SolarWinds alternatives

SmartTile 2.0 vs. SolarWindsA long-standing monitoring standard, compared with a platform that also works the carrier.

Looking at SolarWinds alternatives? SolarWinds is a long-standing standard for network monitoring. SmartTile 2.0 monitors too, then opens the ticket in your own system, works the carrier and closes the loop when service is verified back up.

122 vs. 29
features fully included
0 of 12
carrier automation features in SolarWinds
60+
carriers worked by API or phone
1 plan
with every SmartTile 2.0 feature included
The short answer

Comparing SolarWinds alternatives?

If you want an established monitoring suite with deep SNMP, NetFlow, configuration and IP address tools, SolarWinds has a lot to offer. If your team loses hours after the alert, SmartTile 2.0 automates the ticket, the carrier and the close-out. Our review found 0 of 12 carrier automation features in SolarWinds.

SolarWinds is known for
  • SNMP polling and NetFlow traffic analytics
  • VPN tunnel health and configuration backup
  • IP address management
  • ServiceNow sync and on-call tools
Where SmartTile 2.0 goes further
  • Carrier tickets opened, followed up and closed across 60+ carriers
  • Built-in MTR diagnostics
  • Bi-directional sync with more ticket systems, including ConnectWise Manage and ManageEngine
  • Scheduled fleet firmware updates and location-based alert routing
After the alert

What happens when a circuit goes down

The biggest difference is the work that follows the alert. Here is who does it.

Step
SolarWinds
SmartTile 2.0
1Detect
SolarWinds
SNMP polling, NetFlow, VPN tunnel health and device monitoring.
SmartTile 2.0
ICMP polling on an interval you set per device, from 1 to 15 minutes, plus SNMP and vendor APIs (Meraki, UniFi, FortiGate, Verkada, AWS, Azure and more) with the same alerts and tickets.
2Ticket
SolarWinds
ServiceNow sync can create the internal ticket; other systems depend on your setup.
SmartTile 2.0
One ticket per outage, opened in the ITSM you already run: ServiceNow, Kaseya Autotask, Freshservice, ConnectWise, Jira Service Management and more.
3Call the carrier
SolarWinds
An engineer contacts the carrier, sits on hold and reads out the circuit ID.
SmartTile 2.0
CarrierAutomate opens the carrier ticket by API where one exists and by AI voice agent where it does not. After 10 documented attempts, a US-based SmartChoice engineer takes over.
4Follow up
SolarWinds
Someone remembers to chase the carrier for an ETA.
SmartTile 2.0
Automated follow-up escalates stalled tickets, and every ETA, dispatch note and reference number is written back to your ticket.
5Close and report
SolarWinds
Recovery is confirmed and carrier tickets are closed by hand.
SmartTile 2.0
Restoration is verified, carrier and ITSM tickets close automatically and the RFO is requested, reviewed and delivered.
Side-by-side comparison

SmartTile 2.0 vs. SolarWinds, category by category

Features fully included in each category. SmartTile 2.0 covers 122 of 122; SolarWinds fully covers 29.

Features fully included per category: SmartTile 2.0 compared with SolarWinds
Category SmartTile 2.0 SolarWinds
Real-time monitoring and diagnostics 15 / 15 8
Smart alerting and escalation 9 / 9 4
Remote access and device management 8 / 8 2
CarrierAutomate carrier ticket automation 12 / 12 0
ServiceAutomate ITSM sync 8 / 8 1
DeviceAutomate: firmware, access, endpoints 25 / 25 3
CloudAutomate: AWS, Azure, DigitalOcean 14 / 14 2
Visualization and reporting 11 / 11 5
Documentation, training and knowledge 6 / 6 0
Platform and security 8 / 8 4
Business model and partner programs 6 / 6 0
Total (122) 122 29
Counts full inclusion only. Partial or add-on capability is not counted.Browse all 122 features
Feature by feature

Where the two products differ

A selection of features from the comparison grid, including areas where SolarWinds is strong.

