I'm currently using this solution as a configuration manager, for patch management, and scheduling the batches to run automatically, as well as OS deployment, MDM, for install agents on other computers, to allow us to see the software in the inventory.
Senior System Administrator at a tech services company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Scalable and easy to set up, with very good patch management
Pros and Cons
- "The initial setup is easy."
- "The pricing could be a bit better."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
Patch management is the most useful aspect of the product.
The initial setup is easy.
The solution is stable.
The scalability is very good.
What needs improvement?
Technical support could be better. They should increase their hours of availability so that they are easier to reach and it's more convenient for us.
The pricing could be a bit better.
They must change project management on Service Desk Plus to make it possible to integrate with Microsoft Project on Service Desk Plus and to increase the results on Google maps, on the Mobile Management, so that we can track our mobiles devices. Right now, it's not integrated with Google maps. This is a major issue.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for four years.
Buyer's Guide
ManageEngine Endpoint Central
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about ManageEngine Endpoint Central. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
816,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of the solution is very good. the performance is reliable. It doesn't crash or freeze. there are no bugs or glitches.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution scales well. If a company needs to expand it, it can.
How are customer service and support?
While you can live chat with technical support, they are only available for maybe seven or eight hours a day. If you have a problem at night they aren't available.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was pretty straightforward. It's not a problem at all in terms of being able to handle the implementation.
What about the implementation team?
I handled the implementation myself. If did not need the assistance of any integrators or consultants.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It's my understanding that the pricing is pretty high.
What other advice do I have?
We're a partner.
I am currently working with both cloud and on-premises deployment models.
I'd rate the solution at a ten out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner
Group Company IT Infrastructure IT Admin at a retailer with 1,001-5,000 employees
A good tool for Patch Management and IT Asset Management, but many reported problems remain unchanged
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature of this solution is the Patch Management."
- "The Deployment scheduler needs updating to support various methods for deployment."
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution for Patch Management, IT Asset Management, and Remote Control on Network Computers.
How has it helped my organization?
We adopted this solution by replacing GFI LanGuard.
Current version of Endpoint central has great capabilities over patch management and software deployment. Also we can take advantages of many system tools and configurations for day to day work.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of this solution is the Patch Management.
What needs improvement?
The Patch Management functionality needs still improvements. No provision to control network traffic.
The Deployment scheduler needs updating to support various methods for deployment.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have used this solution from 2012 onward.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Solution is very stable and has great featurs that can be used by system admins.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The product has great capabilitied only the should understand the patching process more deeply to avoid failures and client system issues such as OS corrupt, continuos patch failed, system hanging etc.
How are customer service and support?
Support needs improvement. They totally realy on customers at present.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
GFI LanGuard has poor capicity and feature for patch deployment. We find many client computer OS getting corrupt due to improper patch deployment.
How was the initial setup?
It take a while to understand the process for us.
What about the implementation team?
We implemented in-house.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Manage Engine Licensing policy is best among all. You should always take 10% less licenses than projected. I will advise to learn and implement the solution in-house rather than buying initial setup service.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
GFI LanGuard
What other advice do I have?
You can limit the admins and users for the Endpoint Management to reduce the cost.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Buyer's Guide
ManageEngine Endpoint Central
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about ManageEngine Endpoint Central. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
816,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Systems Administrator at a manufacturing company with 501-1,000 employees
Monitors and keeps track of issues that our end users report to our Help Desk Department
Pros and Cons
- "ManageEngine Desktop Central has greatly improved our organization by utilizing Service Desk Plus to monitor and keep track of issues that our end users report to our Help Desk Department. We also have written in the ode of our company's software to notify Support if an end-user experience an issue and does not report it."
- "Not many things are needed for improvement, everything seems to be great as it is. One thing that would be good to have would be the ability to add MDM to a tablet running Android 5.0 using the EMM Token Enrollment. If we wanted to add MDM to an older tablet, we just have to go the "long route" to get it added."
