Software Auditing Packages - What's the best?

[paddyhasneeds]

We're looking at replacing our software auditing package. We want something that will run on PC's at X days intervals that will log all files on the PC, upload the audit to a central server, from where we can see what software is installed on each machine.

Obviously with any auditing package, if it doesn't have a good base library of recognized packages and isn't updated regularly you can end up spending a long time inputting information yourself - it would be nice to minimize the need to do this.

Any suggestions appreciated.

[tuglet]

paddyhasneeds said:

We're looking at replacing our software auditing package. We want something that will run on PC's at X days intervals that will log all files on the PC, upload the audit to a central server, from where we can see what software is installed on each machine.

Obviously with any auditing package, if it doesn't have a good base library of recognized packages and isn't updated regularly you can end up spending a long time inputting information yourself - it would be nice to minimize the need to do this.

Any suggestions appreciated.

I use Spiceworks and Microsoft Inventory Analyser. Both free.

[paddyhasneeds]

Thanks, I wasn't aware of the MS one but it's for < 250 PC's and we have a little over double that.

I must download Spiceworks and try it because my god I've never seen a website with so little actual "meat" on it by way of how the product works - every bloody link is to download it.

My understanding is that Spiceworks is online only and there's no (for example) way of plugging a stick into a standalone machine and auditing it?

[tuglet]

paddyhasneeds said:

Thanks, I wasn't aware of the MS one but it's for < 250 PC's and we have a little over double that.

I must download Spiceworks and try it because my god I've never seen a website with so little actual "meat" on it by way of how the product works - every bloody link is to download it.

My understanding is that Spiceworks is online only and there's no (for example) way of plugging a stick into a standalone machine and auditing it?

Spiceworks installs as a service on each PC you choose to monitor and sends scheduled updates to the "server" - which can be nothing more than a bog-standard PC. I only have about 150 desktops though.

Have you looked at Belarc for standalone machines?

[lestag]

http://www.microsoft.com/systemcenter/essentials/e...
MS System center essentials
http://www.microsoft.com/systemcenter/essentials/e...
i used to use MS SMS and this is the new improved version (6 or 7 years on)
does more than you want but is also good for patch management

altiris http://www.symantec.com/business/inventory-solutio... is another. but i have not used it

[TonyToniTone]

SCCM replaced SMS rather than SCE which does not provide enough clients as mentioned above.

Kace, LANdesk, SCCM, OpenView are all good management systems but offer a lot more than than you need, I think you will strugle to beat spiceworks from what little I have seen of it.

[paddyhasneeds]

TonyToniTone said:

SCCM replaced SMS rather than SCE which does not provide enough clients as mentioned above.

SCCM may be an option as we're looking at options to upgrade Windows and Exchange CAL's and one of the schemes gives you SCCM CALs at a ridiculous "bundle" price.

I think the key issue we have is that we can't rely solely on a report of what's in Add/Remove Programs as we have a lot of bespoke/industry specific stuff, some of which can be a "Copy to a folder and run" job, plus we want to have an idea about things such as MP3/VOB/AVI's if people decide to fill their machines etc.

I'll check out SCCM.

[TonyToniTone]

SCCM should be able to do what you need as you can inventory most things
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb63243...

The asset sync point pulls down new inventory data
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc16186...