We use Intermapper to monitor our network connections between data closets and locations and to track network traffic and throughput. We needed something to help us respond to network issues before end users were adversely impacted. Intermapper has helped us react much quicker to outages to limit the amount of downtime for our end users.
Pros
Intermapper did a fairly good job of automatically identifying our routers and switches when creating maps.
The interface is intuitive.
The visual mapping displaying the links and traffic flow are very good.
Cons
If it doesn't auto-detect a device, it can be cumbersome to create and connect.
Navigating between maps could be easier.
We have had issues at times with notifications.
Likelihood to Recommend
Intermapper is a good solution for monitoring network connections and traffic flow, so if you are looking for a solution to give you a good visual of your connections and traffic status, and provide notifications when there are issues, Intermapper is a solid solution.
VU
Verified User
Director in Information Technology (501-1000 employees)
We use Intermapper in the Information Systems department to monitor our infrastructure for our entire organization. It is a relatively inexpensive and easy to use tool for the monitoring and notification of critical infrastructures status and availability. We keep it running on all our desktops and on a TV in the office to assess the availability of all our switches, virtual servers, and other critical infrastructure devices. It uses visible, audible, and email alerts to notify of problems.
Pros
The interface makes it very easy to add devices to monitor.
You can set custom threshold for the alerts to different levels per device. This allows you to set critical infrastructure to easily alert at lower thresholds.
You can customize the way the devices are displayed and the size of the interface. This make it easy to put in tight spots on your 2nd or 3rd monitor.
You can divide your devices by type into separate maps and show inter-connectivity of devices.
Cons
We would like to see a little more flexibility in the graphics choices for the display of the items. You can change the symbols, but changing background colors of the symbols without changing the entire symbol would be nice.
Likelihood to Recommend
Intermapper is a light weight, quick and easy to use monitoring application. It will get you up and monitoring key infrastructure devices with a simple management interface and effective alert system that doesn't generate a lot of noise. It provides mobile device access through a web interface and is relatively inexpensive.
VU
Verified User
Director in Information Technology (501-1000 employees)
We use Intermapper to monitor all of our servers and our network infrastructure. We use this specifically in the IT department and it allows us to be proactive instead of reactive.
Pros
Provides SNMP and WMI probe data.
Alerts us in advance of issues.
Allows us to customize notifications for different groups of individuals in the district.
Cons
Setting up probes in bulk can be difficult, so it can take a long time to get the system set up correctly to start.
Sometimes the probes can be sensitive and report false positives.
Interface can be a little clunky and non intuitive at times.
Likelihood to Recommend
I think overall it's a great product that does what it's designed to do, which is allow you to be proactive with your environment. It's perfect for us where we're trying to monitor server activity with WMI probes and SNMP probes. If you want to do a of data flow analysis, I think Intermapper is a little clunk y for that.
VU
Verified User
Director in Information Technology (201-500 employees)
Intermapper is my main systems monitor software. I use different software to monitor SIEM, AD and that sort of thing. But Intermapper is what lets me know what's up and what's down with a wonderful live network map. When we get a helpdesk ticket for a network related problem, a simple glance at the Intermapper map lets me know if the issue is isolated or company wide.
Pros
The best thing about Intermapper is that it is map-based. You start by building your map, which is done completely automatically. I've used many different monitoring software packages, Solarwinds, Nagios, Opmanager, and it is a royal PITA to create live maps with those.
Another great feature is that it shows you, visually, the bandwidth utilization of your network by using "ants" and color codes. Incredibly useful.
Alarms are very easy to setup, again much easier than the packages mentioned above.
Cons
Room for improvement would be better "shortcuts", they have some great setup shortcuts in some sections, but none at all in others, for some reason.
Intermapper does not print out very well. What would be awesome is if you could export the map in Visio format.
Cleaning up after map discovery can be tedious. For example when it finds a switch, it maps out every individual switch port. It can be time consuming to getting the map just as you want it. Good news, you only have to do this once.
Likelihood to Recommend
If you've never mapped your network out before, download a demo of Intermapper and let it run. Your jaw will drop as your network grows before your eyes. If you have your network already mapped, you still would like InterMapper because it will find stuff you did not even know you have. If I were a network consultant, the first thing I would do when I hit a client's site is to start a scan with Intermapper. You will very quickly learn what the topography is.
As the network administrator for Anchorage Water & Wastewater utility, I use Intermapper on a daily basis. Several other techs in our IT department use it as well. I monitor 150 routers and switches as well as servers, access points,UPSs, SCADA PLCs and just about anything else you can think of with an IP address. I look at it when I first come in in the morning, as a quick and dirty view of the network, to see if anything is down. I have about 18 maps that I've built and I can use the double-click action to log into any of the devices on any map. This makes managing everything very easy and convenient.
Pros
Monitors devices via SNMP.
Allows logging into devices via helper apps, making management very easy.
You can monitor Microsoft Windows Services with Intermapper.
You can set up alerting for when devices are down. The alerting can be an e-mail or text, or an audible alarm.
Does trending or charting of network links so you can see network utilization over time.
Cons
Sometimes when you set up connectivity between devices, the links will disappear or change.
Sometimes the display gets wonky.
Sometimes charts seem to disappear.
Likelihood to Recommend
It's great for monitoring SNMP devices; if you can just set up ping/echo to devices.
We currently use InterMapper to monitor Layer 2 and Layer 3 devices. We also InterMapper to grab SFlows and NetFlows to put together graphs and statistics. We are able to monitor the devices and flows in real-time. The Help desk, server team and network team use the monitoring, alerting and statistics to quickly address and resolve any issues across the WAN.
Pros
The maps are excellent visual representations of the network. I find the maps easier to create and manage, than in Orion Network Atlas (SolarWinds).
The live maps are great for managing a large WAN.
Great for monitoring utilization and device status.
Cons
I would love to see more graphs and reports comparable to SolarWinds.
Likelihood to Recommend
Excellent for verifying a device status at a remote location at a glance. Excellent monitoring of interface utilization. A great way to find a device in the chart that may be using up a lot of bandwidth.
