ManageEngine Endpoint Central is a powerful Microsoft SCCM alternative offering patch management, MDM, asset tracking, remote access, and OS deployment. Its lightweight design, smart reporting, and intuitive dashboard provide complete endpoint visibility. A cost-effective all-in-one solution for modern IT teams!
I am part of the Professional Services team for the Apple team at a reseller in India, and my profile is to implement everything that Apple technology provides via all other MDM solutions or security solutions, with ManageEngine being one of them. My reseller is a partner for Zoho and ManageEngine, and we also do managed services for ManageEngine and for other customers for Zoho and ManageEngine tools altogether, the entire suite. My profile is more towards the device endpoint management and security side of it, and I have been using this tool on the customer side to help them achieve what they want to do for their Apple devices by following Apple best practices, and ManageEngine just happens to be one of the tools which helps me to do so.
I am using ManageEngine Endpoint Central for managing all the endpoints, such as application push, device configuration, policies, device patching, Windows patching, and third-party application patching.
We use ManageEngine Endpoint Central for patch updates for computers. We push updates to endpoints using the server manager within ManageEngine. It also allows us to connect to computers remotely to address problems.
We are using ManageEngine Endpoint Central primarily for desktop management. It allows us to deploy patches, manage antivirus, control endpoints like DLP, and more.
Learn what your peers think about ManageEngine Endpoint Central. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2025.
Senior Engineer at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Top 10
Sep 24, 2024
The primary use case for ManageEngine Endpoint Central in our company is patch management. It is mainly used for patch management, remote access, and remote management. We use it to plan and organize updates and restarts.
We use the solution for patch management, Infinity Scan, and deploying iOS images and MDM. We utilize all the modules, especially for USB blocks and policy management.
I use the solution in my company as a ticketing system and for endpoint management. The purpose of the solution is to control user machines for remote sessions, push updates, and inventory management.
Director of Information Technology at ST ANNES MATERNITY HOME
User
Sep 21, 2023
Our agency did not have any way to manage the actual computers we provided our users. The tech support team would take such a long time to get to a user because they had to physically walk to every office to support the client. The primary use case for this product was to have a solution in place to manage all of our endpoint devices. Now the tech team is more responsive and efficient when it comes to supporting our endpoint users. Patch management is another win-win for us due to the way it was done in the past.
We do patch management and are enabling this service portal. Users can interact with IT in order to download and install the applications. We also push out software to various departments. It's mainly used for patch management. We tend to test and monitor patches.
Endpoint Central is for managing everything, including desktops, laptops, workstation servers, implementing software, and OS deployment. Mobile Device Manager is also included in some editions. There is software deployment, document sharing, remote control, and patching. The Endpoint solution is a complete solution for patching, management reports, Mobile Device Manager, OS patch, OS deployment, and complete endpoint management.
Chief Technical and Solution Architect at Vertigo Inc.
Real User
Jul 20, 2022
We are using it for managing desktops and configurations and compliance. We are using its latest version. We are all up to date with whatever we're doing. It is deployed on-premises.
This company uses the product a lot to do the patch implementation. In terms of the configuration of all machines, they do a lot of remote sections for the end-users.
General Manager at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Mar 15, 2022
We don't yet use it in our office. It is for our customers. We have implemented it for a few banking customers in the middle east, and we are now waiting to also use it for our internal purposes.
My primary use case is for operating system imaging and deployment. We also use it for software deployment, automatic software updates, and computer remote assistance.
Assistant Manager - IT at MEP Infrastructure Developers Ltd.
Real User
Nov 12, 2021
We primarily use the solution for managing patches and centralizing updates for applications. We can also blacklist and whitelist applications on our users' laptops.
Engineering Technical Lead at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Nov 9, 2021
Our main use case, the core function we are using it for, is Patch Management. We download the patches from the database in the Desktop Central server, then we test the patches in our system and push those patches on the server, Microsoft server and Windows, user machines. Inventory Management, Managing Index of Central, was the second main function that we were using to maintain all the records of our servers, laptops, and all the other devices, like Cisco devices and other things on our network. We manage all of our assets through Central. We have directory information using User Management, where we sync all users from the Active Directory to Desktop Central to give access to the users. We did not use Mobile Device Manager, MDM.
