Real-time monitoring of websites and network infrastructure is vital to making sure businesses can deliver the content and services their customers demand. We’ll take a look at two competing website monitoring services, Site24x7 and Dynatrace, and the features these solutions offer businesses, which includes network monitoring.
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What is Site24x7?
Site24x7 is a cloud-based website monitoring solution that focuses on ease of use and simplicity while still offering a full suite of tools and integration options that should satisfy most small to medium size businesses.
The simplified workflow makes Site24x7 suitable for developers and business users alike when it comes to implementation. They offer immediate compatibility with over 450 devices from the most popular vendors like HP or Cisco and any other vendors that offer a sysOID.
Site24x7 is an agentless system that uses SNMP as the basis for its website monitoring services. This provides a resource-friendly method of data gathering.
What is Dynatrace?
Dynatrace offers full network and enterprise monitoring through AI processes and machine learning using an agent-based system. They offer an extensive list of options and solutions that come with a slightly more difficult learning curve than some other providers.
Dynatrace is managed by its proprietary AI service called Davis, the Dynatrace AI causation engine. This process oversees its three main modules known as One Agent, Smartscape and Purepath to allow for full monitoring of the complete technology stack.
Dynatrace does offer more flexibility than a service like Site24x7 and is suited towards developers and advanced users looking for a customizable option. Being an agent-based solution, the data retrieved is often more detailed and better suited for diagnosing complex issues.
Site24x7 vs. Dynatrace: Features comparison
| Features | Site24x7 | Dynatrace |
|---|---|---|
| Device templates for most common devices | Yes | No |
| AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud Platform monitoring | Yes | Yes |
| AI-based observation to spot failure points and offer root cause analyses, not just faults and errors | No | Yes |
| Network monitoring via SNMP and SNMP trap processing | Yes | No |
| Over 600 built-in third-party integrations for popular services | No | Yes |
Head-to-head feature comparison: Site 24×7 and Dynatrace
Automatic network discovery
Both Site24x7 and Dynatrace offer an automatic network discovery tool. After installation, this one-click tool searches your network and identifies all devices and services.
For Site24x7 users, this is easily accessible from the dashboard console. Once activated, it produces a topology chart showing the devices and services that it detects and its connections.
Dynatrace’s automatic detection provides a similar overview map of the complete network, but there is more integration with its other services right from this discovery page. In this regard, the Dynatrace interface offers more of a complete overview all from one screen.
Anomaly detection and forecasting
Site24x7 and Dynatrace both use AI to discover anomalies and forecast possible issues before they become a larger issue.
With Site24x7, this is more limited in scope simply due to its underlying data collection protocols. It alerts staff of basic issues, such as increased resource or bandwidth use, helping to spot trouble areas.
Dynatrace excels in its AI implementation due to its integrated modules that are able to gather more detailed data. The product’ anomaly detection provides solutions and root cause analyses to automate which teams or individuals to dispatch or notify. This is important for larger businesses or networks where several different team members may be needed to address a single problem.
Real-time global app performance and website monitoring
This core functionality is available with both services. Both tools offer complete performance monitoring across all services as well as website performance.
Site24x7 offers full monitoring via SNMP and even includes website defacing detection as well as full email service monitoring.
Dynatrace only offers website monitoring through DNS, so email monitoring is slightly limited without customization. They also do not offer website defacing detection.
Scalability
For smaller enterprises without dedicated developers or IT professionals to deal with integration and setup, Site24x7 is an ideal tool. However, as complexity increases, some users have commented that the limitations of Site24x7 can start to become apparent. It’s not quite as integrated from the ground up, and some aspects can feel somewhat cobbled together when compared to the tight integration of Dynatrace.
Dynatrace on the other hand can also work with small enterprises but is clearly geared toward developers and IT professionals. It offers more flexibility and scalability at the cost of increased complexity.
Troubleshooting
However, Dynatrace’s complexity comes with the benefit of more advanced tools for troubleshooting and locating poor performing systems using its AI tools. Site 24×7 also offers a similar AI-based troubleshooting tool, but Dynatrace clearly excels in this area. This makes Dynatrace a clear winner when dealing with more complex issues that may require several teams to fix a problem.
Security
Site24x7 and Dynatrace use different data gathering approaches, and both have their own security-related considerations.
With Site24x7 being an SNMP-based website monitoring service, it may not be the best solution for businesses with high security requirements. Due to the nature of SNMP, a single user ID must have access to all systems, so if that ID is compromised, then the whole system can be compromised.
Dynatrace uses an agent-based system, which can allow for a more customized approach that limits access at different levels, allowing for better security control.
This isn’t to say Site24x7 is insecure, but for enterprises that require top level security, it is something to take into consideration. Site24x7 does offer additional security layers to mitigate these shortcomings, such as biometrics authentication, which Dynatrace does not offer.
Which website monitoring tool should you use?
Overall, the comparison really comes down to the simplicity of Site24x7 versus the robust scalability and deeper data collection of Dynatrace. For a smaller business without dedicated developers, Site24x7 will most likely fit their needs. However, when scaled up or pushed, the limitations of Site24x7 will become apparent. Larger businesses that need to take advantage of increased capabilities and deeper data collection should consider Dynatrace.
This article is written by James Forteze.
