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Asset Management Software for Keeping track of all Computers, Servers, Devices in your Company

best asset management software and tools

Marc Wilson UPDATED: October 27, 2023

Businesses rely on IT for almost all aspects of their daily operations and functions.

From wireless access points, workstations, mobiles, printers, to software and middle-ware.

Maintaining control of a complex and dynamic IT environment can be quite overwhelming, and requires a particular set of skills and tools.

The right IT asset management ITAM software can help automate tedious processes, keep track of every asset through detailed inventories, and even deal with non-IT resources like licenses, warranties, and even contracts.

Here is our list of the best IT asset management tools:

  1. SolarWinds Service Desk – FREE TRIAL A complete Service Desk package from Help Desk system through to support team management facilities. Installs on Windows Server. Get a 30-day free trial.
  2. ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus – FREE TRIAL Built to ITIL guidelines, this package covers all aspects of ITAM, including system audits. Available as a cloud service or for installation on Windows Server or Linux. Access the 30-day free trial.
  3. SuperOps – FREE TRIAL This SaaS platform includes all of the tools needed to monitor and manage all assets on a remote site, including endpoints and network devices. Get 21-day free trial.
  4. Heimdal Security – FREE TRIAL offers asset management and patch management tools to safeguard assets from cyber threats, preventing vulnerabilities and detecting malware and phishing attacks. Start a 30-day free trial.
  5. SecPod SanerNow Asset Management – FREE TRIAL A cloud platform that provides secure software and system management tools, such as its asset management module. Start a 30-day free trial.
  6. ManageEngine AssetExplorer – FREE TRIAL Documents and tracks hardware and software and tracks service life for all assets. Installs on Windows Server. Start a 30-day free trial.
  7. Spiceworks IT Asset Management Part of Spiceworks Inventory, this free asset tracking tool is available as a cloud service or for on-premises installation on Windows and Windows Server.
  8. LanSweeper This tool scans, identifies, documents, and tracks hardware and software assets. Installs on Windows and Windows Server.
  9. Kaseya VSA Tailored to managed service providers, this package of monitoring tools traces all assets and logs them. This is a cloud-based service.
  10. SysAid ITSM, Service Desk, and Help Desk systems built to ITIL guidelines and offered as a cloud service.
  11. Network Inventory Advisor A Windows-based system that tracks down, documents, and monitors IT assets.
  12. Open-AudIT by FirstWave A assert discovery and tracking system that includes configuration management functions. Available for Windows Server and Linux.

Why is Asset Management Software Important?

IT Asset Management (ITAM) is a set of technologies and methodologies that help support IT asset life-cycle management and smart decision-making within an IT environment.

Some of these methodologies include scanning, inventorying, license management, reporting, and more.

The ITAM software is usually designed around the idea of helping manage assets throughout all their life-cycle phases:

  1. Plan
  2. Develop/Acquire
  3. Deploy
  4. Usage
  5. Maintain/Upgrade
  6. Decommission/Retire

IT Asset Management has always been performed through lists and spreadsheets, but this becomes a near-impossible task in today's complex IT environments.

ITAM software helps the IT manager automate all of these processes, so the manager can focus on improving, maximizing every resource, and reducing risks.

The software can also help maximize business expenses by identifying underutilized resources and optimizing their usage.

The solution can also prevent downtime by keeping track of licenses and their End-Of-Life (EOL).

Some ITAM solutions also come with automation capabilities. They can automate scans, processes, and tasks, updates, and more.

The Best Asset Management Software & Tools of 2021:

1. SolarWinds Service Desk – FREE TRIAL

SolarWinds Service Desk

SolarWinds Service Desk, formerly known as Samanage Service Platform, is a popular web-based ITSM and service desk for managing IT assets and employee services.

Key ITAM Features

  • IT asset lifecycle management
  • Asset Consolidation
  • License monitoring
  • Mange warranties
  • Automation
  • Reporting

The single and unified service desk solution provides a way to manage and communicate with employees in an organization through its ticketing system or self-service portal.

The software also comes with powerful IT asset management (ITAM) capabilities.