Senior Modern Workplace Expert at a insurance company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Nov 8, 2021
We have two main use cases of Desktop Central. The first is patching, because we want to keep our systems secure. We install Microsoft security updates using ManageEngine Desktop Central every month. The second case is to deploy applications. We want to install applications to the machines from a central location. Also, we want to give access to users so they can install whatever applications they need using the self-service portal option. When there is a common application used by many users, we publish it to the self-service portal so users can install it themselves instead of contacting local IT. Those are our two main use cases of ManageEngine, but we also use it for other tasks, such as remote connection. Our local IT uses two products: ManageEngine Desktop Central and TeamViewer. We use both to connect to the remote machines. We have the on-premise version, but we are looking to move forward to the cloud version once they start supporting data migration—at the moment, they don't support it.
Senior System Administrator at a tech services company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Real User
Oct 22, 2021
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 IT Support Analyst at a healthcare company with 51-200 employees
Real User
Aug 25, 2021
With that solution, we can push patches out. We can deploy software, and it tracks our inventory. We can do OS deployment with it. That's about all that we use it for right now.
IT Manager at a tech services company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Real User
Feb 26, 2021
We primarily use the solution to run on all the desktops in our company. We have unique requirements, and this was the only solution that really met them.
We use this product for: * User management and Patch management. * Application and software deployment management, which is made very easy using its software. * Remote support on different platforms like macOS, Windows, Linux, and tablets (Android and iOS). * Software usage monitoring by the users. * Providing endpoint security and assets management. * Discovering the software license and warranty details. * Device control like USB and security policies. * Effectively applying restrictions on end-user devices like cameras and browsers.
I am certified for two of the modules of ManageEngine. I am a certified associate for AD Manager Plus (Active Directory Management) and I also have the certification for Desktop Central. Desktop Central is a management module used to manage devices and services from one location. To manage a large number of users and devices and push upgrades and patches, we need a solution that allows us to do that in an efficient way. We can do this with Microsoft Active Directory. That would be our primary use case for this solution. There are other things that we do with it. If we want to track an incident more closely to do some root-cause analysis, Desktop Central can help us with this. If I have a large group or area of a company that extends into EMEA (Europe, the Middle East, and Africa) and APAC (Asia-Pacific) and maybe LATAM (Latin America) that is on Windows 7 and I want to upgrade multiple devices to Windows 10, I can plan for these upgrades and do them simultaneously. Desktop Central has certain use cases within IT, Ops, and DevSecOps (security as a part of software development and IT operations) roles. Using these you can build a DevSecOps pipeline using Desktop Central. In the case of a well-formed pipeline, the Ops is given the liberty to do the releases rather than having to get IT involved at multiple locations. With minimal help, the Ops can do the releases on their phone, they just have to define the release and the release goes out smoothly without any IT intervention. The automation process can be built out this way to give technical control to non-technical users. We built our own platform for doing that from scratch. But the technology matured and there are more options available from vendors to solve these issues. We chose to deploy Desktop Center as our dedicated solution.
Systems Administrator at a manufacturing company with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
Aug 2, 2020
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.
Our primary use case is to manage most aspects of the endpoints in 21 remote sites. All sites are connected via IPSec VPN mesh and have distribution servers at each site, OS deployment, software deployment, patch management, remote administration, configurations, mobile device management, and browser management. One of my favorite features is a simple remote CMD. This enables us to troubleshoot certain things without interfering with the user desktop session or needing to ask them to take remote control of the machine. It's very valuable being able to fix a problem without stopping user productivity.
We have about 180 endpoints that are spread across several buildings. We have an Active Directory environment. It is hard to maintain updates, install software, and do support in such an environment. Desktop Central has given tools to maintain our environment with ease, deploy updates to machines. Deploy software is an easy to use tool for our needs. The tool for remote support is so great with the ability to use shortcuts and chat. Also, we use an asset scan option very much to maintain an overview of our environment.
Chief Information Security Officer at a retailer with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Jul 23, 2020
Desktop Central has been used to solve the following problems within the organization I have implemented it into: 1. Ensures that the inventory of hardware and software is accurate. 2. Ensures that the configuration of this hardware and software is in alignment with organizational policies and procedures. 3. Ensures the vulnerabilities of hardware and software is understood. 4. Ensures that the remediation of these vulnerabilities is planned and accomplished. 5. Sustainably build secure devices rapidly. 6. Create policies and procedures that are easily repeatable because of the use of a powerful all-inclusive tool.
