OpenText™ Network Observability gives IT teams end-to-end visibility across cloud and on-premises networks in a single, customizable platform. It consolidates topology discovery, performance monitoring, configuration management, and compliance automation for 3,500+ device types across 250+ vendors. Teams resolve issues up to 50% faster by correlating configuration changes with performance data in real time. With flexible, use-case-based deployment, organizations pay only for what they need, when they need it.

Interactive EMA experts guide

Three reasons enterprises are migrating to OpenText over SolarWinds

With SolarWinds renewal costs up 50-300%, enterprises aren't waiting—here's what's driving the migration to OpenText.

Pricing
Flexible licensing with no forced bundles or shelfware
Avoid renewal shock. Choose perpetual or subscription licensing, deploy SaaS or on premises, and pay only for the use cases you need—not forced bundles or shelfware.
Value
leader in network observability as recognized by EMA
OpenText earned EMA's highest rating—Value Leader—while SolarWinds ranked in the bottom 3 of 14 vendors evaluated.
Visibility
80K+ monitored devices and 120K+ configuration devices in production
Get full visibility across 3,500+ device types—across cloud and on-premises networks—and 250+ vendors in one solution.

See why OpenText is recognized by EMA Explore the product

OpenText: The alternative to SolarWinds for network observability

See how OpenText and SolarWinds compare across licensing, scalability, automation, device coverage, and analyst recognition for both on-premises and SaaS deployments.

Swipe to see more	OpenText Network Observability	SolarWinds Observability	Why this matters
On-premises deployment
Licensing	Checked Available via a subscription or perpetual license	X Mark SolarWinds has fully retired its perpetual licensing model, driving up costs by 50%-300%	These exhorbitant increases impact delivery of other core business services due to budget cuts ^[1]
Licensing flexibility	Checked Custom, use-case based deployment. Avoid shelfware by paying only for what you need	X Mark Expensive, inflexible bundles mean you'll pay for capabilities you don't use	Paying for shelfware takes budget away from the tools you actually use ^[1]
Market leadership	Checked Positioned as a "value leader" in the 2024 EMA Radar Report for Network Operations Observability	X Mark Ranked bottom 3 of 14 vendors in the 2024 EMA Radar Report for Network Operations Observability	Gain innovation at a reasonable cost, as validated by an industry analyst ^[2]
Multivendor device coverage	Checked 3,500+ device types, 250+ vendors, proven at enterprise scale	X Mark Monitors SNMP MIB-2 devices; no comprehensive supported-device list	Accelerate management with custom device support instead of multiple element managers ^[4]
Scalability	Checked Scales to 80K+ monitored devices and 120K+ configuration devices in production	X Mark Large scale environments require extensive Enterprise Scale Edition	Proven scale reduces risk for large estates and avoids costly re-platforming later ^[3]
SaaS-based deployment
Change-aware troubleshooting	Checked Built-in monitoring for change answers 'what changed?' fast	X Mark Change impact requires on-prem modules with manual correlation across tools	Faster recovery protects SLAs and reduces downtime costs when changes break services ^[5]
Dynamic topology mapping with high scale discovery	Checked Patented Spiral Discovery keeps topology accurate at enterprise scale	X Mark SaaS has basic network maps; advanced discovery and mapping rely on self-hosted Orion	Accurate topology reduces outage time and limits escalations across teams ^[6]
NetDevOps	Checked Top-ranked in GigaOm NetDevOps Radar; native Git + Ansible change pipelines	X Mark No SaaS NetDevOps pipelines; config automation is in NCM or external tools	Standardized change control lowers risk, speeds delivery, and improves auditability ^[7]
Multivendor device coverage	Checked 3,500+ device types across 250+ vendors, cloud and off-cloud	X Mark No published vendor/device-type totals for Observability SaaS; relies on Network Collector	Fewer coverage gaps reduce outage risk and speed onboarding after M&A or refreshes ^[8]

