For those of you who have been following our On Call Alert Management developments, we've been soliciting your feedback on several topics, which will continue for the next few weeks. As a new product that a lot of customers are really excited about, we want to make sure it hits the mark on all fronts - from what to name the product to its featureset and deployment.
So, about that deployment. Here at SolarWinds we have a large number of products that are deployed as software that you install on a Windows OS, some of which are built on the Orion platform. We also have another set of products that are deployed as virtual appliances, deployed to a VMware ESX/ESXi or Microsoft Hyper-V virtual server. Centralized On Call/Alert Management is something that everyone can benefit from and will be provided as a standalone product, but we recognize a lot of you are coming from the Orion platform products and may have experiences and opinions that sway you for or against software or virtual deployments.
Bottom line: we want to know your thoughts. If we deployed as a virtual appliance, would that make you more or less likely to evaluate? Is there something about deploying software (or Orion products) that you'd sorely miss with a virtual appliance? Or, is a virtual appliance like a load off your back, a system you don't have to configure and maintain? If you've deployed other virtual appliances, what did you love or hate? Any concerns you feel we'll need to alleviate?
First, go vote in this poll and tell us how comfortable you are with virtual appliances - be honest, it really helps: Deploying Virtual Appliances
Then, if you've got more to add about your preference for a virtual appliance, Orion, or other style software deployment when it comes to Centralized On Call/Alert Management in particular, comment in this thread (or in the poll, we'll read them both).
More opportunities for feedback are coming soon! This truly is a software for the people, by the people kind of process.