Server & Application Monitor
SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor (SAM) is an on-premise installed solution for monitoring servers, applications, and their dependencies across hybrid IT environments.
Publisher review
SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor (SAM) is an on-premise installed solution for monitoring servers, applications, and their dependencies across hybrid IT environments. It is designed for IT operations teams and system administrators who need deep visibility into on-premises, virtualized, and cloud infrastructure — including Active Directory, AWS, Azure, Linux, Apache, Docker, Exchange, FTP services, Java Virtual Machines, and .NET applications. The tool is available standalone or as part of the SolarWinds Hybrid Cloud Observability platform, which bundles network, server, application, database, and storage monitoring under a single self-hosted license.
SAM provides agentless server monitoring by default, though deploying the SolarWinds agent can reduce permissions overhead. It includes over 1,200 out-of-the-box monitoring templates and more than 1,000 community-contributed templates, covering a wide range of applications and services. Key capabilities include application dependency mapping, real-time alerting based on thresholds like high disk and CPU usage, and capacity planning for server optimization. The solution also supports monitoring of cloud entities such as VMs, V-Nets, Amazon RDS, Azure Blob Storage, and Load Balancers, with metrics collected via SNMP, WMI, SSH, and REST APIs.
In the monitoring market, SAM competes directly with PRTG, Datadog, Nagios, and Zabbix. Compared to PRTG, SAM offers deeper application-layer monitoring and more pre-built templates, but PRTG is often considered easier to set up and more cost-effective for smaller environments. Datadog provides a cloud-native SaaS alternative with stronger container and Kubernetes support, but at a higher per-node cost. Nagios and Zabbix are open-source options with lower licensing costs but require more manual configuration and lack the curated template library SAM provides.
The primary trade-off with SAM is its steep learning curve and complex initial setup, especially for organizations without dedicated SolarWinds expertise. The pricing model — starting at $1,663 for a subscription or $3,070 for a perpetual license — can be prohibitive for small businesses. Additionally, as an on-premise solution, it requires dedicated server infrastructure and ongoing maintenance, and the modular licensing means costs can escalate quickly when adding features like network performance monitoring or database monitoring.
How it works
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End-to-end visibility
Monitors servers, applications, and dependencies across on-prem, virtual, and cloud environments from a single console.
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Server capacity planning
Analyzes historical resource usage to predict future capacity needs and optimize server performance.
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Custom application monitoring
Enables tailored monitoring for custom or legacy applications using over 1,200 out-of-the-box and 1,000 community templates.
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Application dependency mapping
Automatically discovers and maps relationships between servers, applications, and services to isolate root causes.
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Agentless and agent-based monitoring
Supports both agentless monitoring via SNMP/WMI and optional agent deployment for deeper, low-permission server monitoring.
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Real-time alerting
Sends alerts based on thresholds for disk, CPU, memory, and application health, reducing mean time to resolution.
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Multi-cloud support
Monitors AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud entities including VMs, RDS, Blob Storage, and Load Balancers.
Strengths and trade-offs
Strengths
- Provides agentless server monitoring, reducing deployment overhead for Windows and Linux environments.
- Offers over 1,200 out-of-the-box and 1,000 community-contributed monitoring templates for rapid setup of common applications.
- Delivers real-time alerts based on specific thresholds like high disk usage and CPU utilization, enabling proactive issue resolution.
- Supports monitoring of a broad range of technologies including Active Directory, Docker, Exchange, JVM, and .NET applications.
Trade-offs
- Has a steep learning curve, requiring dedicated training or prior SolarWinds experience to configure effectively.
- Initial setup can be complex, especially when integrating with existing network infrastructure and defining custom application monitors.
- Pricing starting at $1,663 for a subscription or $3,070 for a perpetual license is steep for new and small businesses.
- As an on-premise solution, it requires dedicated server hardware and ongoing maintenance, unlike cloud-native alternatives like Datadog.
Pricing context
Starts at $1,663 for an annual subscription and $3,070 for a perpetual license. A free 30-day trial is available. Pricing scales with the number of monitored nodes and additional modules.
