An inventory of network computers and devices is an essential component of equipment maintenance in organizations of any size. IT asset tracking allows you to keep equipment up to date and avoid unnecessary maintenance costs.
The manual collection of information from each device is outdated due to the effort and time that is required. Specialized software can retrieve accurate, up-to-date information as quickly as possible. With flexible reporting capabilities, such software allows you to generate and view detailed summaries for each device, as well as identify any changes in the network that require attention.
In this article, we take a look at the most popular asset audit solutions that are available on the market. We hope these tools will help you choose the most suitable network inventory solution for your business.
The standard edition of Total Network Inventory 6 provides the full functionality for taking inventory of various devices. The program is easy to set up and is intuitive from the start. You can scan Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD, and ESX/ESXi systems, as well as network devices using SNMP and Telnet.
All collected data can be displayed in customizable reports and easily exported to your preferred format.
TNI also allows you to customize scheduled reports and scans in order to automate these routine tasks.
Additionally, TNI includes a Change Log feature that provides detailed information about changes to your assets since the last scan.
The license cost starts at only $100 for a 25-device license.
 Pros |
 Cons |
| Complete tools for network audit | Can only be installed on Windows systems |
| Supports a wide range of devices and protocols | |
| Easy installation | |
| User-friendly interface | |
| Low cost |
Spiceworks is one of the most popular free web-based inventory solutions. This application provides a convenient and intuitive network scanner, effortless filtering of gathered information and a tool that compares devices.
The necessity of using the web interface leads to certain limitations in visualizing some of the processes and customizing the program to your needs, but this issue is offset by an easy and, most importantly, multi-user access to data.
It’s important to also point out that in addition to inventory, the program has tools for monitoring, detection of cloud services, creation of procurement lists and customer support (helpdesk).
License cost: free (monetization through advertisements).
| Pros |
Cons |
| User-friendly | Web access only |
| Freeware | Limited customization |
| Ability to expand with monitoring add-on | A lot of advertising |
| Procurement list and helpdesk |
Despite the somewhat outdated interface, Network Inventory Advisor offers a full range of must-have functions for creating an inventory of devices on the network. The application allows you to scan Windows systems, Unix-like systems and SNMP devices. In addition, the advanced SAM module in the program allows for managing and keeping track of licenses.
Other features include the ability to detect and collect Autodesk product keys.
Updates within the major version are available for free. The prices start at $89.00 for a 25-device license.
| Pros |
Cons |
| Complete core functionality for asset management | Obsolete interface |
| For Windows and macOS installation | Infrequent updates |
| Autodesk product key discovery | No Web-GUI |
Solarwinds stands out somewhat from our software top list both in price and in functionality. Still, this software is rather popular and is used in large corporations to solve a wide range of tasks. Many also consider it one of the best software inventory tools.
The reviewed product features a number of tools for asset monitoring, software license management, real-time service and process monitoring, and also automatic execution of scripts when monitored values deviate from the norm.
Solarwinds also provides a separate module for creating a topology map. The potential it offers is truly outstanding, including a scalable world map where you can create local network maps for each branch of your organization.
License cost starts at $5,995.00 for a license for 25 devices.
| Pros |
Cons |
| Wide capabilities for inventory and monitoring | Access through web only |
| Lots of tutorial videos | Very expensive |
| Multi-user access |
Total Network Inventory 6 Professional includes all the features of the Standard edition and is designed for users who want all-encompassing functionality in a single application at a reasonable price.
In addition to the core features, this edition allows you to create detailed network maps and track your software and licenses. It also introduces a dedicated Sensors mode for advanced hardware monitoring.
The network map editor is very easy to learn too. Simply drag the assets onto the map and create the necessary links between them. You can quickly put together an overall map, a schematic, or even multiple smaller maps for each office or floor. The map monitors the device uptime and keeps track of various assets in a networked infrastructure. You can also connect to devices and execute simple commands.
The Sensors mode enables you to collect detailed data from hardware components without placing additional load on target systems. You can monitor key parameters such as CPU temperature, storage usage, motherboard voltage, and other system metrics in a single view, and track changes over time.
At first glance, the software and license accounting module may seem more complex than other parts of the program. However, its benefits can hardly be overestimated. You can store license keys and documents, track license information for any software, receive notifications about automatically calculated license status, and get alerts before maintenance periods expire. Combined with a detailed view of all installations and convenient filtering options, this module provides comprehensive information about all software across your computers.
The license cost starts at $150 for a 25-device license.
| Pros |
Cons |
| Easy installation | A Windows-only application |
| User-friendly interface | No cloud integration |
| Software management | |
| Network map |