Desktop Central from ManageEngine is a client desktop management with patching, remote control, and configuration.
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SmartDeploy
Score 8.0 out of 10
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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 fantastic for a set and forget patching tool. This is great for the Windows clients that we have and provides good reporting and ensures machines are kept up to date and gives us good reporting on which machines are vulnerable in our organisation. Linux machines are not as well handled due to the multiple flavours of Linux that are out there. ManageEngine Endpoint Central only manages specific versions of Mac and Linux so it is best to check compatability ahead of time.
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
More granular access level controls for technicians (restrictions for juniors) on the Mobile Device Management add-on
Monitoring mobile data usage on mobile devices, this has been in the product pipeline for 5 years, but not yet implemented
Ability to remotely support company-owned mobile devices with no end-user permission. End-user needs to allow the remote session, when sometimes that's what we don't want since we're doing an investigation.
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
The local distributor of the product is always available, however most support is received within an hour from India. We've had complex requirements and the support team went so far as to customize their mobile application to suit our unique needs. We honestly can't complain about any support we've received and it's always been very quick.
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.
WSUS (provided by Microsoft) is a MUCH inferior product, no flexibility at all, updates when it wants and how it wants and was generally not suit for purpose. In addition, endpoint offers all the other functionality that WSUS doesn't (as said earlier in my review, remote control, endpoint security and much more).
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
With software metering, the real use of applications by users has been identified; in this case, when the license renewal date arrives, users who do not use this application have stopped renewing it. This has achieved savings for the business.
The deployment of images has made the onboarding of collaborators faster, this means less downtime and more productivity for the company.
By having the laptops patched and without vulnerabilities, there is greater productivity, because the equipment is no longer out of service due to an attack or vulnerability.
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.
