The Best IT Asset Management Software

Deeper Dive: Our Top Tested Picks

ManageEngine AssetExplorer

Excellent Discovery and Reporting

4.5 Outstanding

Bottom Line:

ManageEngine AssetExplorer is a solid enough IT asset tracker that hits the important points for this category: excellent reporting and tracking tools along with support for both physical and virtual assets. A solid pick for Editors’ Choice.

PROS

• Cloud-hosted and browser-based.
• VM-based asset support.
• Tracks networked and non-networked assets.
• Relationship mapping.
• Familiar Windows-style user interface.

CONS

• No mobile application.
• Limited remote control tools work only for Mac and Windows-based machines.
• One module of a larger system may not suffice for smaller offices.

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MMSoft Pulseway

Great Mobile Device Support

4.5 Outstanding

Bottom Line:

MMSoft Pulseway is an excellent all-around IT toolbox, especially for midsize and larger businesses with fairly complex infrastructure and asset requirements. With a strong focus on managing mobile assets, most IT administrators would have difficulty going wrong with this Editors’ Choice.

PROS

• Powerful and easy-to-use mobile client.
• Two-factor authentication (2FA).
• Modern, intuitive user experience.
• iPad app provides access to full feature set.
• Easy connections to cloud and locally deployed physical and virtual infrastructure.

CONS

• SNMP support difficult to configure.
• Only supports Microsoft SQL Server for database monitoring.
• Limited reporting capabilities.
• Managed assets must be networked.

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Asset Panda

Good for Complex Asset Logs

4.0 Excellent

Bottom Line:

Asset Panda is a tool purpose-built for asset tracking. It combines almost total customizability with excellent support for mobile devices, reporting, and even cloud connectivity. While its more complex than many of our other contenders, its capabilities may make eating that learning curve well worthwhile for many companies.

PROS

• Free Android and iOS applications with barcode scanning
• Supports images, videos, voice recordings, and custom fields
• Low annual price
• Customizable CVS import with field mapping

CONS

• No network discovery
• No remote access to machines
• No automated software usage data
• No offline mode in the mobile app
• Data import is slow for larger data sets

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Asset Panda Review

GoCodes

No IT Geolocation and Loss Prevention

4.0 Excellent

Bottom Line:

GoCodes makes excellent use of secure QR stickers to build a fast, mobile-capable, physical asset tracking system that’s both powerful and affordable. If you’re looking to manage cloud assets, however, then you may need to keep looking.

PROS

• Easy-to-use software.
• Affordable price.
• Secure, tamper-proof physical stickers with owner information.
• Locates powered-down assets online or from mobile devices.
• Tracks any asset, even non-networked assets.

CONS

• No software usage tracking or automated detection of assets.
• Stickers limit resale potential.
• No inner device visibility.
• No uptime monitoring or notification.

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Ivanti IT Asset Management Suite

Large Enterprises With Mobile Workforces

4.0 Excellent

Bottom Line:

Ivanti IT Asset Management Suite is part of a larger network management application suite; it’s feature-rich and delivers a wide variety of custom reporting. However, small to midsize businesses (SMBs) and novice users may find it complex to use.

PROS

• Mobile and desktop workspaces.
• Easy-to-use interface for those familiar with Windows.
• Manages software licensing.
• Many tech support options.

CONS

• Setup process is hardware-heavy.
• 24/7 phone support only on some plans.
• Lengthy installation process.
• No cloud-hosted option.

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SolarWinds Web Help Desk

Helpdesk and Asset Management Integration

4.0 Excellent

Bottom Line:

A lightweight combination of helpdesk and asset management features, SolarWinds Web Help Desk lacks a few features that larger organizations will need, but makes up for it with an easy-to-use user interface and a nice price.

PROS

• Users can typically get set up in less than four hours.
• Navigating is easy, with large buttons and text.
• Scheduling reports is easy and shows a history.
• Web-hosted solution with support.

CONS

• Does not track installed licenses.
• Depreciation is not built in.
• Default report selection is lacking.

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SolarWinds Web Help Desk Review

ServiceNow

All-in-One Package With Asset Management and Helpdesk

3.5 Good

Bottom Line:

Very much an enterprise-oriented platform, ServiceNow’s feature set is almost guaranteed to tick whatever features you need. But you’ll need to face a serious learning curve and potentially a high price tag if you’re a small business just looking for a basic solution.

PROS

• Cloud-hosted.
• Tracking incidents, depreciation, and users with assets.
• Reports are sleek and customizable.
• Many support options.