We have been using ManageEngine Desktopcentral UEM edition in our organization for a year now. We have 1,2000 employees on 80 domains in more than 20 countries around Africa and the world. Its always been an issue to effectively manage such a complex environment. We have changed toolsets every 3 years due to shortcomings in the products. Maintaining patching compliance or standardizing security policies are almost impossible without an application to assist. Things like enforcing a baseline security compliance become more important every year and now with WFH, the system needs to easily cater for it. To add to the problems of managing a large environment we have to look after mobile devices too. With desktop central, we have been able to maintain patch compliance across our entire estate. Manage software licensing and deployment. Enforce minimum security compliance. Work towards a zero-touch environment with automated deployment and custom scripting. We have used the image capture and deployability to do remote deployment of OS in remote areas where previously we would have to send out a person. DesktopCentral allows you to do desktop support without interrupting the user, by using remote event viewer or remote CMD a desktop technician can do troubleshooting without the user knowing. This allows for a more professional and modern way of doing IT support. Integrating into ManageEngine, ServiceDesk Plus has created even further efficiencies by allowing the user to use the agent's self-service portal to request software, create a workflow to have approvals in place, and let desktop central automatically deploy the software once it's approved. DesktopCentral also pulls all the CI information from a users machine and keeps a history of things like Software, Hardware, warranty and shipping date. This information gets passed to the ServiceDesk to populate the asset management portion of the desk. Keeping everything “OS Management” in one portal makes life for the engineer easier, the engineer doesn’t need to jump between multiple systems to achieve basic tasks. We also have a vast verity of OSs from windows 7,8,10, Server to CentOS, Ubuntu, and macOS which we are required to manage. DesktopCentral allows for our engineers to offer the same level of support across all platforms, all domains, all networks all the time.
ManageEngine Endpoint Central is a unified endpoint management (UEM) solution offered by ManageEngine, a division of Zoho Corporation. It is designed to help organizations efficiently manage and secure their endpoints from a centralized platform. Endpoint Central provides a comprehensive set of features and capabilities to streamline endpoint management and enhance security across diverse devices and operating systems.
ManageEngine Endpoint Central Features:
Device Management: Endpoint...
ManageEngine Endpoint Central is a powerful Microsoft SCCM alternative offering patch management, MDM, asset tracking, remote access, and OS deployment. Its lightweight design, smart reporting, and intuitive dashboard provide complete endpoint visibility. A cost-effective all-in-one solution for modern IT teams!
I am part of the Professional Services team for the Apple team at a reseller in India, and my profile is to implement everything that Apple technology provides via all other MDM solutions or security solutions, with ManageEngine being one of them. My reseller is a partner for Zoho and ManageEngine, and we also do managed services for ManageEngine and for other customers for Zoho and ManageEngine tools altogether, the entire suite. My profile is more towards the device endpoint management and security side of it, and I have been using this tool on the customer side to help them achieve what they want to do for their Apple devices by following Apple best practices, and ManageEngine just happens to be one of the tools which helps me to do so.
I use ManageEngine Endpoint Central primarily for patch management and managing devices like external USBs and software inventory.
I am using ManageEngine Endpoint Central for managing all the endpoints, such as application push, device configuration, policies, device patching, Windows patching, and third-party application patching.
We use ManageEngine Endpoint Central for patch updates for computers. We push updates to endpoints using the server manager within ManageEngine. It also allows us to connect to computers remotely to address problems.
We are using ManageEngine Endpoint Central primarily for desktop management. It allows us to deploy patches, manage antivirus, control endpoints like DLP, and more.
The primary use case for ManageEngine Endpoint Central in our company is patch management. It is mainly used for patch management, remote access, and remote management. We use it to plan and organize updates and restarts.
We use the solution for patch management, Infinity Scan, and deploying iOS images and MDM. We utilize all the modules, especially for USB blocks and policy management.
My primary use case is patching. We primarily use it for patching servers and endpoints.
I use the solution in my company as a ticketing system and for endpoint management. The purpose of the solution is to control user machines for remote sessions, push updates, and inventory management.