With SolarWinds Service Desk, you can see and manage all your assets at different stages of their lifecycle from a single place. Knowing about the life of your resources can help you avoid downtime due to EOL (End-of-Life) licenses and plan for capacity. You can also use SolarWinds Service Desk to correlate licenses to ensure you get what you buy, and even manage warranties.

You can improve your service desk or asset management solution by integrating the software with over +200 cloud applications such as NMAP, Dropbox, Azure, Jira, Okta, Slack, and more.

Pros:

  • A simple layout makes management easy, even at scale
  • An on-premise tool, good option for organizations who do not want a cloud solution
  • Can track time entries, as well as SLA performance for helpdesk teams
  • Proactive alerts can notify staff when SLAs are in danger of being breached

Cons:

  • Better suited for Windows Server enviroments

FREE Trial available! Get a fully functional 30-day free trial of SolarWinds Service Desk and start managing all your assets.

SolarWinds Service Desk Start a 30-day FREE Trial

2. ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus w/ Asset Management – FREE TRIAL

service desk manageengine

ServiceDesk Plus gives you the option to purchase the Asset Management portion of the software that gives you the capabilities to manage, track and scan for new assets in your environment.

Key Features

  • Scan Networks for Hardware and Software
  • Scan VM's as well!
  • Build and Manage inventory for IT and Non-IT assets
  • Manage Software and Hardware relationships
  • Software Compliance
  • and much more!
  • Start a 30-day free trial

asset management cycle

Pros:

  • Robust all-in-one tool for managing client contracts, maintenance requests, and other ancillary services MSPs normally offer
  • Automatic asset discovery helps keep NOC teams informed of scope and new devices that are added to the network
  • Cross-platform support work with Windows or Linux server distros
  • Available for on-premise deployment as well as a SaaS

Cons:

  • ManageEngine offers a range of services and products that can take time to fully explore and utilize

 

Start with a 30-day free trial.

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus w/ Asset Management Start a 30-day FREE Trial

3. SuperOps – FREE TRIAL

SuperOps_AI RMM

SuperOps is a cloud platform that provides remote monitoring and management (RMM) tools for managing IT assets. The system is a subscription service that is available in four plans that also provide professional services automation (PSA) system that enable managed service providers to run their businesses. These include a ticketing system that enables users to communicate problems with their equipment.

Key Features

  • An RMM package that can be used by MSPs and IT departments
  • Additional PSA services for MSPs
  • IT assets inventories for hardware and software
  • Automated monitoring with alerts
  • Endpoint management for hardware and software
  • Automated patch management
  • A system documentation framework

The network device and endpoint monitoring system includes a series of performance thresholds. When one of these thresholds is tripped, the SuperOps package triggers an alert. The alerting mechanism enables automated monitoring because technicians don’t have to pay any attention to the SuperOps console unless a problem arises.

Endpoint management tools in the package include software license management and a patch manager. The patching system is able to operate unattended and it will patch the Windows and macOS operating systems as well as software packages. The system provides completion status reports.

Pros:

  • Asset discovery and documentation
  • Hardware and software inventories
  • Automated system monitoring
  • A hosted system with storage for metrics included
  • Opportunities for manual performance analysis

Cons:

  • No on-premises version

The SuperOps plans that include the RMM package are: Standard RMM-only for $79 per technician per month, Pro for $99 per technician per month, and Super for $129 per technician per month. These rates apply to the annual payment plan. Get a 21-day free trial to assess the SuperOps SaaS platform.

SuperOps Start a 30-day FREE Trial

4. Heimdal Security – FREE TRIAL

Heimdal Patch and Assets Management

Heimdal Security, a favored endpoint security solution amongst sysadmins, facilitates asset management to thwart potential cyber threats.

Key Features

  • Endpoint security solution
  • Asset management capabilities
  • Real-time threat detection
  • Patch management automation
  • User behavior tracking

Asset management is a key feature in Heimdal Security that identifies and manages network devices and software apps with ease.

Heimdal Security's asset management tools track user behavior and identify suspicious activity or potential security threats. Upon detection, real-time alerts and notifications enable quick action to prevent security incidents.

