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Asset Management

Theldron

By Theldron
in How do you do....it?

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Theldron

Theldron

Posted
Posted (edited)

Hi all, hope you are well.

 

I know this has been discussed numerous times, a few of them by me. But I am still umming and arrring about the right IT asset management system for my schools.

 

I have tried SnipeIT which I love, especially the look of it, checking out to people, the ability to attach documents (the staff laptop signing form) and the bulk audit ability, but as I am on my own I really need it to have automated discovery for Windows machines, but could not get this to work properly and I really don't have the time to play with it too much to get it to work.

 

I am currently using GLPI, which has the Windows agent and is very good and I do like it, but I keep looking back at SnipeIT.

 

Feels like being in a relationship with somebody (SnipeIT), that was almost perfect but not quite. You leave them for somebody else (GLPI) and you are perfectly happy, but you keep looking back at the other person wondering if you made the right decision. :)

 

What do others use or recommend? Do you have SnipeIT setup with automated IT discovery working? Are there any guides to get that working?

 

For me Spiceworks, was my happy medium, but unfortunately they have stopped the self-hosted version.

Edited by Theldron
  • Thanks 1
DrCheese

DrCheese

Posted
Posted

Snipe is the only system worth using - I've never really been one for automatic discovery, because all that does is your computers specifications & not the actual physical hardware (eg monitors, printers, access points blah blah)

If I want to know what's in a PC I have other software for that (DNA/Classroom in the cloud) or you can use the serial number to get the info from the vendor.

 

We just stick some toughened labels on everything, record the serial number & then check out to rooms/or people.

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MartinT

MartinT

Posted
Posted

We use SnipeIT but don't use auto-discovery. When I buy a batch of machines I scan the barcodes and enter them into the system against a device template.

 

It's all a bit manual but not cumbersome. The beauty is in finding things where the search is immediate and excellent. Also the maintenances are great for recording BIOS updates or, now, Windows 11 upgrades.

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Theldron

Theldron

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Have you looked at Lansweeper at all?

 

Hiya, yeah looked at Lansweeper a while back. But looking for a free/open source system. Sorry should have said.

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DrCheese

DrCheese

Posted
Posted
See that has just made me think SnipeIT was the right way to go. Do you use it on Windows or Linux?

 

I have it on Windows & have it LDAP sync to AD so all our users get pulled in. If I could azure AD sync it i'd move to cloud hosting.

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TheHyperTechie

TheHyperTechie

Posted
Posted

Parago for us. Easy to use, and can be shared with our site team for general items around the schools/Trust.

 

I do an audit once a year, and I just use the app on my iPad to 'check in' items. It's a breeze.

 

I have used Snipe-IT and it is great, but we needed the ability to add other assets too.

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Theldron

Theldron

Posted
  • Author
Posted
For composer on SnipeIT it is blocked by the schools firewall and I don't have access to it, or at the moment can't request that it is unblocked. Is there a way to install composer without the internet?
klssandman76

klssandman76

Posted
Posted

Hi, we use SnipeIT and Lansweeper. Snipe for the static list of assets and forms part of the process for asset tagging of equipment. Lansweeper for the discovery and the amount of information it can pull. Lansweeper isn't cheap, but the information and insight into what is on the network is amazing. One of those "I will just look in Lansweeper for that device, oh what's that!" and you've lost an hour down that rabbit hole! :)

 

Thanks

Simon

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jthompson

jthompson

Posted
Posted

Long time GLPI user here. The agent is very comprehensive. Some highlights for me of using the agent with daily inventory:

 

Seeing Windows build (i.e. monthly patch level)

Seeing whether volumes are encrypted or not (i.e. BitLocker protected).

Full software inventory with versions.

BIOS versions.

Laptop battery real capacity (I.e. health).

Date of OS installation (i.e. when it was last imaged).

 

I find the search engine in GLPI to be so powerful, too. As well as looking at all of the stuff about a particular computer, you can more often than not go from the other end and list all of the computers with a particular characteristic (e.g. all Dell Latitudes without an encrypted C: volume, or all PCs in certain rooms that are a month or two behind on their CUs).

 

The financial info that you can attach to everything is also surprisingly useful, too.

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Theldron

Theldron

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Do what the kids do, download it via your phone's hotspot

 

Good plan.... was hoping to put it on a VM, but might just need to use a desktop PC for now.

Theldron

Theldron

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Long time GLPI user here. The agent is very comprehensive. Some highlights for me of using the agent with daily inventory:

 

Seeing Windows build (i.e. monthly patch level)

Seeing whether volumes are encrypted or not (i.e. BitLocker protected).

Full software inventory with versions.

BIOS versions.

Laptop battery real capacity (I.e. health).

Date of OS installation (i.e. when it was last imaged).

 

I find the search engine in GLPI to be so powerful, too. As well as looking at all of the stuff about a particular computer, you can more often than not go from the other end and list all of the computers with a particular characteristic (e.g. all Dell Latitudes without an encrypted C: volume, or all PCs in certain rooms that are a month or two behind on their CUs).

 

The financial info that you can attach to everything is also surprisingly useful, too.

 

After some thinking last night, decided to go with SnipeIT for the assets and auditing and GLPI for the scanning and deep dive info. Quite happy with that.

 

Now to see if I can put it on a server. :)

 

Thanks all.

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