Best IT Management Software

In the past, the businesses were quite disorganized, sluggish, and prone to risks. For quite a long time, the business struggled with their performance and quality. But with technological innovation and digitization, this has changed dramatically.  IT management or Information technology management is a core discipline of any organization today where all the computers and information systems & technology resources of a company are managed in line with its significance and requirement. It widely covers all the software, hardware, and networks associated with the business. Any error in their functioning could lead to permanent damage. In order to avoid such circumstances, the business owners have to ensure that all their IT assets are in good working condition and operating in their full capacity.  Technology like IT management software proves handy to manage IT infrastructure efficiently.  However, the selection of the right IT Management Software becomes vital.

This buyer guide is intended to help business owners, IT technicians, and IT managers to select the best IT management software. The guide will highlight key points about the IT management software that could assist them in selecting the software.

IT management can be categorized into two processes; tactical and strategic.

Strategic Process:  The strategic process includes activities that require advance planning and preparations to perform business operations.  The process ensures that all the supportive requirements are available to execute the activities.  In IT management, the areas that require strategic planning includes;

• Security planning
• Facilities management
• License management
• Disaster recovery
• Capacity monitoring/ planning

Tactical process: The tactical process is more focused on the issues or topics that have an immediate impact on the system.  For IT infrastructure, the tactical components include

• Problem management
• Storage management
• Network management
• Configuration management
• Performance monitoring
• Change management

A well managed IT system helps organizations to reduce operational costs and enhance overall productivity.  It facilitates all the avenues that assist in optimizing the company’s IT resources.  It is critical to avoid the expenses business owners have to bear when they are struck by an unexpected disaster. The disaster could result in major data loss, lengthy downtime, and low productivity. The business owners practicing sound IT management can take preventive measures in a timely manner and reduce the impact of the disasters. 

The costly IT assets essential for business success should yield high ROI to the business owners. A well planned IT management has better control over the IT inventories, and it prevents the placing of unnecessary orders. The IT management ensures efficient delivery of IT services and smooth flow of information within different departments of an organization.   Besides that, regular maintenance of IT equipment ensures that businesses perform routine activities without any issues and gain higher profit.  Setting up IT infrastructure is not alone enough to cut costs on business operations, but strategy to enhance their capacity through IT management can make a huge difference.  It means being vigilant on IT security, computing speed, connectivity, and overall productivity is equally important to save costs.

• Managing inventory and licensing: Managing IT inventory and licensing is a challenging task with the traditional approach.  The IT technician’s or manager’s job becomes quite exhausting to manually check the IT infrastructure involving multiple assets. The conventional method for managing IT assets, licenses, usage, and contracts does not promise transparency.
• Documentation: Documentation is an integral part of IT infrastructure.  The technician needs to note down all the details about the new updates, procurement, or issues within the IT set-up. The traditional method was quite cumbersome and had a low level of accuracy. The process of knowledge transfer becomes difficult whenever some new technician or expert joins the team.
• High risk: The traditional approach is not accurate, and it puts the business at high risk when they don’t conduct maintenance work regularly. Poorly maintained IT infrastructure could lead to security loopholes; it could be catastrophic for business.
• Time-consuming: The traditional approach is expensive and time-consuming. The IT technician or managers have to rely on manual methods for all their operations. It is quite  time consuming and expensive to monitor all the system manually.
• Data storage: The entrepreneurs are exhibiting their digital presence through online platforms. It means more data generation and more work for IT management to store these data. It is a big challenge to manage and process these data with standard computing power.

The wiser way to handle these challenges is to invest in the top IT management software.

IT Management Software is a set of tools that help organizations to monitor and administer an organization’s information technology systems like hardware, software, and networks.  The IT management software is a broad term, and it spans various constituents of the organization process, including project management, workflow automation, incident management, software license management, etc.

Generally, an  IT infrastructure consists of servers, switches, routers, software, security patches, power system, and service components (Firmware, app installation, configuration, and updates).  The primary purpose of the IT management software is to ensure that all these components remain up and running to conduct the business processes.  Besides that, it deals with policies, procedures, and cloud-based services.

The existence of IT Management Software was evident because of the complexity associated with the IT infrastructure.  It becomes complete chaos when the IT technician has to detect and fix issues from the massive network system. Especially when it is a large enterprise, it gets even more challenging to monitor all the connected devices manually and identify the error.  

The automation feature of IT management software further makes IT management easy and quick. It reduces the redundancy level and saves resources for performing more complex tasks.  Besides that, the IT management software addresses the business owners’ pain-points like global regulatory compliances, delivering fast customer services, and aligning IT infrastructure to evolving business needs.  