CONS

• Navigation pane is complex.
• Asset discovery means higher cost.
• No on-premises option.
• Relatively high upfront cost.
• Complexity when choosing plug-ins and solutions.

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SysAid

Good Back-End Integration

3.5 Good

Bottom Line:

Asset management software SysAid offers an impressive number of network detection features for companies and its detailed changelog and focus on integrated solutions make it worth considering.

PROS

• Great asset visualization and network detection.
• Agents available for download.
• Includes help desk, Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) integration, and an HTML5 mobile browser client.

CONS

• No depreciation.
• Has an overly tabbed and sectioned user interface (UI).

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SysAid Review

BMC Track-It!

Single Pane Asset Control and Helpdesk

3.0 Average

Bottom Line:

Asset management software BMC Track-It! is a complete helpdesk software offering, including asset management and configurable modules. It’s worth considering for asset management if your business primarily uses Windows, especially for larger companies working with a consultant or vendor for setup.

PROS

• Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) integration.
• Network Detection.
• Software license management.
• Mobile app.
• Customizable views.
• Free chat support is friendly and helpful.

CONS

• Remote desktop is optional.
• Outdated and cluttered user interface (UI).
• Focuses on older versions of Windows.
• Feels like everything is a sales lead, with slow phone support response.

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InvGate Assets

Large Business Asset Control

3.0 Average

Bottom Line:

InvGate Assets has a solid feature set when it comes to IT asset management, adequately covering both hardware and software. But many folks might opt to keep looking due to a rough user interface and difficulties generating certain reports, as well as an on-site server backend requirement.

PROS

• Typically can get set up in less than four hours.
• Navigating is easy with large buttons and text.
• Alarms can quickly show problems with Assets.

CONS

• User interface could use some polishing, especially around charts.
• Text is not translated when switching languages.
• Java for the browser required for Advanced reports.Large queries may put strain on the server.

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InvGate Assets Review

Buying Guide: The Best IT Asset Management Software

What Is Asset Management?

IT asset management revolves around tracking computers and in recent years a wide variety of mobile devices — whatever notebooks, tablets, and phones the company owns and has out in the field being operated by employees. But IT also needs to track virtual assets, usually software licenses, and recently that’s become subscription-oriented task as IT administrators need to know which cloud service subscriptions are active, inactive, or in some other suspended state. However, IT isn’t the only department that needs to track its capital assets.

From copiers to trucks, most objects your company possesses need to be tracked by different facets of the business, from accounting to facilities management. Up until recently, this process was usually handled by using spreadsheets, with a manual inventory to update anytime something changed. Someone would generate the asset report for accounting purposes and, if you were lucky, your spreadsheet supported formulas and macros to make things easier.

Businesses today have more assets to manage than ever before, especially with the increase of mobile devices used in the workplace. We also have increasingly complex cloud technologies, license-based and usage-based software, and updates happening more rapidly. As average employee tenures grow shorter and more devices are mobile, companies’ data security is also a key priority. Managers and their support teams working in the field may need specialized reporting, customization, and features that aren’t readily visible to the employees assigned specific business assets. This is where today’s asset management software can help. Modern asset management systems hosted in the cloud let businesses manage assets without the cost and maintenance of owning a server.

The first thing to consider when narrowing down your asset management application options is figuring out exactly which assets you need to track. or example, you might need to track real estate assets across not only each individual property organization but an umbrella holding company as well. Or you could be looking to manage a large number of vehicles as part of a fleet management operation.

Think specifically about the assets that cost your company money, especially those that depreciate over time. Do you have a mobile device lab or a number of traveling employees who have company phones you need to track? If you are primarily dealing with servers, desktop, and laptop computers, do you also need to manage your software licenses, updates, and ensure efficient distribution of those licenses? Once you’ve identified the problem to solve, you can select the asset management system that delivers the best value in the long term.

There are two main groupings of cloud-hosted asset management systems to consider. Some solutions are part of an overall IT help desk solution. This first class of products may integrate with support tickets, provide end-user portals, and act as a module in a larger solution aimed at supporting company staff and technologies. The second class of products is specialized software aimed at solving a business problem that goes beyond IT support but allowing for asset management as well.

IT Help Desk Plus Asset Management

Asset Panda, BMC Track-It!, and SysAid are all examples of comprehensive IT helpdesk solutions that also allow for asset management. When it comes to tracking networked computers, you need to consider which platforms you will use in tracking your assets and also the platforms the administrators and IT professionals will use to assign assets, perform inventory, and run the reports. Some tools include network detection via scanning while others use spreadsheet import or manual entry. Other use agents like the open application programming interface (API) in Asset Panda; in others you can edit after scanning label codes, like in GoCodes.

