.
Any thoughts? If we go with the less-comprehensive (and significantly cheaper) solution(s), are we going to regret not buying the expensive solutions later?
What are you folks using to monitor your converged networks, and are you happy with what you have?
Thanks,
John
1. Concord eHealth (expensive, but very cool)
2. AppareNet Professional Voice (expensive, and I'm not sure I like it or trust it)
3. Orion Network Performance Monitor (relatively cheap and pretty cool, but has no voice-specific monitoring, e.g. jitter)
4. Netflow analysis software
5. NetIQ (I just now began looking at this. It looks pretty cool, but I have a suspicion that it's rather pricey)
6. Viola Netally (very cool voice-specific application; rather pricey)
We're open to using a couple of smaller tools, such as the combination of Orion NPM with some Netflow analysis software, instead of using one giant killer application like Concord eHealth or NetIQ. We wouldn't get some of the more granular metrics, like jitter, and we wouldn't get some of the cooler reports that we'd get from the big apps, but I don't know if we really need those things. I almost wonder if we would be happy with simply using something like Orion NPM for fault monitoring and for gathering statistics on bandwidth, delay, and packet loss, and then use NetFlow tools to keep a good eye on what's actually running on the network.
Initially, we aren't even going to have many IP phones in the network since we're going to start out with trunk replacement. That means that any solution that monitors or relies on IP phones isn't going to be helpful for a while.
Any thoughts? If we go with the less-comprehensive (and significantly cheaper) solution(s), are we going to regret not buying the expensive solutions later?
What are you folks using to monitor your converged networks, and are you happy with what you have?
Thanks,
John