ManageEngine facilitates our control of the engines. It enables us to access our endpoints remotely and manage endpoint configuration.
We use the product for endpoint security.
Our agency did not have any way to manage the actual computers we provided our users. The tech support team would take such a long time to get to a user because they had to physically walk to every office to support the client. The primary use case for this product was to have a solution in place to manage all of our endpoint devices. Now the tech team is more responsive and efficient when it comes to supporting our endpoint users. Patch management is another win-win for us due to the way it was done in the past.
We use ManageEngine Endpoint Central for endpoint management.
We use the product to know about our assets and manage remote support.
We are using ManageEngine Endpoint Central for patch and asset management.
We do patch management and are enabling this service portal. Users can interact with IT in order to download and install the applications. We also push out software to various departments. It's mainly used for patch management. We tend to test and monitor patches.
Endpoint Central is for managing everything, including desktops, laptops, workstation servers, implementing software, and OS deployment. Mobile Device Manager is also included in some editions. There is software deployment, document sharing, remote control, and patching. The Endpoint solution is a complete solution for patching, management reports, Mobile Device Manager, OS patch, OS deployment, and complete endpoint management.
I use only the asset-management part.
We are using it for managing desktops and configurations and compliance. We are using its latest version. We are all up to date with whatever we're doing. It is deployed on-premises.
This company uses the product a lot to do the patch implementation. In terms of the configuration of all machines, they do a lot of remote sections for the end-users.
The solution is used predominantly for our service desk and IT uses it for capturing issues from our users.
We don't yet use it in our office. It is for our customers. We have implemented it for a few banking customers in the middle east, and we are now waiting to also use it for our internal purposes.
We are in the testing phase of ManageEngine Desktop Central.
My primary use case is for operating system imaging and deployment. We also use it for software deployment, automatic software updates, and computer remote assistance.
We primarily use the solution for managing patches and centralizing updates for applications. We can also blacklist and whitelist applications on our users' laptops.
Our main use case, the core function we are using it for, is Patch Management. We download the patches from the database in the Desktop Central server, then we test the patches in our system and push those patches on the server, Microsoft server and Windows, user machines. Inventory Management, Managing Index of Central, was the second main function that we were using to maintain all the records of our servers, laptops, and all the other devices, like Cisco devices and other things on our network. We manage all of our assets through Central. We have directory information using User Management, where we sync all users from the Active Directory to Desktop Central to give access to the users. We did not use Mobile Device Manager, MDM.
We have two main use cases of Desktop Central. The first is patching, because we want to keep our systems secure. We install Microsoft security updates using ManageEngine Desktop Central every month. The second case is to deploy applications. We want to install applications to the machines from a central location. Also, we want to give access to users so they can install whatever applications they need using the self-service portal option. When there is a common application used by many users, we publish it to the self-service portal so users can install it themselves instead of contacting local IT. Those are our two main use cases of ManageEngine, but we also use it for other tasks, such as remote connection. Our local IT uses two products: ManageEngine Desktop Central and TeamViewer. We use both to connect to the remote machines. We have the on-premise version, but we are looking to move forward to the cloud version once they start supporting data migration—at the moment, they don't support it.
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.
With that solution, we can push patches out. We can deploy software, and it tracks our inventory. We can do OS deployment with it. That's about all that we use it for right now.
We primarily use the solution to run on all the desktops in our company. We have unique requirements, and this was the only solution that really met them.
We primarily use this product to monitor PCs, perform updates, and as a remote desktop.
We use it for Windows patching, third-party application patching, and third-party application deployment.
We use this product for: * User management and Patch management. * Application and software deployment management, which is made very easy using its software. * Remote support on different platforms like macOS, Windows, Linux, and tablets (Android and iOS). * Software usage monitoring by the users. * Providing endpoint security and assets management. * Discovering the software license and warranty details. * Device control like USB and security policies. * Effectively applying restrictions on end-user devices like cameras and browsers.
