KACE Asset Management Appliance vs. Snow Atlas

The KACE Management Appliance does many different things, but does not do them as well as other products. It is an all-in-one system for Asset tracking, software management, ticketing system, Contact management, and reporting. If you require basic functionality for these, then this product will meet your needs. But when you begin needing advanced/granular functions from the appliance, it will fall short.

Incentivized

Assessing Compliance Assessing Renewal requirements

Incentivized

• Gives you real time data to systems on my network.
• I can get information on all applications running on devices on my network.
• I can get information on what systems are not currently patched and up to date with MS and Virus definitions!

Incentivized

• Visibility of traditional desktop and web based applications
• Reminders when agreements and annual renewals are coming up in the next 90, 60, 30 days
• Helps us identify similar application types, where they are being used, so we can better understand the capabilities they provide businesses
• Provide usage trends over time to inform renewals and compliance
• Reclaim software that is note in active use

• The UI is clunky and could use a redesign
• Support is good but sometimes it's hard to get someone right away or a response in a timely manner
• expand some support beyond dell and others to include something like Microsoft Surfaces, etc.
• KB articles need a refresh, there are a lot of older things out there that don't apply anymore.

Incentivized

• SaaS connectors are not always kept up to date usually when Publishers make changes to their Portal API's. Appears to be little active monitoring on Flexera/Snow Atlas' side unless a customer reports an issue with the data being returned. Fixes are normally implemented as as quickly as possible, depending on whether it is considered a Bug Fix or a Feature Enhancement.
• Users - Snow on SAM - No ability to add or bulk import manually. Completely reliant on AD Discovery or Entra ID Discovery
• Users - SaaS module - No ability for bulk update of Users for things line 'Online only' or 'Qualified' user accounts. This is an issue in larger companies where you have thousands of SaaS Users being reported through connectors like Microsoft E365.
• SaaS module Dashboard does not allow for filtering of insights to a specific Publisher.
• Not all Back end SMACC functionality form Snow License Manager have been exposed to the front-end access, as Snow Atlas does not allow customer Administrators access to the back end or SQL databases.
• If you are migrating from on-prem Snow License Manager to Atlas, migration tools have not been created by Snow and will require a Project to handle your migration. Without Migration tools, we had to use a Managed Service Partner who had to manually create a lot of their own scripts to retrieve data that cannot be downloaded via reports and imported into Atlas. Any attachments documentation on Agreement or License Records has to be manually re-attached/uploaded to the relevant Agreement/License records in Atlas as the migration was performed.

Incentivized

Provides the much needed visibility to contain spend and rationalise software

The appliance and software does its job, as it's intended to. There aren't many other bells and whistles. integrates well with MFA (okta), integrates well with KACES SDA. The modules it has will suit most needs. If you have the money in the budge, i'd suggest going with professional services to help with the setup/integration. There are some parts that are cumbersome and may require support. Save yourself the headache

Incentivized

Atlas is easy to navigate, it looks reasonably similar to the on prem version we were using previously

Incentivized

Front line support staff done always understand the issue you are explaining or the need to escalate to back end/higher up areas for resolutions and can often require use of the Escalate function or emailing to your Account/Customer Success Manager. That said, once an issue properly is understood, it is handled well.

Incentivized

We should have spun up a Project to manage the implementation. Snow indicated to us the ease in which Snow Atlas could be implemented, however this did not factor in that we were migrating from their on-prem product Snow License Manager hosted through a Managed Servicer Partner. For a clean installation, your implementation can be quick and likely not require a Project. If you are migrating from another products or are a company that can have lots of stakeholders, fingers in the pie, hurdles/business processes that need to be adhered to, definitely use a Project to perform your implementation.

Incentivized

We were not able to get SCCM to stabilize and work, it would continually fail to add computers to groups and fail to install programs/updates to computers in a defined group. Continually, user community forums kept recommending to replace it with another solution. JIRA is a much more efficient ticketing system, and we migrated the ticketing system from KACE to JIRA.

Incentivized

This is my 1st software license tool that I've used.

Incentivized

• Original investment was very substantial but I believe will be well worth it in the long run!
• DAM gives us a great view of what happening and whats on out network as far as PC, Laptops and Servers.
• The reporting function will help with budget proposals to BOS for County Budgets and giving exact numbers of systems and software and devices on the County Domain

Incentivized

• Made it a lot easier to determine annual Microsoft renewal numbers and only renew what we needed reducing costs
• Helps us identify potential software that can be rationalised reducing costs
• Helps us identify unapproved software and people aware of the the risks