Resources

FAQ

OpenText Network Observability and SolarWinds differ significantly in licensing flexibility, deployment options, device coverage, and analyst recognition. OpenText offers both perpetual and subscription licensing with SaaS or on-premises deployment, supports 80,000+ devices across 3,500+ device types and 250+ vendors, and earned EMA's highest Value Leader rating ^[2]. SolarWinds is primarily subscription-based with limited deployment flexibility, supports fewer device types, and ranked in the bottom 3 of 14 vendors in the same EMA evaluation.
Yes. OpenText Network Observability supports both SaaS and on-premises deployment, giving IT teams full control over where their data lives. This makes it a strong alternative for organizations with data sovereignty requirements or existing on-prem infrastructure investments.
In EMA's Radar Report for Network Operations Observability, OpenText earned the highest rating — Value Leader — recognized for its strengths in network discovery, alerting, scalability, resiliency, and active controls. SolarWinds ranked in the bottom 3 of the 14 vendors evaluated in the same report ^[2]. OpenText also earned the highest ranking among 17 vendors in the 2024 GigaOm Radar for NetDevOps ^[7], with native Git and Ansible integrations that SolarWinds does not offer in its SaaS platform.
OpenText Network Observability supports monitoring of 80,000+ devices across 3,500+ device types from 250+ vendors. Patented Spiral Discovery automatically keeps network topology accurate as your environment grows, reducing the manual effort required to maintain visibility at scale.
OpenText uses patented Spiral Discovery technology to automatically detect and map network topology in real time, keeping your visibility accurate as devices are added, removed, or reconfigured. SolarWinds relies on more manual topology management ^[6], which can create blind spots in fast-changing or large-scale environments.
OpenText Network Observability has built-in change-aware troubleshooting that automatically correlates configuration changes with performance and availability data. When something breaks, teams can quickly answer "what changed?" without switching between tools. SolarWinds typically requires separate modules (such as Network Configuration Manager) and manual correlation across tools to achieve similar visibility ^[5]. OpenText customers report resolving issues up to 50% faster with this integrated approach.
Following SolarWinds' transition to subscription-only licensing, Gartner has reported that customers face renewal cost increases of 50% to 300% ^[1]. These unexpected cost increases, combined with pressure to commit to multi-year bundles, are prompting enterprises to evaluate alternatives that offer more predictable pricing and flexible licensing. OpenText Network Observability directly addresses these concerns with perpetual or subscription licensing, use-case-based deployment, and no forced bundles.
OpenText Professional Services offers guided migration support to help teams transition efficiently. The platform's use-case-based deployment model means you can start with the capabilities you need most (such as monitoring or configuration management) and expand over time, rather than requiring a full rip-and-replace on day one. OpenText supports 3,500+ device types across 250+ vendors, which helps ensure broad coverage from the start.
Yes. OpenText Network Observability offers both perpetual and subscription licensing, giving enterprises the freedom to choose the model that fits their budget and procurement preferences. Unlike SolarWinds, which has shifted toward subscription-only renewal terms ^[1], OpenText lets you pay only for the use cases you need — with no forced bundles or shelfware.

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[1]Gartner, SolarWinds pricing shift: should heads of I&O renew or replace?, December 3, 2025
[2]Enterprise Management Associates, EMA Radar Report for Network Operations Observability, November 11, 2024
[3]SolarWinds, Documentation for SolarWinds Platform Self-Hosted (scalability), February 2026
[4] SolarWinds, Documentation for Network Performance Monitor, February 2026
[5] SolarWinds, Network Configuration Manager product page, February 2026
[6]SolarWinds, Documentation for SolarWinds Platform Self-Hosted (Intelligent Maps), February 2026
[7] GigaOm, GigaOm Radar for NetDevOps, February 13, 2024
[8]SolarWinds, Documentation for SolarWinds Observability SaaS (Network Collector), February 2026