ManageEngine AssetExplorer vs ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus

Likelihood to Recommend

The purchase order module can be very useful if you put a process in place. It is miles ahead of using a spreadsheet or something simple to do purchase orders and track spending.It can be good to keep track of equipment and software you have in house. However it is imperative you have dedicated staff and processes in place to maximize the utility of the software else it can become a white elephant if not implemented properly as it is a complex piece of software that does many things.

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Verified User

Professional in Information Technology

Non-profit Organization Management Company, 11-50 employees

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We use the free version, it allows up to 10 technicians to be added to the system, but that has never been an issue, as we are a small team. The functionality and usability of MESDP are great and can work with larger teams too. It is well suited to be used as a main Ticketing system, and this is not limited to IT only, I am sure other teams that need to keep track and log issues will be able to utilize MESDP without any issues. There is a self-service portal as an option, however, we do not use it as of yet, as there has not been the need for it.If you would need to use the same instance within multiple departments, this may be a bit tricky to achieve, as there is no easy way to limit visibility to tickets from other departments, however, I am sure there is a way around it.

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Verified User

Manager in Information Technology

Retail Company, 501-1000 employees

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Feature Rating Comparison

ManageEngine AssetExplorer

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus

Software and hardware inventory tracking

License management

Asset lifecycle monitoring

Contract management

Asset relationship management

ManageEngine AssetExplorer

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus

Organize and prioritize service tickets

Expert directory

Service restoration

Self-service tools

Subscription-based notifications

ITSM collaboration and documentation

ITSM reports and dashboards

ManageEngine AssetExplorer

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus

Configuration mangement

Asset management dashboard

Policy and contract enforcement

ManageEngine AssetExplorer

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus

Change requests repository

Change calendar

Service-level management

Pros

The asset discovery across the network is great.
The periodic scanning and updating of asset status is super valuable.
The software discovery is outstanding. Receiving list of installed software helps greatly with license compliance.

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Steve P

IT LAN Administrator

Information Services FirmInformation Services, 51-200 employees

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It is very easy to create business rules that automatically route email tickets to the correct department and apply templates to correctly categorize the incident.
The technician auto-assign function allows email tickets to be fairly apportioned using a round robin technique. We do not cuurently use the load balancing technique which is also available.
It is very easy to bulk edit requests to correct miscatergorization by Analysts. (i.e. Incidents vs. Service Requests)
Coordinating communications and notifying ticket holders when a network or application event is resolved is very simple.

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Norman Chambers

IT Desktop Support Manager

Essex Property TrustReal Estate, 1001-5000 employees

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Cons

You can fill the database and link it.
You can also add assets that aren't connected with the offline script, I would prefer to get a .exe but this import XML works well.
All is handled via the web, I would prefer a GUI standalone client.

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Jorge Flores

VIP Support Analyst

Novatium Argentina ARL S.A.Oil & Energy, 201-500 employees

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Reporting tools; the report features can be a little limited, it can be quite tricky to get the information you want displayed in detail
You can set required fields within the ticket template, which should mean the user has to complete them before they can submit the ticket, however this often doesn't enforce correctly

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Verified User

Engineer in Information Technology

Aviation & Aerospace Company, 501-1000 employees

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Likelihood to Renew

No score

No answers yet

No answers on this topic

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus 6.0

Based on 1 answer

we are looking at other tools like Zendesk which may replace ServiceDesk. We are currently evaluating both tools to see which one would serve our needs better

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Verified User

Manager in Information Technology

Higher Education Company, 1001-5000 employees

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Usability

No score

No answers yet

No answers on this topic

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus 8.0

Based on 3 answers

As any other feature-rich software package, starting out with ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus has a little bit of a learning curve, but it usually doesn't take very long until you can use the basic features. Training new technicians on the use of the software does not take very long, and for users to submit tickets it is as easy as sending an email.

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Verified User

Analyst in Information Technology

Paper & Forest Products Company, 1001-5000 employees

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Support Rating

ManageEngine AssetExplorer 6.0

Based on 2 answers

It is not a perfect solution. I don't believe it is the best software for some of the components it offers but I do like and appreciate what it does offer. It offers complexity and a range of features for a company to take advantage of if planned and implemented properly.

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Verified User

Professional in Information Technology

Non-profit Organization Management Company, 11-50 employees

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ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus 9.3

Based on 5 answers

I have a few issues with MESDP and even though we use the free version, the support staff was very quick to respond and extremely competent and helpful. Luckily, I have only had to use them a couple of times over the 2.5 years I have been using their product, but they strike me as very competent, friendly and helpful, regardless of the version of their product you use.

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Verified User

Manager in Information Technology

Retail Company, 501-1000 employees

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Alternatives Considered

Altiris is very daunting for users that have never worked with it. AssetExplorer was much easier to use for our team that had no experience with asset management.

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Christopher Treece, CISSP

Systems Engineer

Herc RentalsConstruction, 1001-5000 employees

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ServiceDesk plus was selected because it had more value over the money spent considering the other options, this software does many things and everything it does it excels. It is snappier, more intuitive and easier to configure once you have a general idea of what you want to achieve. Other than that is also well suited for any range of companies that want to integrate ITSM into their IT process.

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Miguel Nuñez

Corporate Informations and Technology Manager

GB Advisors, Inc.Automotive, 201-500 employees

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Return on Investment

Allow us to stay in compliance with licensing requirements. We usually have just the right amount of licenses +2 or 3. We don't have to guess on where we are.
Allows us identify older assets and proactively replace them. Reduces downtime.
No negative impacts I can think of.

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Steve P

IT LAN Administrator

Information Services FirmInformation Services, 51-200 employees

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The tool does not scale well from an ROI perspective. As you add a customer, you must add a new instance, hence a new license.
The tool is probably on the expensive side (34,000 USD per 130 technicians per year).
There is no usage beyond incident, change, and problem management. The CMDB feature is extremely limited and cannot generate additional ROI. There is no knowledge-base or integration with other software (other than ME Desktop Central).

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Verified User

Administrator in Information Technology

Information Technology and Services Company, 1001-5000 employees

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Pricing Details

General

Free Trial

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Free/Freemium Version

—

Premium Consulting/Integration Services

—

Entry-level set up fee?

No

Starting Price

—

ManageEngine AssetExplorer Editions & Modules

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Additional Pricing Details

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General

Free Trial

Yes

Free/Freemium Version

Yes

Premium Consulting/Integration Services

—

Entry-level set up fee?

No

Starting Price

$10 Starting Price Per Month

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus Editions & Modules

Edition

Standard	$10.00¹
Professional	$21.00¹
Enterprise	$50.00¹

Starting Price Per Month

Additional Pricing Details

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Rating Summary

ManageEngine AssetExplorer

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus

ManageEngine AssetExplorer

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus

ManageEngine AssetExplorer

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus

ManageEngine AssetExplorer

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus

Likelihood to Recommend