KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) vs. xAssets IT Asset Management Software

I think it has added value for any organization. It reduced our Tech Support cost by: -Supporting users anywhere -Reducing users downtime as well keep them informed with the status of their tickets -Managing software and hardware actively -Processing automation -deploy mass software installs, patching or updates - Provide approved software's to users to install without IT help

Incentivized

We run a large environment where managing agents and clients would be difficult, but this software doesn't require either. We use it a lot from our iPhones accessing the software from anywhere in the office and even from home.

• Helpdesk ticketing, the software allows not only the building of a portal that the users can log into to submit the tickets, but it also allows them to generate a ticket via email, which is a huge successful implementation that we have had.
• Live inventory tracking. With an agent installed on a PC, as long as we maintain the data, it can report back information that is crucial to the machine.
• Web portal makes for easy maintenance and implementation of the software and updates.

Incentivized

• Network discovery--with no agents to manage is great and its very fast
• Reporting--custom reports, charts and PDFs; the software also emails monthly reports automatically
• Users only see the data and menus they need, so no training needed and the UI is focused
• No clients to install; we can use it from any browser and from our cell phones
• Upgrades are done quickly; we've never needed to get involved, as they do it for us

• Administrative interface can be slow at times, and does require some decent PC specifications to run adequately.
• The cost of the KACE solution can be very expensive depending on how many agents you plan to deploy
• There is a learning curve in order to master KACE's capabilities - however Quest does provide lots of resources to dig into. It is not as intuitive as it could be.

Incentivized

• Looking forward to using their full endpoint management system, which is under development

Overall, the software is simple to understand and use. That said, most vendors have been slowly updating their user interfaces to HTML5 so that they have a clean updated look and feel. This is where KACE falls short in that the UI is great for a packaged software 10 years ago. This isn't a major limitation as the software is really meant primarily for technology users.

Incentivized

KACE does exactly what you need it to do, it maintains your computer environment. You can set patch schedules, inventory computers, setup software catalogs; basically everything you need to ensure the computers on your network are being actively managed. This is all with little need for constant configuration or updating the setup.

Incentivized

For our size organization, KACE offered a more complete solution that was easier to understand and deploy when compared to Ivanti. It was also more affordable to get the features we wanted. Ivanti might be more appropriate in a larger environment. You would definitely need someone that was primarily dedicated to run behind Ivanti.

Incentivized

• The time savings on Windows patching through the KACE SMA alone has helped us in saving hundreds of technician hours.
• Ticket tracking through the KACE SMA has reduced the amount of calls to our helpdesk asking about the status of a ticket.
• The tracking of licensed software through the KACE SMA has kept us in compliance and saved time from having to run around and look to see where the software is installed.

Incentivized