Pros:

  • Unified security and asset management
  • Proactive ransomware protection
  • Robust compliance reporting capabilities
  • Secure remote access to support infrastructure and endpoints

Cons:

  • Can take time to fully explore all features of the platform

Heimdal Security is a valuable security tool for sysadmins looking to unify their network security and asset management. Its asset management capabilities keep the network up-to-date with security patches and updates, ensuring protection from potential cyber threats. Start with a 30-day free trial.

Heimdal Security Start a 30-day FREE Trial

5. SecPod SanerNow Asset Management – FREE TRIAL

SecPod Saner Now VM Devices and Assets

SecPod SanerNow Asset Management is a cloud-based cyber-hygiene platform that offers system management tools and security protection for endpoints. The Asset Manager module is the central repository of gathered system information and it is constantly updated.

Key Features

  • Automatically created and constantly updated
  • Manages an asset inventor and a software inventory
  • Records software license usage
  • Documents a system for constant availability monitoring
  • Highlights poor setup that creates system vulnerabilities
  • Supports data privacy standards compliance
  • Blacklist and Whitelist applications

The SecPod SanerNow Asset Management offers real-time sweeps of all your network to monitor all of its endpoints for complete visibility. This service is a vulnerability scanner that draws from a database of over 130,000 patches and firmware updates. As a basis of its actions, the scanner logs all of the endpoints that it discovers on the network and passes that information to the Asset Manager.

The Vulnerability Manager is able to scan devices running Windows, macOS, and Linux. After checking on the physical properties of each device, it examines the operating system, noting versions, and settings. All of these pieces of information get written to the Asset Inventory. The scanner then goes on to check on all of the software packages installed on each device and the results of that examination go to the Asset Manager for the creation of a Software Inventory.

The vulnerability scan frequency can be set by the administrator with a 5-minute cycle possible. Each pass updates the asset and software inventories.

Pros:

  • Offers ITAM capabilities through a SaaS product, making it easier to deploy than on-premise solutions
  • Features cross-platform support for Windows, Mac, and Linux
  • Can automate asset tracking, great for MSPs who bill by the device
  • Can scan for vulnerabilities, make it a hybrid security solution

Cons:

  • Better suited for larger environments

The SecPod SanerNow Asset Management package is charged for by subscription. However, SecPod doesn’t publish is price list. For more information on pricing, request a quote. Get a fully functional 30-day free trial of SanerNow to fully assess the platform.

SecPod SanerNow Asset Management Start a 30-day FREE Trial

6. ManageEngine AssetExplorer – FREE TRIAL

ManageEngine Asset Explorer

ManageEngine AssetExplorer is a web-based ITAM software that monitors and manages assets in an IT environment.

Key Features

  • Manage and monitor the entire IT asset life-cycle
  • Discover assets in the network
  • Manage and monitor software/hardware
  • Ensure software license compliance
  • Configuration management
  • Purchase order management

It is considered one of the best for enterprise networks. It lets you manage the entire life cycle for a large number of assets, from procurement, deploy/discover, maintain, support, to retirement.

AssetExplorer comes with robust discovery mechanisms that find IT assets and create a detailed inventory from the results. The tool allows you to manage software, hardware, and licenses, within the inventory, all from a single interface. You can also manage non-IT assets and other components, such as track POs (Purchase Orders), contracts, and costs.

With the AssetExplorer, you can find areas in the organization where you can optimize expenditures, by enforcing policies or eliminating unnecessary assets.

Pros:

  • Purely an ITAM tool, no other software of features bundled with it
  • Can track customer data such as purchase orders, contact information, and ongoing contracts
  • The free version supports 25 devices
  • Great for MSPs looking to centralize their customer management

Cons:

  • Accessible via web-browser, but doesn’t offer a cloud-based deployment
  • Not a great option you’re in the market for a more bundled tool

FREE version available. For more information on pricing, request a quote.

AssetExplorer is available in three different editions:

  • Free version
  • Free 30-Day Fully Functional Trial
  • Professional

Get a fully functional 30-day free trial of ManageEngine AssetExplorer with all features.

