July 28, 2021

1E Tachyon, the one stop shop!

David Sixsmith

Systems Administrator

Carollo Engineers (Civil Engineering, 1001-5000 employees)

Score 10 out of 10

Vetted Review

Verified User

Incentivized

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

1E Tachyon is a modular platform, so we currently use it in many ways in the IT Department. The primary function that we use is Tachyon Explorer, which allows us to easily gather very granular information or make changes to devices, whether or not they are currently connected to our internal network. The Guaranteed State module allows us to ensure that our devices are compliant with our IT policies by checking and fixing settings that are important to our environment. The AppClarity module shows us what software is actually being used, and allows us to reclaim software licenses that are not utilized in a certain amount of time. AppClarity also allows us to store all of our company-wide licensing information in a single location, and provide reminders for upcoming renewals. The Patch Success module gives us good insight into which devices are up to date and which ones may be experiencing issues or need additional upgrades. The Application Migration module makes it easy to upgrade all of the software on a device to desired versions during a computer refresh, and allows for customization and adding new software titles in the same process. The Inventory module provides a single location to view all of our hardware and software inventory in an easy-to-view BI dashboard format.

Pros and Cons

Extremely quick responses from Tachyon Explorer provides immediate feedback
Automated software reclaim for unused software keeps our licensing costs down
Guaranteed State gives us peace of mind that our required policy settings will remain intact
Tachyon Experience gives an in-depth insight into proactive performance troubleshooting

They currently don't have all of their products incorporated into the Tachyon web interface, meaning that we need a separate administration console for using their Shopping product.
The 1E Tachyon Exchange is an online repository for common or useful instructions, but it is still a bit lacking. New instructions aren't published very often.
Writing your own custom instructions for Tachyon Explorer has a bit of a learning curve if you aren't already familiar with SQL queries or their SCALE language. There is published documentation for SCALE, but I'd like to see them add a basic functionality course to their online training portal.

Likelihood to Recommend

When we are needing to patch workstations for zero-day vulnerabilities or security risks, Tachyon Explorer is our go-to tool to push out those settings quickly. We have a Tachyon server stood up in our DMZ to communicate with the workstations outside of our VPN, so we can push those settings or patches to devices without needing them to attach to our network. It's really nice to be able to communicate with the computers that rarely connect to our corporate network and ensure that they are still protected.

We do have the 1E Client installed on all of our internal servers in order to get inventory and licensing information, but we don't typically utilize the Tachyon software on the servers for much else. A different team handles those computers and often requires change management, so expedited changes don't happen often there. Standard deployment and patching tools do the job.

1E Digital Employee Experience (DEX) Platform Feature Ratings

Return on Investment

Being able to deploy configuration changes while devices are off-network was a real-life-saver for us during the sudden work-from-home scenarios we faced during the pandemic.
Reclaiming unused software licenses has provided some additional budget to use towards other products, and helps us to justify the cost of what we already have.
Using Experience to proactively troubleshoot performance issues not only reduces the number of help desk tickets but also provides a better work environment for our employees.

Alternatives Considered

Microsoft Endpoint Manager (Microsoft Intune + SCCM)

Microsoft has good intentions, but they are often late to the table. On more than one occasion, we have seen Microsoft incorporate a new feature into their own products, but it's something that 1E had already been offering for a year or more. By the time Microsoft adds a new feature, it has already been in our 1E toolbox and even then doesn't seem to have all of the additional functionality that we get from the 1E software. Currently, we're starting to see Microsoft's push for endpoint performance analytics, which 1E Tachyon has already done impressively for some time now.

Other Software Used

Microsoft Endpoint Manager (Microsoft Intune + SCCM)

Usability

1E Tachyon has plenty of features and functionality right out of the box. They offer a Tachyon Exchange web portal where you can go to download new Tachyon product packs as they become available through consulting engagements and customer requests. Sometimes you might need to do something more specific or customized than what is available to everyone, and that's when your own knowledge is put to the test. Being able to write your own SCALE code would be invaluable, but takes a while to learn if you aren't already familiar with SQL, PowerShell, or a few other popular languages. Making it your own can definitely take some work, but it's worth it in the end.

Operating Systems	Unspecified
Mobile Application	No

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