Finding software can be overwhelming. Software Advice has helped hundreds of businesses find the right IT management software to track and manage their hardware, software, IT services, and operations.
Showing 1-20 of 59 products

ConnectWise Automate FrontRunners 2020
ConnectWise Automate FrontRunners 2020
ConnectWise Automate (Formerly LabTech) is a cloud-based and on-premise IT automation solution that helps companies track and manage IT assets from a single location. Content management features allow users to share documents and... Read more

ConnectWise Manage
ConnectWise Manage
ConnectWise Manage is a managed service provider (MSP) solution that caters to businesses of all sizes across various industries such as marketing, advertising, finance, sales, hospitality and more. Key features include backup management,... Read more

Wrike
Wrike
Wrike is a cloud-based project management platform for teams of 20+ and is suitable for both enterprise and SMB. It comes with Gantt charts, calendars, workload view for resource management, custom dashboards and real-time updates.... Read more

PagerDuty FrontRunners 2020
PagerDuty FrontRunners 2020
PagerDuty is an incident management solution for monitoring systems and triggering alerts. Key features include monitoring aggregation, event grouping, real-time collaboration, mobile incident management, user reporting and live-call... Read more

InvGate Assets
InvGate Assets
InvGate Assets is a hybrid IT asset management solution that caters to businesses across various industries. The solution can either be deployed on-premise or hosted in the cloud with features such as asset inventory management,... Read more

SolarWinds N-central
SolarWinds N-central
SolarWinds N-central is an IT management solution that enables organizations to manage and track IT devices. The solution comes with key features that include patch management, antivirus protection, backup and disaster recovery. The... Read more

Atera FrontRunners 2020
Atera FrontRunners 2020
Atera is a cloud-based end-to-end IT management software solution geared to small to midsize businesses in the IT sector. It includes functionality for time tracking, expense tracking, billing and invoicing, help desk and knowledge... Read more

Netwrix Auditor
Netwrix Auditor
Netwrix Auditor is a security platform that helps organizations overcome compliance and operational challenges by providing control over changes, configurations, and access in hybrid IT environments. Netwrix solutions allow IT security... Read more

xMatters
xMatters
xMatters is a cloud-based incident management solution designed to help businesses of all sizes automate identification, prevention and resolution of IT issues. Features include dynamic toolchains, real-time notifications, actionable... Read more

Device42 FrontRunners 2020
Device42 FrontRunners 2020
Device42 is an asset management solution that enables IT administrators to track hardware, software, devices and networks. The key features includes automated data center management, service management, device discovery, asset tagging... Read more

AppDynamics
AppDynamics
AppDynamics is an AI-powered application performance management (APM) platform that provides businesses with complete observability over the performance of their IT infrastructure. Unifying full-stack performance monitoring, AppDynamics... Read more

Kaseya VSA
Kaseya VSA
Kaseya VSA is a cloud-based network monitoring solution for businesses of all sizes across various industries. The system provides a central console for managing IT operations including handling complaints, ticketing, auditing, monitoring... Read more

ConnectWise Command
ConnectWise Command
ConnectWise Command is a cloud-based network monitoring solution designed for enterprise-grade managed service providers (MSPs). The solution helps in-house IT support teams monitor, troubleshoot and manage various network devices... Read more

Jira Service Management
Jira Service Management
Formerly known as Jira Service Desk, Jira Service Management is an IT service management solution that unlocks high-velocity teams. IT is in the midst of rapid transformation to build capabilities that enable quick delivery of great... Read more

ManageEngine Desktop Central FrontRunners 2020
ManageEngine Desktop Central FrontRunners 2020
ManageEngine Desktop Central is a mobile device management (MDM) solution designed to help businesses automate, secure, audit, standardize and manage operations across servers, desktops, smartphones, and more. Features include software... Read more

netTerrain DCIM
netTerrain DCIM
Designed as a data center infrastructure management (DCIM) solution, netTerrain DCIM provides businesses with the tools to visualize the entire infrastructure and optimize asset usage to increase efficiency across the center. netTerrain... Read more

Obkio
Obkio
Obkio is a network performance monitoring solution that helps IT teams collect historical data and run speed tests using synthetic traffic. The centralized dashboard enables stakeholders to visualize network data and performance graphs... Read more

Pulseway FrontRunners 2020
Pulseway FrontRunners 2020
Pulseway is an integrated IT assets and network monitoring solution designed for IT administrators to remotely monitor and control their business IT resources. The solution supports multi-deployment architecture, allowing the users... Read more

ActiveBatch
ActiveBatch
ActiveBatch is a cloud-based and on-premise workflow management solution designed on helping businesses implement low-code IT workflow automation. The time it takes to manage workflow and business processes is cut in half with event... Read more