Selected features: SmartTile 2.0 compared with SolarWinds
Feature SmartTile 2.0 SolarWinds
SNMP v2c / v3 polling and bulk discovery Included Included
NetFlow traffic analytics Included Included
VPN / IPSec tunnel health monitoring Included Included
Configuration backup, diff and change ticket Included Included
IP address manager (IPAM) Included Included
ServiceNow bi-directional sync Included Included
ConnectWise Manage Included Not included
AWS, Azure and DigitalOcean servers as first-class devices Included Partial
Scheduled fleet firmware updates Included Partial
Location-based alert routing Included Not included
Auto-open carrier ticket on hard-down Included Not included
Voice automation across 60+ internet carriers Included Not included
10-attempt carrier ticket guarantee Included Not included
Automatic RFO lifecycle Included Not included
Auto-close carrier ticket on restoration Included Not included
Partial means limited, add-on or dependent on setup. Not included means we did not find it in the standard offering.
Fit and pricing

How to choose, and how the pricing differs

When SolarWinds may suit you better

SolarWinds may suit you better if you want a self-hosted or SaaS monitoring suite with deep network and systems coverage, and your team is happy to handle carriers itself.

When SmartTile 2.0 may suit you better

Your team monitors many sites and circuits, and spends too much time opening tickets, calling carriers and chasing updates after an outage.

SolarWinds pricing

SolarWinds publishes per-node subscription tiers for its self-hosted observability product, with multi-year contracts billed annually.

SmartTile 2.0 pricing

One plan with every feature included: a platform license, a per-device fee and a per-circuit fee for carrier automation, with no per-location fee.

FAQ

SmartTile 2.0 vs. SolarWinds: common questions

Is SmartTile 2.0 a good SolarWinds alternative?

It depends on the problem you want to solve. SolarWinds detects and alerts, with deep network tooling. SmartTile 2.0 also monitors, but it is built to carry the outage on through the ITSM ticket and the carrier ticket to a verified fix.

What does SolarWinds do well?

SNMP polling, NetFlow analytics, VPN tunnel health, configuration backup, IP address management and ServiceNow sync.

Does SolarWinds open carrier tickets?

Our review of publicly available information found no automated carrier ticketing in SolarWinds: 0 of the 12 CarrierAutomate features in our comparison. SmartTile 2.0 opens, follows up and closes carrier tickets across 60+ internet carriers.

Do I have to replace SolarWinds to use SmartTile 2.0?

Not necessarily. SmartTile 2.0 works alongside what you already own, and tickets stay in your own system. Bring your current tool list to a demo and we will show you where the two overlap.

How does SolarWinds pricing compare with SmartTile 2.0?

SolarWinds publishes per-node subscription tiers for its self-hosted observability product, with multi-year contracts billed annually. SmartTile 2.0 is one plan with every feature included, priced with a platform license, a per-device fee and a per-circuit fee for carrier automation, with no per-location fee.

See SmartTile 2.0 work an outage from detection to verified fix.

Bring your current tool list. We will map your devices, carriers and ITSM system and show you exactly what SmartTile 2.0 takes off your team’s plate.

Compare SmartTile 2.0 with other tools
testimonials

The choice of industry leaders 

“Our pursuit of excellence led us to SmartChoice and their innovative solutions. The numbers speak for themselves – downtimes drastically reduced, operational efficiency heightened, and patient interactions seamlessly facilitated. This journey underscores the indispensable role of cutting-edge technology with a holistic approach in modern healthcare communications.” 

Chris Diguette

Chief Information Officer, US Eye

“Our business is not managing a phone system. It is saving lives – and SmartChoice has enabled us to keep our eyes on our mission.”

Robert Parkinson

CFO, Turning Point Inc.

“We experienced zero disruption to our customer contact center while installing and transitioning to our new system. SmartChoice provided the perfect solution to meet our business needs”

Thomas J.

IT and Network Infrastructure Manager

“One big strength of SmartChoice is how they handle their partner and client relationships. Despite having grown over the years, they still maintain a smaller company feel where customers are important, and relationships matter. They also have a strong ability to customize solutions for their clients, which is very valuable. They solve problems efficiently.”

Michael Cafaro

CTO, Ladder Capital

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