This is a continuation of one of my previous blog posts,
Which Infrastructure Monitoring Tools Are Right for You? On-Premises vs. SaaS, where I talked about the considerations and benefits of running your monitoring platform in either location. I touched on the two typical licensing models geared either towards a CapEx or an OpEx purchase. CapEx is something you buy and own, or a perpetual license. OpEx is usually a monthly spend that can vary month-to-month, like a rental license. Think of it like buying Microsoft Office off-the-shelf (who does that anymore?) where you own the product, or you buy Office 365 and pay month-by-month for the services that you consume.
Let’s Break This Down
As mentioned, there are the two purchasing options. But within those, there are different ways monitoring products are licensed, which could ultimately sway your decision on which product to choose. If your purchasing decisions are ruled by the powers that be, then cost is likely one of the top considerations when choosing a monitoring product.
So what license models are there?
Per Device Licensing
This is one of the most common operating models for a monitoring solution. What you need to look at closely, though, is the definition of a device. I have seen tools classify a network port on a switch as an individual device, and I have seen other tools classify the entire switch as a device. You can win big with this model if something like a VMware vCenter server or an IPMI management tool is classed as one device. You can effectively monitor all the devices managed by the management tool for the cost of a single device license.
Amount of Data Ingested
This model seems to apply more to SaaS-based security information and event management (SIEM) solutions, but may apply to other products. Essentially, you’re billed per GB of data ingested into the solution. The headline cost for 1GB of data may look great, but once you start pumping hundreds of GBs of data into the solution daily, the costs add up very quickly. If you can, evaluate log churn in terms of data generated before looking at a solution licensed like this.
Pay Your Money, Monitor Whatever You Like
Predominantly used for on-premises monitoring solutions deployments, you pay a flat fee and you can monitor as much or as little as you like. The initial buy-in price may be high, but if you compare it to the other licensing models, it may work out cheaper in the long run. I typically find established players in the monitoring solution game have on-premises and SaaS versions of their products. There will be a point where paying the upfront cost for the on-premises perpetual license is cheaper than paying for the monthly rental SaaS equivalent. It’s all about doing your homework on that one.
Conclusion
I may be preaching to the choir here, but I hope there are some useful snippets of info you can take away and apply to your next monitoring solution evaluation. As with any project, planning is key. The more info you have available to help with that planning, the more successful you will be.
