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Action1

Score9.5 out of 10

16 Reviews and Ratings

What is Action1?

Action1 is an autonomous endpoint management platform that is cloud-native, scalable, and configurable in 5 minutes. It is free for the first 200 endpoints, with no functional limits. By pioneering autonomous OS and third-party patching - AEM’s foundational use case - through peer-to-peer patch distribution and real-time vulnerability assessment without needing a VPN, it eliminates costly, time-consuming routine labor, preempts ransomware and security risks, and protects the digital employee experience.

Used by enterprises managing millions of endpoints globally, Action1 is certified for SOC 2 and ISO 27001. The company is founder-led by industry veterans Alex Vovk and Mike Walters, American entrepreneurs who founded Netwrix.

Media

the Action1 dashboard
Action1 patch management
Action1 software deployment
Action1 endpoint management
an Action1 vulnerabilities view
Action1 vulnerabilities remediation

1 / 6

Action1 for small teams - way to go

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We have a very small IT team, only 2 people, and about 100 devices to manage, both internally in the office and remotely.

To be honest, first usage idea was just as a inventory + easy remote access to the devices.

Later, we started using remote software deploy, patch management (I know it should be the main usage, but for us, it was a collateral bonus), some reporting on disk usage and so on.

Pros

  • Easy remote access to devices. That simple. We have some very unskilled users in the field where asking them to access their PC via conventional remote tools like TeamViewer, Anydesk, etc. was always a pain. Now, all they have to do is ensure their PC is online, and we can connect to them.
  • Remote software deploy. Before Action1, we did have some GPOs and scripts, but again - being able to deploy to PCs outside of our office/LAN, is just beautiful. On top of the standard repository, being able to create new packages is very useful for our scenario.
  • Inventory Reporting. Recently we had to identify PCs running old versions of Windows. Can't highlight enough how easy it is.

Cons

  • Even though my team and I use a lot of the remote desktop functionality, I believe it could be further improved in regards to file sharing and perhaps a dedicated client software so we could have even easier/faster access to our endpoints.

Return on Investment

  • It's pretty hard to negotiate investments / costs in IT when you have a small team in a mid size company. Everything is seen as useless cost and not investment. As of now, I'm pretty sure that if we ever cross the free-tier, I'll have no problems with investment approval since the tool is proven and useful on a daily basis. I believe this was the single most importat decision that Action1 took in their sales model.

Usability

Alternatives Considered

NinjaOne

Other Software Used

TomTicket, Ploomes, Omada, SentinelOne Singularity, Bitwarden

Great software easy to use

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

I use it to identify and mitigate security holes that need to be patched. Most of the time the patch is all ready to go on A1's end and I just need to approve it being applied. Sometimes I use it to find out who has a program installed and then I use it to uninstall that program from their machines.

Pros

  • Windows Updates
  • Patching Software
  • Reporting on software inventory

Cons

  • Lots of times Action1 will identify a program that needs to be patched, but then not really have a path laid out to get that done...so they just remain as they are, but are tagged as such.
  • Really wants to replace the windows update mechanism. Resists (or did at least) you if you try to keep updates as they are and update occasionally from Action1
  • Could develop the scripts section a bit more, looked pretty sparse last time I checked it out.

Return on Investment

  • I use the free version, so for $0 it's all gravy.
  • I'm the only one that cares about this stuff, so I can't even wow anyone with a report on how many threats i've mitigated... :(

Usability

Alternatives Considered

PDQ Deploy & Inventory and GFI LanGuard

Other Software Used

PDQ Deploy & Inventory, GFI LanGuard

Action1 is fantastic feature rich ... and free

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We have a small satellite office (<10 endpoints) and we have been using the Action1 free tier to support, assist, remotely monitor and patch their endpoints.

Pros

  • remote control / assistance
  • patching Windows Operating Systems
  • Third party application patching
  • Dashboard central overview

Cons

  • I would love to see a file transfer capability
  • multiple monitor/screen support when remoted in could be improved (multiple screens at once)

Return on Investment

  • Remote Support, without rdp or port security risks
  • Convenient dashboard showing all endpoints with vulnerabilities
  • Simple deployment of patching both the O/S and third party apps.

Usability

Alternatives Considered

NinjaOne

Other Software Used

Ubiquiti Networks UniFi, Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365, Freshservice, Filevine, Microsoft Intune

Excellent Patch Management software with Remote Management abilities

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Action1 helps with patch management and keeping our devices up-to-date. It allows me to upload both exe and msi files for update management which not every solution allows for. Using this I can manage my devices in office and remotely with ease. On top of that it helps address any cost concerns as the first 200 endpoints are free and as a small business it makes it really easy to implement.

Pros

  • The best at patch management due to being their main focus
  • Has a well organized interface that is easy to use
  • Offers built in vulnerability monitoring to help prioritize what apps need updating.

Cons

  • Their remote desktop tool is still lacking in features

Return on Investment

  • This tool has made it easy for me to help my users remotely and reliably.
  • It has also helped me stay relatively worry free about if updates are being applied or not.

Usability

Alternatives Considered

Pulseway

Other Software Used

Pulseway, Remote Desktop Manager, Apple Business Essentials

Action1 - Great endpoint management solution

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

I have a fleet of 20 endpoints that are installed in vehicles that I primarily use Action1 with. I also have a separate fleet of 30 endpoints that are in the office that I use Action1 to manage.

Action1 has made my life easier in regards to scheduling updates and security patch management. The free 200 endpoints in real and I encourage smaller IT departments to try them out.

The only features that I am missing while using Action1 is live chat with a user (not as important as I usually have them on a phone call) and file transfer. This has made for some creative problem solving in order to get certain redistributables onto the devices for installs.

While I am currently using the free version of Action1 which does not come with dedicated support, I have used the premium version in the past and the help desk/support was top notch.

Pros

  • Patch management
  • automatic update scheduling
  • remote desktop assistance

Cons

  • Live chat with the end user
  • File transfer

Return on Investment

  • Less sneaker netting required for vehicle installed endpoints

Usability

Alternatives Considered

ConnectWise Automate