ManageEngine AssetExplorer Start a 30-day FREE Trial

7. Spiceworks IT Asset Management (Best Free)

Spiceworks IT AssetManagement

Spiceworks IT Asset Management is a free ITAM software that allows you to scan, discover, and create inventories of your IT environment.

You can also obtain information from your resources and services deployed in the cloud.

Key Features

  • Inventory Hardware
  • Track and update software
  • Keep track of software and volume licenses
  • Generate detailed reports

The functionality of the tool can be extended through integrations. You can integrate other Spiceworks tools such as the Help Desk, Network Monitoring, Connectivity Dashboard, and more.

Spiceworks starts by running automatic scans and collecting detailed information. It then creates an inventory of all your network devices, including routers, switches, VoIP phones, workstations, etc.

From this inventory, you can manage your network, including software licensing. Finally, you can create custom reports that show all the information collected by Spiceworks, from help desk tickets, the complete IT asset inventory, to network metrics.

Pros:

  • Completely free cloud-based helpdesk tool
  • Great functionality through the Spiceworks Help Desk Mobile App
  • Easy to use interface and tools
  • Great for SMB networks

Cons:

  • Could use more roles and notification features to support larger deployments

Free (supported by ads). Create an account to download the free ITAM Spiceworks software here.

8. Lansweeper (Best for Discovery)

LanSweeper

Lansweeper is a centralized IT asset management and network inventory software. It can automatically scan, discover network assets, and create detailed inventories. The software comes with an agentless discovery engine called Lansweeper Deepscan, that can find almost any IT asset in your network. It consolidates all information and creates an inventory with hardware, software, and users.

Key Features

  • Powerful agent-less network discovery
  • Hardware, software, and users inventory
  • License audits
  • Customized reports

Lansweeper can scan the software for various platforms like Linux, Windows, and macOS. It creates a software inventory, including license information. It also builds a complete hardware inventory with components, like CPU, Memory, etc. Lansweeper also helps you create reports.

You can choose from +400 templates of network reports and customize them to your needs.

Pros:

  • Automatically discovers devices through customizable search filters, ideal for BYOD networks
  • Recovers additional details such as hostname, manufacturer, hardware stats, and NetBIOS info
  • A great option for agentless asset discovery for smaller networks

Cons:

  • Only free up to 100 managed assets
  • Not ideal for long-term management

Lansweeper comes in two different versions:

  • Free (Up to 100 assets)
  • Enterprise ($1.00 per asset/year)

Get a free fully-featured trial of Lansweeper Enterprise for 30 days.

9. Kaseya VSA (Best for MSPs)

Kaseya VSA

Kaseya VSA is a cloud-based RMM (Remote Monitoring and Management) solution designed to be scalable.

Key Features

  1. Hardware and software discovery
  2. Inventorying
  3. Policy-based automation
  4. Custom reports and dashboards
  5. Network Monitoring

The software is suitable for large networks like MSPs or enterprises. It provides centralized management, security services, and monitoring capabilities for all your IT assets.

Kaseya VSA is popular for its automatic patching and update deployments. The tool can update Windows, macOS, and 3rd party software.

Aside from updates, you can also manage network endpoints and its infrastructure with policy-based automation. You can automatically deploy patches or even resolve network issues.

Once installed, Kaseya VSA can automatically discover your entire network and create a comprehensive inventory. You can keep track of every single system, including their hardware and software.

Pros:

  • Automated software deployments can help streamline adding new machines to the client network
  • Does a good job at monitoring overall health and resource consumption of devices
  • The interface is simple and customizable
  • Offers a variety of MSP and multi-tenant features

Cons:

  • The free trial could be longer

The price is based on the number of endpoints, for more information, request a quote. Get a fully-functional 14-day free trial of Kaseya VSA here.

10. SysAid (Best in Support)

SysAid

SysAid is an all-in-one cloud-based IT service management (ITSM) and help desk solution. It also includes a service desk and an integrated ITAM.

Key Features

  • Problem and change management
  • Advanced workflow and automation
  • Asset discovery, tracking, and inventory
  • Track CIs with CMDB
  • Patch and update management
  • Remote control
  • License management

SysAid is known for its amazing customer service and support. The solution starts with the powerful ITSM, where you can build all the other modules on top. It integrates tools like Help Desk and Asset Management into the central platform. With the ITAM solution, you can view, secure, and manage all your IT assets from a single place.

