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  1. Home
  2. /
  3. SolarWinds Security Event Manager (SEM)
Logo of SolarWinds Security Event Manager (SEM)

SolarWinds Security Event Manager (SEM)

bySolarWinds
in
4.2
Market Presence: Security Information and Event Management, Removable Media Security

Overview

Product Information on SolarWinds Security Event Manager (SEM)

Updated 13th October 2025

What is SolarWinds Security Event Manager (SEM)?

SolarWinds Security Event Manager is a software designed to assist organizations with security information and event management by collecting, analyzing, and correlating log data from various sources within an IT infrastructure. The software provides real-time monitoring and automated responses to security incidents, helping detect suspicious activity and enforce compliance requirements. It features centralized log collection, event correlation, and customizable alerting to streamline the identification of threats. The software enables organizations to respond to potential security breaches by automating workflows and providing comprehensive reporting. SolarWinds Security Event Manager supports auditing processes and assists with maintaining regulatory compliance across networks, servers, and applications, addressing the need for visibility and control over IT security events.

SolarWinds Security Event Manager (SEM) Pricing

SolarWinds Security Event Manager software uses a subscription-based pricing model, with costs varying based on the number of log sources and the length of license term selected. The software offers tiered packages that typically include annual licenses, support, and updates, with pricing adjusted depending on deployment scale and feature requirements.

Overall experience with SolarWinds Security Event Manager (SEM)

It Associate
50M - 250M USD, Consumer Goods
FAVORABLE

“Centralized monitoring with excellent real-time visibility and fast response times!”

4.0
Jul 21, 2026
This text serves as a placeholder and does not reflect the user’s review responses or opinions. This text serves as a placeholder and does not reflect the user’s review responses or opinions. This text serves as a placeholder and does not reflect the user’s review responses or opinions.
Automated Translation from German
It Security & Risk Management Associate
500M - 1B USD, IT Services
CRITICAL

“Event Centralization Is Strong But Workflow Smoothness Lags Behind Newer Tools”

3.0
Apr 1, 2026
This text serves as a placeholder and does not reflect the user’s review responses or opinions. This text serves as a placeholder and does not reflect the user’s review responses or opinions. This text serves as a placeholder and does not reflect the user’s review responses or opinions.

About Company

Company Description

Updated 25th July 2024

SolarWinds (NYSE:SWI) provides simple, powerful, secure observability and IT management software built to enable customers to accelerate their digital transformation. Our solutions provide organizations worldwide—regardless of type, size, or complexity—with a comprehensive and unified view of today’s modern, distributed, and hybrid environments. We continuously engage with IT service and operations professionals, DevOps and SecOps professionals, and database administrators (DBAs) to understand the challenges they face in maintaining high-performing and highly available hybrid IT infrastructures, applications, and environments. The insights we gain from them, in places like our THWACK community, help us to address customers’ needs in solutions for observability, IT service management, application performance, and database management now and in the future.

Company Details

Updated 26th February 2025
Company type
Public
Year Founded
1999
Head office location
Austin, United States
Number of employees
1001 - 5000
Annual Revenue
500M-1B USD
Website
http://www.solarwinds.com

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Key Insights

A Snapshot of What Matters - Based on Validated User Reviews

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Peer Discussions

SolarWinds Security Event Manager (SEM) Reviews and Ratings

4.2

(329 Ratings)

Rating Distribution

5 Star
39%
4 Star
45%
3 Star
14%
2 Star
3%
1 Star
0%
Why ratings and reviews count differ?
  • It Associate
    50M-1B USD
    Consumer Goods
    Review Source

    Centralized monitoring with excellent real-time visibility and fast response times!

    4.0
    Jul 21, 2026
    Our primary goal in implementing SolarWinds Security Event Manager was to maximize transparency across our heterogeneous IT infrastructure, comprising approximately 300 devices (including routers, switches, and Cisco firewalls). We wanted to monitor security and network incidents centrally and in real time to minimize downtime. We have fully achieved this goal. Live error messages are visualized on a dedicated 24/7 monitor directly within the IT staff's line of sight. This allows the team to see critical events immediately without delay and react extremely quickly. Combined with the deep forensic search capabilities, our administrators can rapidly reconstruct incidents, if they aren't already resolved automatically. The troubleshooting time has been noticeably reduced, significantly increasing our IT efficiency in daily operations. The investment paid for itself within the first year through the avoided downtime.
    Automated Translation from German
  • It Associate
    50M-1B USD
    Consumer Goods
    Review Source

    Centralized monitoring with excellent real-time visibility and fast response times!

