Riverbed SteelHead
Riverbed SteelHead is a network optimization solution that accelerates application performance and reduces bandwidth consumption across hybrid cloud environments to ensure your distributed teams stay productive and connected.
SolarWinds IPAM
SolarWinds IPAM is a centralized IP address management software providing automated tracking, alerting, and reporting for DHCP, DNS, and IP addresses to prevent conflicts and ensure network availability across your infrastructure.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Riverbed SteelHead | SolarWinds IPAM |
|---|---|---|
| Website | riverbed.com | solarwinds.com |
| Pricing Model | Custom | Subscription |
| Starting Price | Custom Pricing | $166/month |
| FREE Trial | ✓ 0 days free trial | ✓ 30 days free trial |
| Free Plan | ✘ No free plan | ✘ No free plan |
| Product Demo | ✓ Request demo here | ✓ Request demo here |
| Deployment | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Target Users | ||
| Target Industries | ||
| Customer Count | 0 | 0 |
| Founded Year | 2002 | 1999 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, USA | Austin, USA |
Overview
Riverbed SteelHead
Riverbed SteelHead helps you overcome network latency and bandwidth constraints that slow down your business applications. Whether your tools live in a private data center, a public cloud, or are delivered as SaaS, this platform uses advanced data reduction and transport streamlining to make your apps run faster. You can significantly reduce the time it takes to transfer large files and sync data across long distances.
The software gives you deep visibility into how your applications are performing and how your bandwidth is being used. You can prioritize business-critical traffic over less important data, ensuring your most vital operations always have the resources they need. It is designed for mid-market and enterprise organizations with multiple branch offices or a significant remote workforce that relies on consistent network speed.
SolarWinds IPAM
SolarWinds IPAM helps you take control of your network's IP space by eliminating manual spreadsheet tracking. You can manage your entire IP infrastructure from a single dashboard, which automatically discovers and monitors your IP addresses, DHCP servers, and DNS settings. This visibility allows you to spot potential conflicts before they take down your services, saving you hours of manual troubleshooting and preventing costly downtime.
The platform is designed for IT administrators and network engineers in mid-to-large organizations who manage complex, multi-vendor environments. You can integrate it with Microsoft, Cisco, and ISC services to create a unified management layer. By automating routine tasks like IP requests and subnet monitoring, you free up your team to focus on higher-level infrastructure projects while maintaining a reliable and organized network environment.
Overview
Riverbed SteelHead Features
- Data Streamlining Reduce your bandwidth consumption by up to 99% by only sending new or changed data across your network.
- Transport Streamlining Minimize the impact of high latency by reducing the number of round trips required for data to travel.
- Application Streamlining Accelerate specific protocols like HTTP, FTP, and SMB to ensure your web and file applications respond instantly.
- SaaS Acceleration Speed up popular tools like Microsoft 365, Salesforce, and ServiceNow by optimizing the path to the cloud.
- Path Selection Direct your traffic over the most efficient path available, whether it is MPLS, internet, or a satellite link.
- Centralized Management Control your entire optimization deployment from a single console to simplify configuration and reporting across all sites.
SolarWinds IPAM Features
- Automated IP Tracking. Scan your network automatically to keep your IP address inventory up to date without manual data entry.
- Conflict Detection. Receive instant alerts when IP conflicts occur so you can resolve overlapping addresses before they impact users.
- Integrated DNS/DHCP. Manage your Microsoft, Cisco, and ISC DHCP and DNS services from a single, centralized management console.
- IP Request Portal. Provide a self-service portal for users to request IP addresses, streamlining your internal ticketing and allocation process.
- Subnet Monitoring. Monitor your subnet utilization and receive notifications when you are running low on available IP addresses.
- Role-Based Access. Delegate specific management tasks to different team members while maintaining full control over your network security.
Pricing Comparison
Riverbed SteelHead Pricing
SolarWinds IPAM Pricing
- Full IP address management
- Automated IP scanning
- DNS and DHCP monitoring
- Alerting and reporting
- Standard technical support
- One-time purchase option
- Ownership of the license
- First year of maintenance included
- Scalable IP address tiers
- Advanced reporting capabilities
Pros & Cons
Riverbed SteelHead
Pros
- Drastically reduces file transfer times for remote offices
- Significantly lowers monthly bandwidth costs for expensive links
- Reliable performance for critical enterprise applications
- Excellent visibility into network traffic patterns
Cons
- Initial hardware or licensing costs are relatively high
- Requires technical expertise for complex initial configurations
- Encrypted traffic requires additional steps to optimize effectively
SolarWinds IPAM
Pros
- Eliminates the need for manual IP tracking spreadsheets
- Excellent visibility into multi-vendor DHCP and DNS environments
- Reliable alerting system prevents major network downtime
- Easy integration with other SolarWinds Orion platform products
Cons
- Initial setup and configuration can be time-consuming
- Requires significant system resources for larger environments
- User interface feels dated compared to modern SaaS tools