Freshservice FrontRunners 2020
Freshservice FrontRunners 2020
Freshservice is a cloud-based IT Help Desk and service management solution that enables organizations to simplify their IT operations. The solution offers features that include a ticketing system, self-service portal and knowledge-base.... Read more
Popular Comparisons
Today, businesses rely on a variety of IT components—hardware (computers, network devices, etc.) as well as software (mobile apps, network software, etc.)—to support and streamline their operations. But tracking and managing these different IT assets can be a complex operation in itself.
That's where IT management software solutions come in. They help businesses effectively track and manage IT assets and operations (including security) from a central location. But choosing the right software for your business can be challenging; options on the market vary by features, deployment, integration capabilities, and more.
In this Buyers Guide, we'll help you better understand this market. Here's what we'll cover:
- What is IT management software?
- Common features of IT management software
- What type of buyer are you?
- Benefits of IT management software
- Key considerations when buying IT management software
What is IT management software?
IT management software helps track the deployment of an organization's IT assets and manage its operations, such as performance, usage, and security, from a central location.
Dashboard feature in SolarWinds Service Desk (Source)
IT management software encompasses a wide range of applications, and its related products are generally available as suite solutions or as stand-alone tools.
Below, we discuss some of the key applications (some of them are also distinct software categories):
- IT service management: Design, deliver, and manage all IT services including change management, configuration management, and incident management.
- IT asset management: Manage technical, physical, and financial aspects of both software and hardware components, including their purchase, deployment, and disposal.
- Network management: Configure, monitor, and troubleshoot network devices; enables administrators with privilege rights; and supports access controls to limit users to a network.
- Help desk management: Solve IT incidents or issues by automating ticket assignment to the right support staff and tracking and managing the status.
- Data management: Create and enforce policies for systematic storage, update, and retrieval of organizational data.
Common features of IT management software
Some of the common features provided by all types of IT management solutions include:
Alerts |
Alert administrators about any unusual activity on networks or devices, any system failures, or deviation from the norm via email or pop-up messages . |
Reports |
Maintain network and system logs and generate reports that help to track IT system performance. |
Dashboard |
Provide a centralized view of how IT systems are performing and options to drill down to search for any specific information. |
Remote access |
Allow administrators to remotely access devices and databases to delete data, install applications, or monitor use. |
Inventory management |
Track and manage a list of all IT assets within the organization, such as owner details and number of years in use. |
Knowledge base |
Store and maintain a repository of all organizational IT information. |
Self-service portal |
Enable users to resolve IT service issues such as password resets without assistance, or create tickets to request services. |
What type of buyer are you?
The IT management software you need will depend on the size and nature of your business and operational requirements. In this section, we look at three broad categories of IT management software buyers and some key attributes they should look for in the software.
- Small businesses: Small businesses usually don't have full-fledged teams to manage and monitor IT assets and operations. They also don't have large budgets to spare. They should, therefore, consider IT management software that offers core capabilities such as systems monitoring, patch management, and asset management. Small businesses may also look at free and/or open source IT management software to meet their needs.
- Midsize and large businesses: Midsize and large businesses with dedicated IT teams should look at purchasing IT management tools that offer centralized dashboards to track changes throughout the organization. Other capabilities that these buyers can consider include remote access, network management, help desk management, and data management.
- Managed service providers (MSPs): These are third-party firms that remotely manage customers' IT infrastructure, networks, and/or end-user systems. They'll need to invest in high-end IT management software tools that offer all or most of the application capabilities. Remote monitoring and management, automated maintenance, and dashboards are some of the other features to look out for.
Benefits of IT management software
Using IT management software helps streamline IT operations and get centralized control. Other advantages of using IT management software include:
- Better operational efficiency: IT management tools help to track and resolve tickets faster, identify nonperforming IT assets, and monitor systems and networks for any unusual activity.
- Improves system reliability: IT management tools help you predict potential IT issues, take preventive actions, and reduce unplanned downtime.
- Remote IT management: IT management software allows administrators to access, monitor, and control organizational IT assets from anywhere. This helps troubleshoot issues quickly and cost effectively.
Key considerations when buying IT management software
In this section we discuss some key decisions you'll need to make when buying IT management software.
- Cloud-based vs. on-premise software: Cloud-based IT management tools are especially useful for small businesses as they require significantly lower upfront investment—there's no need to procure hosting hardware. Enterprises can choose between cloud-based and on-premise options based on the complexity of their IT ecosystem and security needs. While on-premise tools will grant greater control over network data and are considered more secure, cloud-based solutions will be scalable to match changing requirements.
- Suite vs. stand-alone software: When choosing IT management software, you have the choice to decide between suites offering a wide range of IT management capabilities or tools that offer specific capabilities such as monitoring or configuration management. Weigh your different IT management requirements against the cost of the software before making this choice. Suite solutions may cost more than stand-alone software, but they save you the pain of deciding on multiple individual tools and then integrating them.
- Integrations: Ensure that the IT management software you choose can integrate with the other tools you use for help desk management, network monitoring, patch management, or endpoint protection. Integrating with these tools will help you get a comprehensive picture of your entire IT operations as well as help you quickly resolve issues.
Note: The applications selected in this article are examples to show a feature in context and are not intended as endorsements or recommendations. They have been obtained from sources believed to be reliable at the time of publication.
Your Guide to Top IT Management Software, November 2020
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