DeviceExpert from ManageEngine provides a comprehensive approach to network configuration and change and compliance management. This product features the tools needed to analyze and monitor changes to the many devices in the environment, prevent unauthorized changes, define policy and validate that systems are meeting policy and compliance requirements. DeviceExpert includes support for almost any switch, router or firewall, which ensures that all devices in the environment can be analyzed from one easy-to-use console.
We found this solution to be an easy install overall. It comes as a simple executable installation package that can be installed on Microsoft Windows or Linux machines. We installed it on Windows Server 2008 and had no trouble getting it installed and up and running quickly. After a short installation wizard, the product was installed - along with all the necessary components needed - and we were able to navigate to the web-based management interface. Overall, we found the interface to be easy to navigate and to have a clean layout. We also found it easy to add devices and manage policy directly in the interface. For the initial configuration of the product, devices can be added in bulk using the device discovery feature, which makes deployment quick and easy.
We find this product to be quite comprehensive in the way of features and functionality. The first thing we noticed when we started using this product is its well-organized dashboard. The "home" tab of the management interface features a dashboard that shows a well-detailed, bird's-eye view of the latest configurations, changes, policy violations and compliance overviews, among other charts and graphs. This dashboard provides a good starting place to bring the environment into compliance and manage risk. Aside from the dashboard, we also found it easy to view inventory and run compliance reports. This product also features a fair amount of configurable automation of tasks, such as deploying changes across multiple devices in the network using configuration templates.
Documentation provided with this product includes a single help manual. We find this short help manual to be adequate in detail and to include clear, step-by-step configuration instructions, but there are no screen shots or configuration examples to help clarify configuration steps. This guide provides a good overview of the product configuration, but we would have liked to see more detail.
ManageEngine offers 24/7 phone and email support to all customers during the 30-day evaluation of the product. After evaluation, customers can purchase additional support through an annual package. Also available to customers is a large online aid area, which includes access to many resources, such as a knowledge base, user forum, videos, tutorials and product documentation.
With a price starting at $795 for a 10-device license and going up to $14,995 for up to 2,000 devices, we find this product to be an excellent value for the money. While DeviceExpert does require extra hardware cost, we find that its low price point for less devices makes it cost-effective for smaller organizations looking for solid network device policy management and compliance without the high cost of other options. - MS
