Cacti Support & Consulting Services — Urban-Software.de
Professional Cacti Support & Consulting
Guaranteed-SLA support for Cacti network monitoring from a specialist who knows the platform at source level. Retainers from €750/month. Evening and weekend availability. No generic IT consultants — just deep Cacti expertise.
Thomas Urban ·
Active Cacti plugin developer ·
github.com/thurban ·
Kressbronn am Bodensee, Germany ·
VAT-ID: DE301912908 ·
info@urban-software.com
The Cacti Expert on Call When You Need One
Cacti is powerful — and technically demanding. When your poller slows down, graphs stop rendering, or an upgrade goes wrong at 22:00 on a Friday, you need someone who knows the platform deeply, not someone reading documentation for the first time.
Urban-Software.de provides dedicated Cacti support under a monthly retainer model. You get a fixed block of hours, a guaranteed response SLA, and direct access to Thomas Urban — the developer behind the Cereus plugin ecosystem and an active contributor to the Cacti community.
No ticketing queues. No junior staff. No offshore handoffs. You get the person who wrote the plugins you’re running.
What clients typically contact us for:
- Poller performance degradation at scale
- Cacti version upgrades (1.2.x → 1.3.x)
- RRD file corruption and data recovery
- Custom SNMP data source templates
- Plugin installation, configuration, and debugging
- MySQL InnoDB tuning for large installations
- Backup strategy and disaster recovery planning
- Staff training and knowledge transfer
Why Urban-Software.de
Cacti-Exclusive Expertise
No generalists. Urban-Software.de works exclusively with Cacti. Deep source-level knowledge, active plugin development, and a community presence that is verifiable at github.com/thurban and forums.cacti.net.
Written SLA Commitment
Response time commitments in writing — not “we’ll get back to you”. SLAs range from 48 hours (Starter) to 6 hours (Enterprise), measured from ticket receipt within the availability window.
German Vendor
German-language support available. German invoicing with proper VAT handling. GDPR-compliant practices. A verifiable legal entity (VAT-ID: DE301912908) — not an anonymous online profile.
Direct Access
You always work with Thomas Urban directly. No account managers, no escalation chains, no junior engineers learning on your production system.
Transparent Hour Tracking
Monthly hour log attached to every invoice. You always know how many hours were used, what they were used for, and how many remain. No billing surprises.
Plugin Developer Advantage
The Cereus plugin ecosystem — IPAM, multi-channel alerting, REST API, data export, Grafana integration — means you get support from the person who built the tools, not someone reading the docs.
Support Tiers
All tiers include direct access to Thomas Urban. All prices exclude VAT. Support is provided during evening and weekend hours (Mon–Fri from 17:00 CET/CEST; Sat–Sun all day).
| Feature | Starter €750/month | Standard €1,500/month | Professional €2,800/month | Enterprise €5,200/month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Included Hours | 5 h/month | 10 h/month | 20 h/month | 40 h/month |
| Effective Rate | €150/h | €150/h | €140/h | €130/h |
| Response SLA | Within 48 h | Within 24 h | Within 12 h | Within 6 h |
| Additional Hours | €150/h | €150/h | €150/h | €150/h |
| Monthly Hour Report | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Cereus Plugin Licence Discount | 10% | 20% | 20% | 20% |
| Best For | Small IT teams | ISPs, mid-market IT | MSPs, growing orgs | Data centres, large ISPs |
Note: Support is provided during evening and weekend hours: Mon–Fri from 17:00 CET/CEST, and Sat–Sun all day. SLA response times are measured from ticket receipt within these windows. Daytime emergency intervention (09:00–17:00 CET/CEST) available on request at +50% surcharge (€225/h).
Optional Add-On: Weekly Check-in Meeting — €299/month
A fixed 30-minute weekly video or phone call — available as an add-on to any support tier. Agenda: open tickets, completed work, upcoming changes, and planning. A written summary is provided after each session. Approximately 4 sessions per month, flat monthly rate regardless of weeks in the month.