SysAid discovers all your IT assets and keeps track of them. It gathers data from the network and creates a detailed inventory with hardware and software information. You can view the software on each asset like OS and view hardware component details, like CPU, HDD, RAM, etc.

The software can also keep track of all changes made to the assets in the inventory. All changes are automatically saved as activity logs.

Pros:

  • Offers SNMP monitoring through a simple plugin
  • Flexible pricing options allow you to choose the features you pay for
  • Good option for those looking for SNMP monitoring and patching solution

Cons:

  • Lacks enterprise features – better suited for small to medium size networks

SysAid is offered in three different editions:

  • Basic – Help Desk, Ticketing, and Asset Management
  • Full – ITSM Software
  • A-La-Carte – features priced separately
  • For more information on pricing, get a quote.

Get a 30-day ITSM free trial.

11. Network Inventory Advisor (Best in Inventory)

Network Inventory Advisor

Network Inventory Advisor is a network management software that runs on Windows. It can automatically scan and collect all critical data from devices running different OSs like Windows, Linux, macOS, or any SNMP-enabled device.

The tool shows detailed hardware and software statistics. The Network Inventory Advisor is popular for its software inventorying and license tracking. You can monitor installations, software versions, services, and licenses on all computers.

You can also track non-IT assets, like keyboards or sound devices, and add them to the inventory. With this tool, you can also keep track of each hardware asset and its components such as CPU, memory, HDD, etc.

When you run the scan, the tool will collect detailed information from all your equipment and display it in the inventory.

Pros:

  • Available for Mac, Linux, and Windows
  • Supports SNMP for custom alert integrations
  • Offers licensing management alongside security scans

Cons:

  • Better suited for licensing and inventory management than security management
  • The trial period could be longer

The standard license of Network Inventory Advisor for 100 nodes starts at $289.00. A fully-featured free Network Inventory Advisor is available for 15 days and you can manage up to 25 nodes.

12. OpenAudIT by FirstWave (Best in Open-Source Community)

OpenAudIT

OpenAudIT is a network discovery, audit, and inventory tool that runs on Windows and Linux systems.

Key Features

  • Network device discovery
  • Hardware and software inventory
  • Automatic report generation
  • Configuration and change tracking
  • Software license management

The software can be configured to send automatic scans to the computers on a network and obtain information such as its hardware, software, settings, services, users, and more. It can also get information from network devices, such as routers and switches.

Open-AudIT can also be configured to generate automatic reports. When you set scheduled tasks, the tool will send the results of the task to your email. The output of the automatic scans containing all inventory information can also be exported through PDF, CSV, or HTML-generated webpages.

Pros:

  • Completely open source and transparent project
  • A simple interface is easy to use and filter through
  • Supports a variety of export options (PDF, CSV, HTML)
  • Better suited for smaller environments

Cons:

  • Free version only includes 20 nodes

The software comes in three different editions:

  • Community – Free and open-source
  • Professional – starts at $1,449 per year
  • Enterprise – starts at $1,199 per year

You can get a Free 20-node license for any of the Open-AudIT commercial modules here.

Final Words

Managing IT assets is one of the most important tasks of any IT admin, or probably the only one. But old-fashioned ITs that keep track of assets through lists, spreadsheets and old routines can hit the wall when it comes to complex IT environments.

Managing IT assets this way can be nearly impossible. The appropriate IT Asset Management ITAM software can help keep an inventory of the software, hardware, users, automate processes like scanning and patching, and create reports that help IT managers learn more about their IT environment.

The ITAM is directly connected to the IT infrastructure.

It can keep track of all assets through their lifecycle, from planning, deploying, upgrading, to decommissioning.

The Eight Best Asset Management Software for Keeping track of all Computers, Servers, Devices in your Company can help those old-fashioned IT admins get rid of the spreadsheet.

Software like SolarWinds Service Desk and ManageEngine AssetExplorer are great tools to begin with, and the best of all is that they offer free trials.

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