ServiceDesk Plus = Track-IT replacement?

If you've been following this blog you know that last December we finally gave up searching for the ultimate helpdesk solution and went with Track-IT.  And you may recall my frustration at it's lack of email thread capture which we've determined is a must have.

So we've been keeping our eyes and ears peeled for a good replacement for Track-IT ... tonight I think we may have found it!

ManageEngine Service Desk Plus

"ServiceDesk Plus is a completely web-based Help Desk and Asset Management Software. It offers an integrated package with Request management(Trouble Ticketing), Asset Tracking, Purchasing, Contract Management, Self-Service Portal, and Knowledge Base at an affordable price point."

Does it do email threading?  According to the documentation - YES!!  It captures the complete conversation thread between the requester and tech ... can I get an AMEN!  And it has much of the extra functionality that Track-IT has (most of which we're not yet using).

We're already using 2 ManageEngine products - OpManager (we're using the free version which lets you monitor up to 20 network devices) and WiFiManager (still evaluating the trial version).  So adding another ManageEngine module into the mix is a no-brainer ... and it can tie into OpManager ... sweet.

So on paper it looks like a potential winner for us ... now to kick the tires.  You can play with the online demo here ... I'm digging the way the screens are laid out and the dashboard type views.

There's a free version which appears to be limited only by the number of assets it can manage (25) or you can install a full blown 30 day trial.  Cost for the full blown is based on # of techs ... $495/yr for 2 techs ... $995/yr for 5 techs ... etc.  For comparison based on 5 techs, we could get about 5 years of ServiceDeskPlus for 1year of Track-IT ... doh!  I'm not sure if they offer non-profit discounts, but I'll find out.  I'll also find out exactly what is crippled in the free version ... we're planning to use SCE2007 for asset management so we may be able to just use the free version ... wouldn't that be swell.

We'll get the trial installed and put it through it's paces ... I'm optimistic given what I've seen so far that this will be our new helpdesk solution ... please let it be so!

I'd highly recommend checking out all the free ManageEngine products - some great stuff that is free for smaller shops and low cost for bigger shops.

UPDATE:  Heard back from a rep about my questions on pricing and free version.
Yes - they offer a 10% discount for non-profits.
The free version is limited to one technician and a max of 25 workstations that can be managed ... so we'll need to pony up for the full version which is still a heck of deal assuming this fits our needs.

Comments

[Jon Edmiston]

AventNet, the makers of the product have always given us a discount when we requested one. Another cool feature is that OpManager can automatically create ServiceDesk tickets when an alert is thrown.

[tom o.]

That looks like some promising software! I'm looking forward to hearing what you find out about non-profit pricing.

[Scott Gagon]

Wow, that's one impressive piece of software. In the previous blogpost you mentioned Cerberus Helpdesk, did you ever try that out? What were your impressions?

[Austin Spooner]

OpManager is great. I just downloaded the free one and configured it to manage all our switches (4) servers (6) , wifi points (4), and the router (1) and it didnt cost a thing. Thanks! Just what i have been looking for!

[Bill Lloyd]

One question I have is why are you planning to use SCE2007 to do your asset tracking? What is missing in ServiceDesk Plus?

[V Bala]

Hi all,

Just an update from ManageEngine productline:

We have two other exciting products that might suit your requirments:

(1) ManageEngine DeviceExpert - a web-based Network Configuration Management Software that helps in taking total control of the configurations of network devices such as switches, routers, firewalls and others from multiple vendors. Please visit http://www.deviceexpert.com for more info/ free version / professional trial version download

(2) ManageEngine PasswordManager Pro (PMP) - a web-based Password Management Software that helps enterprises to control the access to shared administrative/privileged passwords of any 'enterprise resource' such as servers, databases, network devices, applications etc. It also serves a centralized, secure repository of passwords.

Please visit http://www.passwordmanagerpro.com for more info/ free version / professional trial version download

Bala