Desktop Central from ManageEngine is a client desktop management with patching, remote control, and configuration.
$795
per year per user
SmartDeploy
Score 9.6 out of 10
N/A
SmartDeploy, now from PDQ.com (acquired January 2022), provides a software deployment solution supporting computer imaging, app deployment, driver management, and Windows migration.
ManageEngine Endpoint Central is very well suited to most kind of patches, updates, and software deployments. It's able to quickly recognize and update third-party software whenever a new security vulnerability is discovered, and it's able to do this for you automatically. The remote connection and management features allow us to begin troubleshooting immediately once a user reports an issue, regardless of whether or not they're working on-campus or from home. A ticket that might have taken a few days to close out now takes no longer than a couple minutes. If you use Mac, the remote connection feature requires the user to allow Endpoint Central through their system's Security/Privacy settings. This step can be difficult for your less tech-savvy users. You can remotely and silently access a computer's task manager, registry, and command prompt, which is incredibly useful. This saves us a ton of time on having to contact the user and schedule a meeting. The only complaints I have about these management features are that the UI is a little bare bones, and it occasionally has minor problems with responsiveness.
Well suited scenarios : One of the situations SmartDeploy helped immensly was in application deployment and management for our projects , making it and instant favorite for the deployment process. Also in one situation where we had a high flying app development which did'nt had much time to develop, deployment thorugh smart deploy made it quick and less involvement. Easier to understand major functionalities and onboard new projects. Less appropriate scenarios: We faced issues while utilising by DevOps team for monitoring every system for issue resolving in linux update on every employees system. This created alot of delay in every employees work front as systems were not working as expected
We set alerts when a devices gets low on disk space. That is automatic and creates a ticket in ME SDP. We are then able to Add space to a VM Desktop, and then go thru ManageEngine Endpoint Central to extend the drives so the entire process can be done without interruption to the end user.
Using the patch scans we can easily see what patches have been installed for all manufacturers not just Microsoft, without having to physically go to the device. It also allows us to choose which patches we want to push out and automate the process so we can be hands off, freeing up out time for other things.
Remote access to devices. This allows us to remotely make changes, not just via remote control but also make registry changes and clean up space without going to the device and without interruption to the end user.
Alerts. We have set up to get email alerts when new hardware is plugged into any computers. This lets us know if someone is bringing in un-authorized equipment (thumb drives, hubs, etc) to better manage what is/is not on our network.
The remote CLI/PowerShell interfaces should support tab completion and command history like the real-world versions
Remote control could work better
Having a standalone application, even if just a Java app or something for the remote control/remote command line versus running it out of a web browser
Remote monitoring is useful but has some lagging and functionalities are not upfront to use , making it complicated for new users to be aware just by using the application
Windows migration was quite difficult in terms of updates of softwares to be migrated to new system
Integration with client systems can be tough as major usage of other softwares is done in most of client systems causing us difficulties to integrate with smart deploy on the same platform
ManageEngine is considered an excellent product due to its comprehensive suite of solutions for IT management, with ManageEngine Endpoint Central specifically excelling in endpoint management. The platform stands out for its user-friendly interface, robust features, and versatility in addressing diverse IT needs. It offers organizations a centralized solution for endpoint security, patch management, software deployment, and asset management
I gave this rating because ManageEngine Endpoint Central is reliable, easy to use, and delivers strong value for money. It helps us save time through automation and effectively handles patching, remote support, application management, BitLocker security, and corporate data wipe. Although cloud DLP support is limited, the overall performance and stability fully justify the rating.
The immediate chat support is great and very helpful. However, if you need escalated support or have a deeper need that the chat tool can't help with, you will experience significant wait times and slow responses. The time zone difference becomes painful to the point of often just giving up.
SmartDeploy customer support has been very good. Although we do not always get a super-fast response (though always within the time stated). The tech support folks at SmartDeploy always go the extra mile to see that our immediate issues are taken care of in as timely a manner as possible. They have always been attentive to our needs and frustrations.
It seems that the services offered with the purchase change from what is covered to what is an additional cost. Somethings I thought we had ended up requiring an additional purchase if we wanted to continue using the feature.
This works great. It is super easy to setup automated patching and the patching actually works. When using Solarwinds, we would have to regularly troubleshoot machines and figure out why they were not patching. This is not the case with ManageEngine Endpoint Central. We have seen a significant decrease in number of troubleshooting hours since moving.
SmartDeploy has a fantastic deployment process management with detailed and configurable aspects. Even though it has detailed configuration it still somehow makes it easy to understand and implement compared to other services which need special learning and courses to understand them completelya and use them efficiently. This is one quality highly appreciated and stacks up against any other services I have used for deployment
We have been able resolve and complete any requests which include things like software deployment or issues that include troubleshooting, much faster and more efficiently. This has had a sharp decrease in our response times and also time it takes to complete these requests or incidents.
The mobile device management features have allowed us to be able to have a much tighter grip on security. This means we have dramtically decreased our device vulnerabilities and risk of data breaches. This has saved us lots of time and money.
The remote features that are available have helped a lot with user's being able to work remotely and allow our organisation to sustain hybrid work. It means user's can still be as productive and IT support is as efficient no matter where the user is working.
Very fast as an image deployment solution for new PCs. We do not have to create a completely new image when new hardware comes out. This is an amazing time-saver on its own.
With offline deployment and some workarounds, this is allowing us to migrate many Windows 7 units, rather than having to upgrade each one or load from scratch or replace it with new hardware.