    4.0
    Jul 21, 2026
    Our primary goal in implementing SolarWinds Security Event Manager was to maximize transparency across our heterogeneous IT infrastructure, comprising approximately 300 devices (including routers, switches, and Cisco firewalls). We wanted to monitor security and network incidents centrally and in real time to minimize downtime. We have fully achieved this goal. Live error messages are visualized on a dedicated 24/7 monitor directly within the IT staff's line of sight. This allows the team to see critical events immediately without delay and react extremely quickly. Combined with the deep forensic search capabilities, our administrators can rapidly reconstruct incidents, if they aren't already resolved automatically. The troubleshooting time has been noticeably reduced, significantly increasing our IT efficiency in daily operations. The investment paid for itself within the first year through the avoided downtime.
    Automated Translation from German
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Recommended Gartner Insights

  • Critical Capabilities for Security Information and Event Management
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User Sentiment About SolarWinds Security Event Manager (SEM)
Reviewer Insights for: SolarWinds Security Event Manager (SEM)
Deciding Factors: SolarWinds Security Event Manager (SEM) Vs. Market Average
Performance of SolarWinds Security Event Manager (SEM) Across Market Features

SolarWinds Security Event Manager (SEM) Likes & Dislikes

Like

The system's ease of implementation is a particularly positive aspect. Deployment via VM templates for common hypervisors is straightforward, and connecting Cisco firewalls and network devices via credentials worked flawlessly. During operation, the system offers the ability to automatically take countermeasures in response to predefined security incidents, such as terminating suspicious processes, disconnecting USB devices, or blocking IP addresses. This provides real added value for our IT security. Furthermore, we were impressed by the excellent support and the active community. During the initial setup, the technical support team responded extremely quickly and offered targeted solutions. Overall, this product offers a very high degree of flexibility and future-proof design thanks to its encrypted data transmission, LDAP integration, and the flexible choice between self-hosted and SaaS options.

Automated Translation from German
Like

The system's ease of implementation is a particularly positive aspect. Deployment via VM templates for common hypervisors is straightforward, and connecting Cisco firewalls and network devices via credentials worked flawlessly. During operation, the system offers the ability to automatically take countermeasures in response to predefined security incidents, such as terminating suspicious processes, disconnecting USB devices, or blocking IP addresses. This provides real added value for our IT security. Furthermore, we were impressed by the excellent support and the active community. During the initial setup, the technical support team responded extremely quickly and offered targeted solutions. Overall, this product offers a very high degree of flexibility and future-proof design thanks to its encrypted data transmission, LDAP integration, and the flexible choice between self-hosted and SaaS options.

Automated Translation from German
Like

The system's ease of implementation is a particularly positive aspect. Deployment via VM templates for common hypervisors is straightforward, and connecting Cisco firewalls and network devices via credentials worked flawlessly. During operation, the system offers the ability to automatically take countermeasures in response to predefined security incidents, such as terminating suspicious processes, disconnecting USB devices, or blocking IP addresses. This provides real added value for our IT security. Furthermore, we were impressed by the excellent support and the active community. During the initial setup, the technical support team responded extremely quickly and offered targeted solutions. Overall, this product offers a very high degree of flexibility and future-proof design thanks to its encrypted data transmission, LDAP integration, and the flexible choice between self-hosted and SaaS options.

Automated Translation from German
Dislike

The part I like least is that it can feel dated. Once you have worked with newer security tools, you start to notice that the interface and some workflows are not as smooth as they could be. It also takes effort to tune things properly, otherwise you can end up with more noise than value. It's not a bad product, but it definitely shows its age in some areas.

Dislike

The part I like least is that it can feel dated. Once you have worked with newer security tools, you start to notice that the interface and some workflows are not as smooth as they could be. It also takes effort to tune things properly, otherwise you can end up with more noise than value. It's not a bad product, but it definitely shows its age in some areas.

Dislike

The part I like least is that it can feel dated. Once you have worked with newer security tools, you start to notice that the interface and some workflows are not as smooth as they could be. It also takes effort to tune things properly, otherwise you can end up with more noise than value. It's not a bad product, but it definitely shows its age in some areas.