It is important to consider what makes sense for your budget. Management tools are available at several price levels. Do you want a one-time purchase or a monthly subscription for support? Not all tools can handle the same number of assets so there is no sense in paying for more capacity than you need. Purchasing a bulk number of assets and user accounts for the year can qualify you for additional discounts in some solutions, such as GoCodes. Others, like Asset Panda, offer flat-rate discounts and specials as limited-time offers to help teams get started.

While each asset management solution I reviewed is capable of tracking your computer systems, they vary widely in their strengths. Your priorities will dictate which is right for your company. If security is a top priority, then which kind of security appeals to you? Specifically, do you want to prevent theft as your top priority? GoCodes offers a physically trackable, tamper-proof sticker system which both marks the asset and lets you find it in real time based on geolocation. The physical ability to apply the sticker means there are few limits on what you can track.

However, it does not tell you any details regarding what software licenses are installed on that stickered laptop, what version it is running, or how often it has been used. You could use a different asset management system for a more detailed notification when a specific app is launched, but if you have a custom piece of machinery not represented on your network, then you have no way to track that item. Our Editors’ Choice MMSoft Pulseway offers security by requiring two-factor authentication (2FA) with encryption from mobile devices. By limiting entered assets to networked devices, ghost machines are quickly dealt with. To get such detailed and timely updates, you give up some flexibility; for real-time accuracy you can’t manually add assets if they are not networked in some way.

What Are You Tracking?

Is the real-time status of your servers, cloud environments, or websites more important than physically tracking your assets? If current networked status is more important than geolocating a physical device, then MMSoft Pulseway could be a good investment despite the higher cost. If you consider the relief of an employee’s ability to remote in to network devices from anywhere, then the reliability gains and happiness of your support staff could make the higher price irrelevant when you factor in possible lost productivity. Ease of use might be most important to you, depending on the technical capability of those setting up the tools. If you have savvy IT pros and even a few developers on staff, then some of the solutions offer APIs with their asset management platform, making it easily customizable for programmers. Do you have non-networked computer assets? If so, then a key feature for you might be the ability to add assets by using means other than network detection agents.

BMC Track-It! and SysAid are examples of customizable systems that might be a good fit because they do offer customization and APIs; other systems are configurable without any coding. This means the best value for your company is going to depend on the assets you are tracking and on the capability of the people you have working for you. It will also depend on their availability to customize the product and perform setup. Asset Panda offers support at all purchase levels, giving smaller businesses the answers they need. Asset Panda is in between a solution nearly anyone can use (like GoCodes) and a system where you might need coding ability to take full advantage of the available features.

Some of the systems are easier to use because their sole purpose is asset management. MMSoft Pulseway was the easiest overall setup we tried. GoCodes is extremely simple to use, but consider that you need to remember to apply and scan in the stickers. You must have the stickers applied in order to track the assets. Provide a checklist and your training staff can do this. SysAid and BMC Track-It! are fully featured helpdesk support tools, each including a user-facing portal for reporting and tracking helpdesk tickets. The user interfaces (UIs) are more complicated, though, involving nesting concepts that make it harder to see all of your assets in one view. A fully integrated helpdesk system to complement your asset management might be worth the tradeoff of a simplified UI for your business.

Investing in the Right Tool

With any investment, the initial cost and the costs to customize (if needed) and train your staff are considerations. You want to be sure you not only purchase the right software, but that you also have the level of support you need. For some groups, a tutorial video will be enough. Other teams may need full classroom training. Those doing deep customization and using the APIs might need live developer support. For other groups, the API documentation along with user forums could be enough.

A major consideration with regard to the return on your investment in asset management software is how much time you will save at each stage of the process. How much time is needed to enter new assets or import existing assets, and add them to your inventory? Then there is the time you save by using notifications to detect outages and respond quickly to issues occuring once your servers are live.

Reporting, depreciation, and exporting must also be considered, including compatibility with your specific accounting needs. Select the best asset management tool for your company by comparing prices, features, and the possible time savings of having your asset data in one place. Once you have identified the cloud-hosted solutions with the best fit for your priorities, try them on your own devices before making a final decision.

The savings, in both time and money, to purchase and host an asset management system may have been prohibitive in the past. Yet, because of lower prices and the advanced feature complexity offered by older solutions, as well as newer, more automated solutions, asset management has changed. The flexibility, low upfront cost, and shorter commitment are worth giving Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) asset management tools a fresh look.