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use for Manage Engine started off with just using Service Desk Plus to manage our internal issues. Since started with just Service Desk Plus, we have moved on to utilizing Asset Management, MDM, and my favorite, the OS Deployment. Another great part of Desktop Central is the Patch Management to deploy software and windows updates on our time and not Microsoft Windows. We have also utilized the Patch Management to deploy updates to external software such as Zoom, Snagit, Microsoft Teams, and many others.
How has it helped my organization?
ManageEngine Desktop Central has greatly improved our organization by utilizing Service Desk Plus to monitor and keep track of issues that our end users report to our Help Desk Department. We also have written in the ode of our company's software to notify Support if an end-user experience an issue and does not report it. That way we can improve our software and be a more robust organization. Also using the Asset Management gives us a way to see what equipment users have and when they need to be upgraded and or replaced.
What is most valuable?
Although there are many great features within Desktop Central, my most favorite has to be the OS Deployment. When we order new computers in large batches, having the OS Deployment makes the process much, much easier to get them prepared for our users. We also utilize the Self Service Portal to push out applications and give the end-users the option to install the application if they want it and it can be installed without Administrative privileges which takes less time from the Help Desk or System Administrators.
What needs improvement?
Not many things are needed for improvement, everything seems to be great as it is. One thing that would be good to have would be the ability to add MDM to a tablet running Android 5.0 using the EMM Token Enrollment. If we wanted to add MDM to an older tablet, we just have to go the "long route" to get it added. I would guess another option would be a lower price cap for using all the separate divisions of programs that are being built withing Desktop Central. We actually opted out of renewing Analytics Plus this last go around because of the cost and the lack of times we actually used it to run reports.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been utilizing Manage Engine Desktop Central for approximately 2-3 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability and performance of Desktop Central have been great. We have no issues, but we also use the on-prem option.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Desktop Central is deferentially very scalable. They are always coming up with new options very often.
How are customer service and technical support?
Every time we have had to contact the customer support to assist with an issue or an answer, they have always been very knowledgeable and very helpful. They continue to follow-up after the issue has been resolved to ensure everything is going well and if there was anything else they would be able to assist with.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Before we moved over to Desktop Plus, we were using Spice Works, mainly because they were free. They had several applications that are similar to Desktop Central, but they were just not the same. It was a great investigation to make the switch to Desktop Central.
How was the initial setup?
The setup was fairly simple. We had no issues and were able to get everything up and running within 48 hours.
What about the implementation team?
Not with a vendor team, but with our talented staff of System Administrators who were able to read and study the verbiage of the documentation.
What was our ROI?
It's hard to say what our ROI is because I do not work in the finance department. I can say that the happier we can make the executives and salespeople happy with their equipment their operation, they are able to produce more income for the company.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I would advise others to think about using Desktop Desktop for all their network, tickets, and assets needs. I personally have not used the network monitoring software, but it's like any of the other portions of Desktop Central, it must be good.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
No, there were no other applications we tried.
What other advice do I have?
Some times, when adding new programs to Desktop Central, it can be somewhat costly. I say be prepared to be able to spend some money. We asked to pay for several years at a time to lower the long term cost.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Lead IT Infrastructure Specialist at Tunstall Healthcare
The features that give us the most value are patch management, remote control, and configuration management.
What is most valuable?
The features that give us the most value are patch management, remote control, and configuration management.
How has it helped my organization?
We used to use Windows Server Update Services, but had difficulty getting reports that gave an accurate picture of the patch situation across the estate.
Desktop Central allows both Microsoft and third-party patching while giving precise reporting and dashboards, enabling us to catch problem computers easily, as well as show the company that we are keeping their IT infrastructure safe.
What needs improvement?
The ability to backup and restore or move user profiles to another PC would be a fantastic addition to the feature set.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have used this solution for five years now.
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
We've had no issues with deployment.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We've had no issues with stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We've had no issues with scalability.
How are customer service and technical support?