What Your Retainer Hours Cover
- Cacti installation, initial setup, and configuration
- Version upgrades (0.8.x → 1.2.x and future releases)
- Poller performance tuning (Spine, cmd.php, MySQL InnoDB)
- RRDtool optimization and data file management
- Data source template design and SNMP walk analysis
- Graph template and aggregate graph design
- Threshold and alerting configuration (Thold plugin)
- Plugin installation, configuration, and debugging
- Cereus ecosystem: IPAM, MCAP, REST API, Data Export
- CereusTransporter: Cacti → Grafana / InfluxDB / TimeSeries integration
- Custom plugin development and modification
- Automation scripting and API integration
- Security hardening and backup strategy
- Staff training and knowledge transfer sessions
Project & Ad-Hoc Rates
Need a one-off project without a retainer? These rates apply to fixed-scope and time & materials engagements.
| Service | Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Standard hourly rate | €150/h | Evening & weekend hours |
| Daytime emergency rate | €225/h | Mon–Fri 09:00–17:00 CET/CEST, on request, min. 1 hour |
| Greenfield setup / deployment | from €1,500 | New Cacti installation, full configuration |
| Version migration (0.8.x → 1.2.x) | €1,500–€4,500 | Complexity-dependent; includes test run and rollback plan |
| Custom plugin development | from €2,500 | Per plugin, specification-dependent |
| Team training workshop (half-day) | €1,200 | 4 hours, up to 8 attendees, remote or on-site |
| Architecture review | €800–€1,500 | Written report + 2-hour debrief call |
How It Works
Free Consultation
30-minute call to understand your Cacti environment, pain points, and requirements. No commitment.
Proposal & Agreement
Receive a tailored proposal with recommended tier, scope, and pricing. Sign the MSA and SOW — typically within 24 hours.
Kick-off & Access
30-minute kick-off call. Provision SSH and Cacti access. Environment baseline assessment completed within the first week.
Ongoing Support
Submit tickets by email. Monthly invoice with hour log. Adjust tier up or down with 30 days’ notice.
Who We Work With
ISPs & Telecoms
Running Cacti to monitor hundreds or thousands of interfaces. Typical need: upgrade path clarity, poller performance at scale, SNMP template gaps.
MSPs & NOC Teams
Need a Cacti specialist to escalate to or sub-contract monitoring work. White-label retainer arrangements available.
Enterprise IT & Universities
Internal Cacti installation set up years ago. Original admin has left. Nobody on the team has the depth to maintain and evolve it confidently.
Frequently Asked Questions
When are you available?
Support is provided Monday–Friday from 17:00 CET/CEST, and Saturday–Sunday all day. This reflects my availability outside of a separate full-time professional commitment. Daytime emergency intervention (09:00–17:00 CET/CEST) is available on request at +50% surcharge (€225/h).
Do unused retainer hours roll over?
No. Unused hours in a given month do not roll over. The monthly fee represents the cost of guaranteed availability — whether or not all hours are used. This is standard practice for dedicated support retainers.
Can I start with a project and move to a retainer later?
Yes. Many clients start with a fixed-price project (e.g. a Cacti upgrade or performance overhaul) and transition to a retainer for ongoing support once the initial work is complete.
Do you support Cacti versions older than 1.2.x?
Yes, though I will typically recommend a migration path to a supported version. Legacy 0.8.x installations can be assessed on request.
Can you help with Cacti plugins not developed by Urban-Software.de?
Yes. Third-party plugins (Thold, Weathermap, Syslog, Monitor, etc.) are within scope. Custom and in-house plugins can also be reviewed and debugged.
Do you sign NDAs and MSAs?
Yes. A standard NDA and Master Services Agreement are available and can be signed before any access is provisioned. Your environment details remain confidential.
Is support available in German?
Yes. Communication can be in German or English — your preference.
Start with a Free 30-Minute Consultation
Tell us about your Cacti environment. No commitment — just a direct conversation about what you need and whether we’re the right fit.