LANDesk Asset Manager – actually an add-in to the comprehensive LANDesk Management Suite 8.1 application – provides a host of valuable functionality.
There is an air of professionalism about this product which is evident right from the start.
Prior to actual installation, a dialogue enables you to check whether the host environment has all the prerequisites necessary to support the application. This is a nice touch which could save a lot of time in the context of a busy network support function.
These prerequisites include current versions of various Microsoft modules, such as MDAC, that might already be installed if the organization is a Microsoft house. The Management Suite core server is required in order to run the add-in Asset Manager module, (another add-in, Patch Manager, enables automation of patch maintenance, further extending the capabilities of the standard product).
Access to Asset Manager can be obtained via the Management Suite web console and, therefore, accessed from anywhere on the network, subject of course to access permissions, which are controlled via a role-based model, discriminating between full control, data entry and simple access to reports.
Of course, the concept of assets might be defined slightly differently according to the organization in question, depending upon what you want to track and why.
Asset Manager enables user-defined grouping to aid in this respect, but also provides facilities for managing contracts, documents such as invoices, and projects in order to relate these items together. It further provides for templates and lists to aid form creation and includes a useful reports capability, supporting both pre-defined and custom reports.
As a distinguished member of an existing quality product, Asset Manager is a thoughtfully considered, professional and logical add-in that would suit those with a large and potentially complex network and physical environment to administer. This is a product worthy of closer scrutiny.