I have found customer service to be very responsive. I have had a couple of issues over the years and on one occasion logged a ticket on the ManageEngine support site and had a call back within 15 minutes. The support rep took control of the server and fixed the issue within 10 minutes.
They are also very responsive as far as feature requests are concerned. I have in the past requested features and have had at least some of them make it into the product.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We used Altiris for our service desk, as well as systems management, before it became Symantec. It was a very good but expensive solution.
I was tasked with finding a replacement for the cost of the maintenance of Altiris. I did that with the combination of ServiceDesk Plus, Desktop Central and OS Deployer.
How was the initial setup?
Installation and initial configuration is very easy, taking less than an hour to have a fully-working system on a network of 700+ computers. Obviously, it takes more time to fine tune the solution to your exact needs, but you can have an installation ready and auditing your estate in no time at all. I would say that any reasonably competent IT person can set this up with no outside help. The installation was very easy and required no help from any outside company including ManageEngine.
What about the implementation team?
I did it by myself in-house.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Not sure if it is the case now, but they used to say 80% of the features of the big players for 20% of the cost. I think that they may be overlooked because of the price, but download it and take a look. You will be very surprised.
What other advice do I have?
Give it a go. If you are a small business of less than 25 users, it is free. For larger companies, it is a very reasonably priced solution. It is feature rich and the list of features is growing rapidly. Depending on the version you have, new features are free of charge. Some features are only in Enterprise and not in Pro.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Network Administrator at a maritime company with 10,001+ employees
Quick to set up, provides a helpful chat feature, and the dashboard is very good
Pros and Cons
- "What I like best about this product is that I can log on to every PC, very easily, and chat with the user via the chat feature."
- "I would like to have the option to install the agent remotely."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use this product to monitor PCs, perform updates, and as a remote desktop.
How has it helped my organization?
This solution has helped me in several aspects. It has helped to identify outdated PCs, as well as to assist with remote control and software monitoring. I can see what users have installed on PCs, which is especially helpful for laptops.
What is most valuable?
Feature-wise, this solution is okay.
What I like best about this product is that I can log on to every PC, very easily, and chat with the user via the chat feature.
The dashboard is very good. It saves me a lot of time when it comes to finding the Windows calibration software that is installed on the PCs.
What needs improvement?
I would like to have the option to install the agent remotely. When we change a PC, we have to uninstall the agent and then re-install it on the new one, and it is a difficult procedure.
Sometimes the performance is not very good, which is something that can be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using ManageEngine Desktop Central for approximately one year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have 25 users, which is the limit for the free version. I don't know how scalable it is beyond this point. Whether I increase my usage depends on whether I stay with this product and purchase a license, or instead try another solution.
How are customer service and technical support?
I have not had any issues, so I have not needed to contact technical support.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward and fast. It definitely takes less than a day to deploy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I have been using the free version and am in the stage where I have to decide if I will proceed with the paid license, or instead choose another product.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
This is the product that was recommended to me, so I did not evaluate other options before implementing it.
What other advice do I have?
My advice is that if they don't have a product to control the software that users have installed on their PCs, then this is a very good tool. However, beyond a certain number of users, they have to buy it.
I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Director of Consulting at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
The ability to automate the reboot time has been critical. The way patches are pushed out and applied can use a little work as it appears the patches are pushed out and just force applied as a group.
What is most valuable?
The automation control over scheduling server patching along with the ability to automate the reboot time has been critical. This process isn't straightforward, but after figuring out the requirements staggering reboots is an easy process to manage.
How has it helped my organization?
The software has provided the ability for us to not only replace SCCM seamlessly, but to train and allow for easy cross training.
What needs improvement?
The way patches are pushed out and applied can use a little work as it appears the patches are pushed out and just force applied as a group, as opposed to a specific registry pattern. Not too often, but this causes servers lockup or fail patching as it halts reboots before other patches can be applied which cannot be applied because the registry is locked from previous patches applied.
For how long have I used the solution?
This software has been in place coming up on a year now. The flexibility of the software has proven very useful. A small business perspective replacing SCCM with this product has proven both cost effective and an efficient use of our staffs time.
