SolarWinds Security Event Manager Reviews & Product Details

Security Event Manager (SEM) is a powerful, real-time Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) solution designed to act as a virtual Security Operations Center (SOC). It provides active monitoring and automated threat detection across multi-vendor network devices, servers, workstations, and applications. SEM is delivered as a downloadable virtual appliance for rapid deployment, and allows IT teams to centralize log data and enable real-time event correlation right out of the box. SEM goes beyond simple alerting by offering automated remediation actions. When suspicious behavior is detected, the platform can automatically block malicious IPs, disable compromised user accounts, kill unauthorized applications, or detach unmanaged USB devices via its integrated USB Defender. This immediate response capability significantly reduces the window of vulnerability during a cyber-attack. To ensure deep visibility, SEM features built-in File Integrity Monitoring (FIM), allowing you to track sensitive file changes, deletions, and registry modifications. The platform also streamlines audit preparation with hundreds of pre-built, out-of-the-box compliance reports for major regulatory frameworks, including HIPAA, PCI DSS, SOX, ISO, DISA STIGs, and FISMA. With its intuitive text-based searching and integrated threat intelligence feed, SEM normalizes disparate log data into a readable format. This enables faster forensic analysis and historical searching, helping your team identify patterns from known bad actors and strengthen your overall security posture. Whether you are managing internal threats or external breaches, SolarWinds SEM provides the essential tools to detect, respond, and report with confidence. For organizations seeking tailored security control, SEM is highly effective as a standalone SIEM tool, providing dedicated log management and incident response. However, for those looking to eliminate silos between security and IT operations, SEM can also function as a core component of SolarWinds Observability.

Seller

SolarWinds Worldwide LLC

Discussions

SolarWinds Security Event Manager Community

Languages Supported

English

Solution Type

Best-of-Breed

Overview by

Gavin Burke (Demand Generation Specialist)

Pricing

Pricing provided by SolarWinds Security Event Manager.

Universal

Starting at $4,858.00

Per Year

Workstation

Starting at $2,649.00

Per Year

View More Pricing Information

Top-Rated Alternatives

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User Insights

Average based on 76 real user reviews.

Implementation Time

3 months

Perceived Cost

$$$$$

Typical contract price

$0k - $0k

Per Year

SolarWinds Security Event Manager Reviews FAQs

Generated using AI

Last updated: Nov 04, 2026

What is SolarWinds Security Event Manager, and what problem is it built to solve?

SolarWinds Security Event Manager is used to centralize logs and events from systems and network devices so teams can identify suspicious activity and investigate security issues. It also helps with security monitoring and audit reporting.

What languages does SolarWinds Security Event Manager support?

SolarWinds Security Event Manager supports 1 language: English.

What company sizes and industries is SolarWinds Security Event Manager the best fit for?

SolarWinds Security Event Manager is used across mid-sized and enterprise organizations, with experience also represented in several technology, public-sector, and regulated industries.

Company size — Mid-market: Teams with 51–1,000 employees.
Company size — Enterprise: Organizations with more than 1,000 employees.
Industry — Information technology and services: A prominent area of use for centralized event and infrastructure monitoring.
Industry — Computer software: Teams use it to monitor events and support security operations.
Industry — Government administration: Use includes security monitoring and compliance work.
Industry — Telecommunications: Teams use it to monitor systems and network activity.

How long does it take to implement SolarWinds Security Event Manager across a team?

Implementation time varies with the environment and configuration work, but 1–3 months is the most common reported go-live range. Other teams describe shorter deployments or timelines extending several months.

Time to go live	Relative frequency
1–3 months	Most common
Less than 1 month	Also reported
3–6 months	Also reported
6–12 months or longer	Less common

What customer support options does SolarWinds Security Event Manager provide, and how do users find the overall support experience?

Support is available through email, chat, and phone, with 24/7 live-rep support. The experience is mixed: users appreciate helpful support when they can reach knowledgeable staff, while others report slow responses, difficulty getting assistance, or limited access to expert help in their region.

Is SolarWinds Security Event Manager considered safe and secure for handling data?

SolarWinds Security Event Manager is used to bring logs and events into a central view, helping teams spot suspicious activity such as unusual access, failed logins, and policy violations. Users also value its role in threat investigation and compliance reporting, though effective alerting can depend on careful setup and tuning, and excess or false alerts can make it harder to focus on the most important events.

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dennis s.

IT Supervisor

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

4/30/2026

"Powerful Security, Clunky Interface"

5/5

What do you like best about SolarWinds Security Event Manager?

I appreciate the powerful rich correlation controls that can be used to define rules to help identify and detect many possible suspicious events. Its great performance stands out to me as well. I like how the correlation controls link related activities across many systems, which helps us detect threats that would otherwise look harmless on their own. They also reduce alert noise and speed up incident response. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about SolarWinds Security Event Manager?

