15-Minute Reviews :: Remote Asset Tracker v1.6.0b1260 (Quick)

Today’s 15-Minute Review is on Remote Asset Tracker version 1.6.0 build 1260 by Softinventive Lab Inc. – An application to aid in inventorying and tracking all the computers you manage.

This is a quick review of this product due to the fact that it is a clone of Total Network Inventory and also there has not been significant changes that would drastically alter the original review.

Software Description

As Giveaway of the Day states:

“Remote Asset Tracker is a network inventory and PC auditing software designed specifically for medium and large companies. It’ll enable admins to take full control of all network assets with hardware and software tracking, device audit, IT asset management, and software license management.

There is no overly complex approach to IT asset management that may embarrass beginners, yet the program doesn’t look too simplistic to power users.

Remote Asset Tracker has been designed in tight collaboration with IT departments of companies, whose practical experience of PC auditing and asset tracking is reflected not only in the carefully chosen features but also in the friendly interface that makes asset tracking a fun to enjoy! With Remote Asset Tracker, users will be able to continually track the configuration, location, and use of the many thousands of assets in active use across multiple locations and platforms.”

Quick Pros

• Quick scans are handy for quickly seeing what is where (See note below)
• Useful for tracking unauthorized installs, patch levels and so forth
• Login script handy to force reporting, especially with a domain controller
• A lot of information reported back
• Reports for printing out documentation of network as well as legal documentation if needed
• Can add information onto computers such as inventory number, location, primary user, etc.

Quick Cons

• Can not get feedback on computers behind firewalls unless use ‘Logon script scan’
• Would be nice to have functionality such as internet history reporting (or monitoring), remote screen control (for troubleshooting) and so on
• Only inventories Windows-based computers
• Can not add other hardware (Such as routers, switches, printers, etc.)
• SMTP checking of hardware did not work

Expansion (Quick)

It was quickly realized that even though this application is called Remote Asset Tracker, that this application is identical to a previously-reviewed title called Total Network Inventory after reviewing the application for a time, and comparing the screenshots of Total Network Inventory and Remote Asset Tracker – Just simply rebranded.

After using the application for a while, there wasn’t significant changes. After reviewing the changelog here the important changes were that the application supported scanning SNMP-enabled devices and the display of the hardware’s current power status, but there are other changes as well. During my testing, I attempted to have scanned 3 SNMP devices on my network, and none were detected properly, complaining that an RPC server is unavailable, even after providing the login details. For the most part there is only minor updates to this application which they seem to call a major update.

Final Verdict

As with the review of Total Network Inventory this application does have its benefit, including providing staggering amounts of information on Windows systems in a clean and simple layout, its limitation to only Windows hardware and either requiring a login script to run the remote application or open up WPI/RPC is a very large downfall of this application. For free, this may be an interesting application for people with a Windows-based network to tinker with. As for paying $89 for 25 nodes scanned, scaling up from there, there just isn’t enough functionality here to warrent the price tag – One would hope for remote administration functionality (Remote desktop, power on/off, reboot, etc.) through the login script/application for the price. There are better alternatives out there, including SpiceWorks – A free alternative which is evolving very quickly with new features integrated on a regular basis.

For more details on this application, check out the review of Total Network Inventory

Posted by BladedThoth on Monday, February 25, 2008