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
We have had no issues deploying it.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
There have been no stability issues.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Overall once we figured out the process structure we really did not have a whole lot of issues. From our client base, and architecture I do not see anything that would hinder scalability based on the way the remote offices are setup within this code.
How are customer service and technical support?
I would preface this by saying in general the FAQ's are pretty helpful. Overall the support system has been helpful for this specific product, but we have not needed a whole lot of assistance.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously used SCCM which is a great enterprise solution if you can keep the administration knowledge on-site. For a small business, SCCM did not meet the ease of use or the price break which was the reasoning for the move to Desktop Manager MSP 9.
How was the initial setup?
The installation of the product itself was very straightforward. The installer was pretty much default settings all the way through and was able to reference FAQ's for the few custom settings we desired.
What about the implementation team?
Implementation was done in-house and for the most part was straightforward. Once the client setup process is done I would suggest babysitting the automated pushes for a couple of weeks. We ran into some weird issues that we were able to resolve fairly quickly and completed the maintenance during our timeframe which otherwise would have just looked like the patching jobs failed completely when they succeeded in reality.
What was our ROI?
The ROI switching to this product was noticeable after it had been around six months as we were able to retire our SCCM product along with the licensing that comes with using SQL.
What other advice do I have?
I like the ease of setup and administration. There are some minor annoyances with how often the server software needs patched, how patching is applied and how the terminologies are translated.
Keep an eye on the automated reporting that is generated. We have not fully invested the time to discover why we have inconsistencies with the data, but it appears to be happening.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: We currently only have a business relationship with the Vendor. We do carry other products with them which seems to have the consistent look and feel the Desktop Central product has.
Operations and Support Manager at a consultancy with 501-1,000 employees
Helpful support, useful desktop controls and image management
Pros and Cons
- "ManageEngine Desktop Central's most valuable features are remote desktop control and image management. We can send things out from the desk here, it is a very good tool for us."
- "The reporting analytics could improve in ManageEngine Desktop Central. However, there are some third-party add-ins or modules you can purchase to do reporting analytics."
What is our primary use case?
We are in the testing phase of ManageEngine Desktop Central.
What is most valuable?
ManageEngine Desktop Central's most valuable features are remote desktop control and image management. We can send things out from the desk here, it is a very good tool for us.
What needs improvement?
The reporting analytics could improve in ManageEngine Desktop Central. However, there are some third-party add-ins or modules you can purchase to do reporting analytics.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used ManageEngine Desktop Central within the last 12 months.
How are customer service and support?
We have had sales support from ManageEngine Desktop Central and they have been very helpful.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. My manager is in the process and there have not been any problems.
What about the implementation team?
ManageEngine Desktop Central should not require a lot of maintenance that we have seen in the short time of our usage.
What other advice do I have?
I rate ManageEngine Desktop Central a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
IT Engineer at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees
Stable, inventory management, windows patching
Pros and Cons
- "ManageEngine Desktop Central is stable."
- "ManageEngine Desktop Central is very limited. When you scan your system, it will only recognize Microsoft Windows Defender and BitLocker."
What is most valuable?
Windows patching and inventory management are the most valuable features
What needs improvement?
ManageEngine Desktop Central is very limited. When you scan your system, it will only recognize Microsoft Windows Defender and BitLocker. The warranty period, on Desktop Central only recognizes the Dell. They do not recognize HP and they do not recognize any other brand like ThinkPad.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using ManageEngineDesktop Central for eleven years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
ManageEngine Desktop Central is stable.
How are customer service and support?
We maintain ourselves, but if there is something beyond our knowledge, then we contact technical support.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have used Spiceworks.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I would rate pricing as a seven on a scale of one to ten. ManageEngine Desktop Central could be cheaper.
What other advice do I have?
Seven hundred users are currently using the system.
I would rate ManageEngine Desktop Central an eight on a scale of one to ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Other
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Download our free ManageEngine Endpoint Central Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros
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Updated: November 2024
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