Best software asset management tools

The best software asset management (SAM) tools simplify reducing licensing costs by identifying the software licenses your business owns. SAM software allows you to put in play assets you still have rights to use, while cutting subscriptions you no longer need.

Additionally, by using SAM tools to track applicable expiration dates, you can better move workflows from one set of assets to another, by having clear deadlines that you can make the most of. This is especially important where a business or other organization has an extensive IT inventory, where assets are difficult to track.

SAM tools are also important for IT teams who are constantly under pressure to cut costs, and unused or unnecessary licenses are a good way to do this. However, not only software assets can be monitored, but also hardware assets, and this can be important when it comes to data security.

By making sure you know where company laptops are and identifying any potential ones that are missing, you can take remedial action if necessary to shut them down and even remotely erase hard drives command.

SAM tools can also be used to move assets between departments, making the overall control and management of software and hardware simpler and more cost-effective overall.

Below, we’ve put together our roundup of the best software asset management tools currently on the market.

The best software asset management tool available

1. ManageEngine AssetExplorer

Available as a fully functional trial for 30 days, MangeEngine’s AssetExplorer will make IT professionals used to working with Windows feel right at home. It offers powerful tools used for monitoring and reporting along with support for both physical and virtual assets, which can be added manually. Hosted in the cloud, AssetExplorer also offers VM-based asset support and relationship mapping, covering all the common bases for IT professionals.

2. ServiceNow Asset Management

ServiceNow Asset Management is a cloud-hosted SAM better suited to advanced users. In response to customer feedback, it has been simplified in recent years and now uses an attractive UI that is navigated using the left sidebar. Still one of the more complex (but full-featured) offerings on our list, it enables admins to use workflows to automate IT asset lifecycles and track the details of financial, contractual, and inventory of hardware and devices while recording maintenance activity. It also allows regular audits to be performed to the point where hardware devices need to be decommissioned.

3. SysAid

There are times when a helpdesk working alongside an IT asset management solution would be handy, and this is where SysAid comes in. It features a user-friendly interface that allows admins to remotely monitor, control and track assets. Admins can easily see assets in their new job and get a full picture of their hardware and software product components. For support, the organization’s end-users can press a designated hotkey to automatically take a screenshot and retrieve other relevant information about the asset to log in in the event of an incident.

4. InvGate Assets

InvGate Assets is a flexible SAM that allows you to track your assets in a front-end view accessible in a browser. It tracks your inventory and offers a list of features that include Change Management, Advanced Reports, License Management, Remote Desktop and Software Development. It has a great alerting system when licenses are about to expire, and you can also create alarms for priority tasks – such as updated licenses or IT equipment renewals. If you want to take things further, data can be stored on the back-end using a MySQL or Microsoft SQL Server database.

5. Solarwinds Web Help Desk

Quick to set up (we took less than 3.5 hours), SolarWinds Web Help Desk is an affordable option that can be deployed on-premises or in the cloud. A powerful asset management that helps you track your hardware and software assets (while keeping them up-to-date), it’s available in different pricing tiers depending on how many assets you want to add. Just a warning that it won’t track software licenses and usage – but it will show asset history and tickets for individual assets.

6. Freshservice

Easy to setup making it a suitable option for SMBs, Freshworks Freshservice helps IT teams with a variety of functions, one of which is IT asset management. Up to 100 assets can be managed for free, with the next pricing tier expanding that number up to 250. Admins can get a great view of an asset’s information by opening a timeline that shows its related activity ticket history – from priority assignment and status changes to assigned groups – that employees can also view.

7. Pulseway

IT asset management is just one part of this multi-talented piece of software, which also offers live chat and infrastructure management as part of the package. It’s a great option for tracking assets behind its robust security and support for mobile devices. Pulseway was built first as a mobile app, rather than a desktop app adapted for mobile use, and it shows. There is also a desktop client that displays the same information, but the interface is not as slick or useful.

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