Who Can Use IT Management Software?

• IT system managers
• Project managers
• IT technicians

• IT asset management
• Data management
• Network management
• Help desk management

The IT management software can bring significant value to the organization if they know the benefits of IT management software.

• High productivity: A computer system that is fully functional and does not have issues with the hardware or software side can increase users' productivity.
• Uniform and seamless employee experience: For the growth of an organization, it is necessary that the employee has a uniform and smooth working experience.  It is only possible when all the necessary IT amenities work flawlessly.  The IT management solution ensures that all the tasks that require IT infrastructure are fully functional, and even if there are any issues, it gets rectified quickly.
• Easy to monitor issues: The IT management software gives central access to the technician to monitor all the systems utilized by the organization.  It gives them more control over the IT infrastructure and flexibility to work on issues according to the risk levels. The IT management solution can also monitor the network and network devices like routers, printers, firewalls, and switches.
• Minimizes insider threats: The ability of IT management software to view each IT component from a single location makes it easy to monitor all the activities within the organization. The technician can also control the user's permission and access to enterprise assets.
• Log analyzing:  Log analyzing feature helps users collect, correlate, and analyze the data to examine the system performance. Based on the data, the technician takes action to improve the performance.
• Reduce operational costs:  The enterprise can incur huge expenses if their IT infrastructure is not working in full strength or the issues within the system are not fixed immediately. The timely resolution of the IT system can save enterprise expenses and help them identify issues before it goes out of control.
• Remote monitoring:  Remote monitoring of applications, devices, and networks can help the business to prevent disruptions due to lack of visibility and quickly resolve the issues with the IT infrastructure.   
• Better team collaboration: The IT management software can allow team members to collaborate more efficiently; as such, the network infrastructure is managed well by the IT management solution and eliminates all the roadblocks in the network.
• Reduce downtime: The organization can reduce the down-time by decreasing repair time and resuming the regular activities.
• Automation:  The top IT management software solutions can automatically detect the change in the system and alert the IT technician.  It can also conduct automated monitoring of the IT inventories and resource allocation. Automation saves a lot of time and effort for IT technicians.
• Schedule maintenance: Most IT infrastructure that has manual management often suffers due to mis-management in maintenance, but with the IT management tool, the users can schedule regular maintenance and even set reminders easily. 

• Alerts
• Analytic reports
• Dashboard
• Inventory management
• Remote access and  desktop sharing
• Self-service
• Knowledge base
• Cloud computing
• App Management
• Audit and reports
• Patch management
• App Management
• Third-party integration
• Asset management
• Granular level monitoring
• Resource allocation and resource forecasting
• Automation
• Network monitoring
• Robust customer support (Chat, email, and phone)
• Incident tagging
• Data backup and recovery

• Pricing:  The cost of the IT management software is a critical factor to consider before making a buying decision. . It is ideal to check for the hidden charges and other service-related charges before one finalizes on the IT management software. 
• Robust security features: For IT management software, security stands as the top factor..  The IT management software holds confidential information about business IT infrastructure; besides that, it can access other systems remotely, which makes it a soft target for hackers. The top IT management software with high-end security features and data loss prevention measures can bolster the organization’s security.
• Interoperability:  The IT management software can integrate and operate with different hardware or software vendors.  But all these software have different data interpretations, which makes interoperability difficult. So it is preferable to choose the IT management solution that has high interoperability.
• Reliability:  Speed, security, stability, and disaster recovery are the four parameters that help while checking the reliability of k the IT management software. Reliable IT management software can be productive in mitigating business risks.
• Third-party Integrations: There are many tools available in the market designed for project management, generating support tickets, change management, etc. These tools, when clubbed with IT management software, can improve its efficiency.  It is necessary that IT management software solutions easily integrate with third-party tools.   
• Agility: A rigid IT infrastructure can never allow the business to get a competitive edge in an ever-changing market scenario. The best IT management software should be able to swiftly adapt to the changing environment.
• Delivery model:  The IT management software solutions can be deployed as both on-premise and software-as-a-service (SaaS). The implementation could be different for both types of models, and users have to be careful while choosing the software as it may be difficult to change half-way.
• Scalability: As any organization expands, there is a need for expanded IT infrastructure. .  It is essential that IT management software is scalable and allows users to accommodate the system as per the business requirements.  It is also necessary that the software perform equally well with the large volume of users. 
• User-friendly interface: The IT management can become a mess if the interface is not friendly. .  The IT management software with a user-friendly interface helps technicians to view issues clearly and resolve them quickly.
• Customization: Few businesses might need a customized IT management solution to meet their unique business requirements. It is wise to consider a software that offers customization. 