Getting started with Server & Application Monitor
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Download and install SAM
Download the SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor installer from the SolarWinds website. Run the installer on a dedicated Windows server that meets the system requirements, and follow the setup wizard to complete the installation.
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Add monitored nodes
Open the SAM web console and navigate to the node management section. Enter the IP addresses or hostnames of your servers and applications, then select the appropriate credentials for SNMP, WMI, or SSH access to begin monitoring.
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Apply monitoring templates
Browse the template library and select from over 1,200 out-of-the-box templates for common applications like Active Directory, Docker, or Exchange. Assign the relevant templates to each monitored node to automatically configure metrics and alerts.
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Set up real-time alerts
Define alert thresholds for key metrics such as CPU usage, disk space, and memory utilization. Configure notification actions like email or SNMP traps to trigger when thresholds are exceeded, enabling proactive issue resolution.
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Schedule capacity reports
Use the capacity planning feature to generate reports on historical resource usage. Schedule recurring reports to predict future capacity needs and optimize server performance, ensuring your infrastructure scales efficiently.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor?
SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor is an on-premise solution for monitoring servers, applications, and dependencies across hybrid IT. It gives IT teams deep visibility into on-premises, virtual, and cloud infrastructure, including Active Directory, AWS, Azure, Linux, and Docker.
How does SolarWinds SAM pricing work?
SolarWinds SAM pricing starts at $1,663 for an annual subscription or $3,070 for a perpetual license. Costs scale with the number of monitored nodes and additional modules. A free 30-day trial is available for evaluation.
What are the main features of SolarWinds SAM?
Key features include end-to-end visibility across environments, server capacity planning, custom application monitoring with over 1,200 templates, application dependency mapping, agentless or agent-based monitoring, real-time alerting, and multi-cloud support for AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud.
How does SAM compare to PRTG or Datadog?
SAM offers deeper application-layer monitoring and more pre-built templates than PRTG, but PRTG is easier to set up and cheaper for small environments. Datadog is a cloud-native SaaS with better container support but higher per-node costs.
Is SolarWinds SAM difficult to set up?
Yes, SAM has a steep learning curve and complex initial setup, especially without dedicated SolarWinds expertise. It requires dedicated server hardware and ongoing maintenance, unlike cloud-native alternatives.
What technologies does SolarWinds SAM monitor?
SAM monitors a broad range including Active Directory, AWS, Azure, Linux, Apache, Docker, Exchange, FTP services, Java Virtual Machines, .NET applications, and cloud entities like VMs, RDS, and Blob Storage via SNMP, WMI, SSH, and REST APIs.
Alternatives
How Server & Application Monitor compares
Direct head-to-head against 3 competitors. Picked by 7wData.
Server & Application Monitor
- Pricing
- Starts at $1,663 for an annual subscription and $3,070 for a perpetual license. A free 30-day trial is available. Pricing scales with the number of monitored nodes and additional modules.
- Target
- SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor (SAM) is an on-premise installed solution for monitoring servers, applications, and their dependencies across hybrid IT environments.
- Strength
- Provides agentless server monitoring, reducing deployment overhead for Windows and Linux environments.
- Watch for
- Has a steep learning curve, requiring dedicated training or prior SolarWinds experience to configure effectively.
Datadog
- Pricing
- $15/host/month (Infrastructure plan)
- Target
- Cloud/hybrid infrastructure SMBs
- Deployment
- Cloud/SaaS
- Strength
- 700+ integrations library
- Watch for
- Costs escalate at scale
Pinghome
- Pricing
- €8.75/month (Starter)
- Target
- SMBs needing simplicity
- Deployment
- Cloud or self-hosted
- Strength
- 5-minute setup, JSON monitoring
- Watch for
- Newer, lacks log management
Netdata
- Pricing
- Free open-source tier
- Target
- Tech teams wanting granularity
- Deployment
- On-prem/cloud
- Strength
- 800+ zero-config integrations
- Watch for
- Self-managed requires expertise
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Sources
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