ManageEngine AssetExplorer vs. KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

You definitely only want to buy this product if you have the need. I'd say that need starts at about 40 assets. Less than that and you may be wasting your time with a a product that is overkill. We use it for about 1000 assets and it is a lifesaver. I couldn't imagine managing the assets manually.

Incentivized

I think it has added value for any organization. It reduced our Tech Support cost by: -Supporting users anywhere -Reducing users downtime as well keep them informed with the status of their tickets -Managing software and hardware actively -Processing automation -deploy mass software installs, patching or updates - Provide approved software's to users to install without IT help

Incentivized

• Purchase Order Module is done reasonably well in order to build an intelligence database on vendors.
• The network scan is useful to get up and running on getting existing equipment and software into the database.
• Notifications concerning when subscriptions or contracts expire.
• Vendor Database - Being able to keep track of all vendor information and uploading documentation such as contracts which can be found easily.

Incentivized

• Helpdesk ticketing, the software allows not only the building of a portal that the users can log into to submit the tickets, but it also allows them to generate a ticket via email, which is a huge successful implementation that we have had.
• Live inventory tracking. With an agent installed on a PC, as long as we maintain the data, it can report back information that is crucial to the machine.
• Web portal makes for easy maintenance and implementation of the software and updates.

Incentivized

• To my knowledge, there is not a mobile application.
• The web interface could look a bit more polished, but this is really a minor area of improvement.

Incentivized

• Administrative interface can be slow at times, and does require some decent PC specifications to run adequately.
• The cost of the KACE solution can be very expensive depending on how many agents you plan to deploy
• There is a learning curve in order to master KACE's capabilities - however Quest does provide lots of resources to dig into. It is not as intuitive as it could be.

Incentivized

Overall, the software is simple to understand and use. That said, most vendors have been slowly updating their user interfaces to HTML5 so that they have a clean updated look and feel. This is where KACE falls short in that the UI is great for a packaged software 10 years ago. This isn't a major limitation as the software is really meant primarily for technology users.

Incentivized

It is not a perfect solution. I don't believe it is the best software for some of the components it offers but I do like and appreciate what it does offer. It offers complexity and a range of features for a company to take advantage of if planned and implemented properly.

Incentivized

KACE does exactly what you need it to do, it maintains your computer environment. You can set patch schedules, inventory computers, setup software catalogs; basically everything you need to ensure the computers on your network are being actively managed. This is all with little need for constant configuration or updating the setup.

Incentivized

I cannot remember the names of different software I evaluated in comparison at the time but I do remember Manage Engine AssetExplorer offering more useful features and the P.O module also being a diamond of a find.

Incentivized

For our size organization, KACE offered a more complete solution that was easier to understand and deploy when compared to Ivanti. It was also more affordable to get the features we wanted. Ivanti might be more appropriate in a larger environment. You would definitely need someone that was primarily dedicated to run behind Ivanti.

Incentivized

• This tool reduces much of the human hours used to go get detailed information, so it has paid itself.
• Limits the number of assets but you can extend it.
• This software avoids equipment losses since they are assigned to users and it is controlled.
• You can calculate depreciation and avoid the wrong investment.

Incentivized

• The time savings on Windows patching through the KACE SMA alone has helped us in saving hundreds of technician hours.
• Ticket tracking through the KACE SMA has reduced the amount of calls to our helpdesk asking about the status of a ticket.
• The tracking of licensed software through the KACE SMA has kept us in compliance and saved time from having to run around and look to see where the software is installed.

Incentivized