• Chatbots and voice assistants:  Chatbots and voice assistants are in use in IT Management Software in multiple ways, from project management to service management. It can be used to update the task sheets, generate project reports, set up reminders, or even check the inventories. 
• Cloud computing: Cloud computing has been helping organizations transfer the burden of managing the in-house IT infrastructure to the cloud. It enables them to store data on a remote server and run software without installing them.  Some organizations even use a hybrid cloud system, where part of their IT infrastructure is on-premise and uses cloud only when there is a need.
• Mobile application: Mobile devices give IT technicians and IT managers the flexibility to quickly access all the details about their IT infrastructure while on the go There is an emerging trend of mobile apps, and having the IT management software right with mobile, can support quick and instant management of IT assets. 
• Predictive analysis:  Just like cloud computing, predictive analysis technology has created excitement among business owners.  Many industries are utilizing the predictive model to forecast business opportunities, and software users do not rule out AI-powered functions in the IT management tool as well. Based on the past data, the predictive model can suggest to IT technicians the best approach to manage IT infrastructure.

There is a lot of variation seen in the pricing of the IT management software because of the features and services the IT management software offers. Bigger businesses may need end-to-end IT management software solutions that cover all IT infrastructure aspects like change management, project management, asset management, incident management, etc. Small businesses could be precise in their requirements and may utilize one or two of these services. The average cost of IT management software could be anywhere between $1.5/month to $99/month. 

• IT Management Software For Start-ups or Beginners:  Startups usually have to find a balance between their budget and software selection.  It is essential they choose the IT management tool that puts the minimum burden on their budget while fulfilling their business goals. A budget-friendly IT management tool like Softaculous with a starting price of $1.50 per month takes care of all the installation and updates; if the startups are specific about enhancing the software security, then, Idatptive Next-Gen Access with the starting price of $2/month is a good alternative. Both these tools offer free trial too. In case if the business owners are looking for basic IT management software features, then Miradore Management Suite with a starting price of $4 is a good deal.  It covers standard features like IT asset management, patch management, analytics, etc. There are numerous low budget IT management tools available that could help startups and small businesses to claim the IT management software benefits. These include Optitune, Wrike, Applixure, and MyCloudIT.
• IT Management Software for Mid-Size and Large Enterprises:  The mid-size companies can manage tools with basic features and scale up as their requirement rises. Freshservice is one of the top IT Management Software that comes at a starting price of $39/month. The tool is versatile and helps users manage IT assets, projects, and teams efficiently. The tool is scalable and accommodates the business growing needs.  Solarwinds Service Desk can be another best  IT management software option. With a nominal price of $19/month and seamless integration with other tools, the IT management solution is gaining its own popularity. Both these tools offer a free trial. The other tool that qualifies in the same category includes Accelo, GoodAccess, and Abraxio. In case the users want complete control of their entire IT infrastructure, then high-end IT management software like Emsada with a starting price of $80/month could be worth using. The tool offers out-of-the-box IT management software features like service monitoring, reporting, customization, anti-virus alerts, task management, and a myriad of other functions. The other high-end tools that users can consider are ICEFLO and ATERA. 
• Free and open source IT Management Software:  The free and open source IT management software provides many advantages like flexibility, speed, cost, transparency, customization, and room for innovation.  These advantages of free and open source IT Management Software are feasible for many business organizations, especially startups and small scale businesses.

GoodFirms is a reliable review and rating platform for IT solutions.  It carries out a rigorous review and rating system to ensure that consumers get genuine software products for their organizations.  The platform has a pool of software covering almost all industries, which gives software users more options to select the best tool for their business.  The users can select the software by comparing them on various parameters like pricing, features, and services.

IT infrastructure is playing a significant role in filling the gaps in business operations and deals with the core issues like cost, complexity, and compliance. Until technology came into existence, the business operations were disoriented and prone to risks. But as technology improvised, the businesses are getting streamlined and optimized for performance.  Further, efforts are made to ensure that the IT system performs with minimum maintenance and gives maximum output. IT management software is quite useful in achieving this goal and helps users overcome all the challenges they face with the traditional IT management system. If your organization is looking to derive maximum benefits from its IT infrastructure, then do not miss to pick the right IT management tool from GoodFirms’ list of best IT management software.