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Best 5 Computer Inventory Software Solutions

What Does Computer Inventory Management Software Do?

Computer inventory management is the process of automatic discovery and tracking of computer assets in an organization throughout their life cycle. Computer inventory management software analyzes machines and devices on a network and generates flexible reports with information about the exact hardware and software configuration of each machine or device.

Computer inventory management software solutions target many different use-cases. Some computer inventory solutions are aimed at individual home users, conveniently displaying hardware and software specifications of Windows, macOS, and Linux desktop computers and laptops. Other computer inventory solutions are aimed at IT administrators who look after an entire network of machines and connected devices, helping them plan future hardware and software purchases and diagnose network issues.

Why Should I Use Computer Inventory Software?

Knowing exactly what computers you have, what’s their configuration, and where they are located can be useful for a number of reasons. Every year, businesses around the world waste huge sums of money on unnecessary hardware and software purchases that could have been easily avoided with careful planning supported by reports generated using a computer inventory system.

This affects even young and small companies and not just huge multinational corporations with bloated IT departments. The situation is worse now than ever before because employees are readily encouraged to bring their own devices to work, making it more difficult for the management to plan future purchases.

Many computer inventory software solutions support the tracking of software licenses, which is an invaluable feature for compliance with software license agreements and as a way to prepare for a software license audit.

Considering how complicated the current software license landscape can be, with a multitude of different software licensing models, having a software solution that can automatically send alerts when it detects a compliance issue can not only save a business a lot of time but also a lot of money.

What Are the Best Computer Inventory Software Solutions?

The number of excellent computer inventory software solutions that are available on the market is so large that it can be quite daunting to pick just one. To make things even more complicated, various computer inventory software solutions focus various use cases. We have carefully evaluated all the popular options and selected what we consider to be the top five best computer inventory software solutions currently available.

1. Network Inventory Advisor

Network Inventory Advisor is an all-in-one computer inventory software solutioncapable of generating flexible hardware and software reports that include Window-, macOS-, and Linux-baseddevices as well as other network and standalone equipment. Network Inventory Advisor is agent-less and supports license aggregation, collection, and management for most major software products from more than 500 vendors, including Autodesk, Microsoft, Adobe, and others.

Network Inventory Advisor supports the management of multiple networks, which is perfect for MSPs as it allows them to use just a single installation of Network Inventory Advisor to manage multiple networks and switch between them with a click of a button. With Network Inventory Advisor, it’s possible to easily move, group, regroup and ungroup, reassign, and edit multiple nodes at the same time, and filtering down the network inventory is a matter of a few clicks, as well.

Network Inventory Advisor is priced fairly, with no hidden fees or limitations to worry about, and it’s just as suitable for small and mid-sized businesses as it is for large enterprises. A free trial version of Network Inventory Advisor is available on the official website, allowing anyone to test the software out at 25-node networks for up to 2 weeks.

2. Lansweeper

Lansweeper is a popular agent-less inventory management and software auditing tool with integrated reporting capabilities and automated software deployment. Lansweeper comes with an integrated help desk and IT service desk, making it possible to receive, analyze, and finalize help tickets from a single user interface. The free version of Lansweeper is limited to only 100 assets and includes only a fraction of the functionality present in any of the three premium versions of the software.

3. Spiceworks IT Asset Management

Spiceworks IT Asset Management is an enterprise-grade computer inventory and network monitoring software system that handles everything from workstations and servers to routers and switches. Spiceworks can track software licenses so you can stay in compliance, handling even cloud-based services. As an enterprise-grade solution, Spiceworks is less suitable for smaller businesses, who might feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of features the software offers.

4. Asset Panda

Asset Panda is a flexible computer inventory software solution with an intuitive user interface that makes asset tracking and management accessible to anyone. Asset Panda can handle any number of hardware and software assets, and it’s available both online and through a mobile application. Asset Panda’s customer service is US-based, and anyone can test this popular computer inventory software solution for up to 14 days for free.

5. WinAudit

WinAudit is a simple computer inventory software utility for Windows computers. It’s free and can be distributed by anyone without any restrictions. The main purpose of WinAudit is to create a comprehensive report on a machine's configuration and save it as CSV, RTF,or HTML. While WinAudit lacks many of the advanced auditing an network management features that make software solutions such as Network Inventory Advisor so popular among network administrators, it’s great for home users and small businesses who can get by with just the basics.

Source: https://www.network-inventory-advisor.com/best-computer-inventory-software.html