The UI can be clunky as it has many features, and this would pose challenges in navigating around. It also has a steep learning curve. Very complex to setup. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is SolarWinds Security Event Manager solving and how is that benefiting you?

I use SolarWinds Security Event Manager to monitor and correlate logs to detect suspicious activities in real time. It helps us identify threats like unauthorized access and policy violations, while also addressing compliance challenges with audit trails and reporting. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Utilities

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

11/21/2024

"Solarwinds_Siem"

3/5

What do you like best about SolarWinds Security Event Manager?

Easy to use by admins, adding devices is simple. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about SolarWinds Security Event Manager?

Licensing or commercial part is very complex. Expert level Support is very limited specially in this region. Online support is not very useful Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

AFTAB A.

IT Support Specialist

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

Originally submitted 2/21/2024

"Network Monitoring Tools Software"

4.5/5

What do you like best about SolarWinds Security Event Manager?

Solarwinds NPM provides automated networking tools to enable discovery and monitoring across network devices, including common devices like firewalls, switches, and load balancers. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about SolarWinds Security Event Manager?

The user interface is a bit confusing with a lot of functionalities in a single window. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Marina B.

Network support analyst

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

2/10/2023

"Useful and effective tool to improve detection and response to security threats"

4/5

What do you like best about SolarWinds Security Event Manager?

There are many benefits to implementing this tool in an organization.

Real-time threat detection and response.

System integration: it integrates with other security systems and solutions, allowing for more efficient management.

Process automation: automates many of the manual processes associated with detecting and responding to security threats, reducing time.

Incident management: provides a centralized platform for security incident management, facilitating coordination and resolution of security issues. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about SolarWinds Security Event Manager?

This platform may have several disadvantages, considering the following:

It is very expensive so it is not accessible to all organizations.

Its implementation and management is complex, requiring specialized technicians for its use.

It requires very specific and expensive hardware for its implementation.

The storage of the tool is limited.

And finally the integration with other tools or software is limited and very specific. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Saadat Ali K.

Telecommunication Manager

Telecommunications

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

2/4/2022

"verytool for proactive network performance monitoring, management & reporting"

3.5/5

What do you like best about SolarWinds Security Event Manager?

User friendly. Upsides is that can accommodate several accounts, IP addresses simultaneously Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about SolarWinds Security Event Manager?

User guide and help should be more precise Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Financial Services

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

1/27/2022

"Solar Winds System"

4/5

What do you like best about SolarWinds Security Event Manager?

SolarWinds offers many different features that can help improve your organization’s security posture and minimize insider threats from within the organization. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about SolarWinds Security Event Manager?

If you plan on having 1,001 to 4,000 users, then you will need 40 GB of Hard Drive space and 8 GB of RAM, which is a bit high for an old fashion office laptop Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Government Administration

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

10/21/2021

"Solarwinds is a fantastic product to keep up with your security compliance"

4.5/5

What do you like best about SolarWinds Security Event Manager?

Solarwinds security is a ready to use affordable solution, you name it from network monitoring to your device monitoring. Alerts and analysis at one clear dashboard. The event manager is easy to understand and customised suited to your specific organisation needs. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about SolarWinds Security Event Manager?

If Solarwinds can take over some essential tools like asset management, inventory, and passive scans, it might become the most successful one-stop shop of all time that everyone needs, and IT Managers will be a little worry-free. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Hospital & Health Care

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

2/16/2022

"Easy IT Ops"

5/5

What do you like best about SolarWinds Security Event Manager?

Users provisioning and de provisioning and performance issues Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about SolarWinds Security Event Manager?

I dont see any downside of the product as of now Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Recommendations to others considering SolarWinds Security Event Manager:

Solarwinds access manager is the best product and will make your life easier esp with Security Ops. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is SolarWinds Security Event Manager solving and how is that benefiting you?

Performance issues, Users onbaording and offboarding, network issues monitoring Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Jace P.

Sales Development

Computer Software

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

10/15/2021

"High quality and proficient"

5/5

What do you like best about SolarWinds Security Event Manager?

I love the load it lifted off of me as an admin. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about SolarWinds Security Event Manager?

There really wasn't anything that I really disliked about the product. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Qaisar N.

Executive - Desktop Support Engineer

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

7/29/2020

"Network Monitoring"

5/5

What do you like best about SolarWinds Security Event Manager?

it's about 7 years ago when I deploy the soler wind in our organization with the help of my senior. It has been very useful for us at that time. As far as I know, after deploying the solar wind we easily monitor the our entire network activity. Everything configured and draw a real-time map throughout the solar wind and was able to easily track/monitor all server and network points. it was great experience for us. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about SolarWinds Security Event Manager?

Still, it is a difficult decision for me to mention any dislike here because I can't find anything in the solar wind which indicates the following software decrease the repute. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.