I am certified for two of the modules of ManageEngine. I am a certified associate for AD Manager Plus (Active Directory Management) and I also have the certification for Desktop Central. Desktop Central is a management module used to manage devices and services from one location. To manage a large number of users and devices and push upgrades and patches, we need a solution that allows us to do that in an efficient way. We can do this with Microsoft Active Directory. That would be our primary use case for this solution. There are other things that we do with it. If we want to track an incident more closely to do some root-cause analysis, Desktop Central can help us with this. If I have a large group or area of a company that extends into EMEA (Europe, the Middle East, and Africa) and APAC (Asia-Pacific) and maybe LATAM (Latin America) that is on Windows 7 and I want to upgrade multiple devices to Windows 10, I can plan for these upgrades and do them simultaneously. Desktop Central has certain use cases within IT, Ops, and DevSecOps (security as a part of software development and IT operations) roles. Using these you can build a DevSecOps pipeline using Desktop Central. In the case of a well-formed pipeline, the Ops is given the liberty to do the releases rather than having to get IT involved at multiple locations. With minimal help, the Ops can do the releases on their phone, they just have to define the release and the release goes out smoothly without any IT intervention. The automation process can be built out this way to give technical control to non-technical users. We built our own platform for doing that from scratch. But the technology matured and there are more options available from vendors to solve these issues. We chose to deploy Desktop Center as our dedicated solution.
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.
Our primary use case is to manage most aspects of the endpoints in 21 remote sites. All sites are connected via IPSec VPN mesh and have distribution servers at each site, OS deployment, software deployment, patch management, remote administration, configurations, mobile device management, and browser management. One of my favorite features is a simple remote CMD. This enables us to troubleshoot certain things without interfering with the user desktop session or needing to ask them to take remote control of the machine. It's very valuable being able to fix a problem without stopping user productivity.
We have about 180 endpoints that are spread across several buildings. We have an Active Directory environment. It is hard to maintain updates, install software, and do support in such an environment. Desktop Central has given tools to maintain our environment with ease, deploy updates to machines. Deploy software is an easy to use tool for our needs. The tool for remote support is so great with the ability to use shortcuts and chat. Also, we use an asset scan option very much to maintain an overview of our environment.
Desktop Central has been used to solve the following problems within the organization I have implemented it into: 1. Ensures that the inventory of hardware and software is accurate. 2. Ensures that the configuration of this hardware and software is in alignment with organizational policies and procedures. 3. Ensures the vulnerabilities of hardware and software is understood. 4. Ensures that the remediation of these vulnerabilities is planned and accomplished. 5. Sustainably build secure devices rapidly. 6. Create policies and procedures that are easily repeatable because of the use of a powerful all-inclusive tool.
We have been using ManageEngine Desktopcentral UEM edition in our organization for a year now. We have 1,2000 employees on 80 domains in more than 20 countries around Africa and the world. Its always been an issue to effectively manage such a complex environment. We have changed toolsets every 3 years due to shortcomings in the products. Maintaining patching compliance or standardizing security policies are almost impossible without an application to assist. Things like enforcing a baseline security compliance become more important every year and now with WFH, the system needs to easily cater for it. To add to the problems of managing a large environment we have to look after mobile devices too. With desktop central, we have been able to maintain patch compliance across our entire estate. Manage software licensing and deployment. Enforce minimum security compliance. Work towards a zero-touch environment with automated deployment and custom scripting. We have used the image capture and deployability to do remote deployment of OS in remote areas where previously we would have to send out a person. DesktopCentral allows you to do desktop support without interrupting the user, by using remote event viewer or remote CMD a desktop technician can do troubleshooting without the user knowing. This allows for a more professional and modern way of doing IT support. Integrating into ManageEngine, ServiceDesk Plus has created even further efficiencies by allowing the user to use the agent's self-service portal to request software, create a workflow to have approvals in place, and let desktop central automatically deploy the software once it's approved. DesktopCentral also pulls all the CI information from a users machine and keeps a history of things like Software, Hardware, warranty and shipping date. This information gets passed to the ServiceDesk to populate the asset management portion of the desk. Keeping everything “OS Management” in one portal makes life for the engineer easier, the engineer doesn’t need to jump between multiple systems to achieve basic tasks. We also have a vast verity of OSs from windows 7,8,10, Server to CentOS, Ubuntu, and macOS which we are required to manage. DesktopCentral allows for our engineers to offer the same level of support across all platforms, all domains, all networks all the time.
We use this solution for Patch Management, IT Asset Management, and Control on Network Computers.
My primary use case of this solution is to monitor software installs.