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Hardware / Software Audit Programs

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by rabbit_runner

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What kind of Audit program(s) are being used on your network, to determine hardware and software usage? Do you use an out-of-box software program, or is it a developed package? What criteria was used for selecting the program you are using and finally, what good or bad points to this program you are using? What recommendations would you make for someone who may be in the market for such a program?

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by oldefar

As with any other application, the business objective and business requirements are the first step. These will define the parameters that determine the technical requirements.

This is not meant to be a flip response. Take for example a small business operating out of a single office with 20 hosts, a couple of servers, and an outsourced Web presence without e-commerce. The key objective may be to track equipment and software for tax depreciation purposes and network security. The approachbest suited to this may be manual audit and an Exel or Access tracking sheet, with new entries made upon receipt and install by the resident techie.

Change that to a small business with 4 offices in different states and the objectives may change to include location based property tax accounting and central support. Manual entry may be unworkable if hw/sw is shipped direct to the using office, making remote auditing a requirement.

Change again to add an aggresive acquisition model where an office will be absorbed each month by purchasing competitors.

As the business objectives change, the business requirements and technical requirements change. The solution you seek must match these.

by dhony

I'd reckon that smaller companies don't have the resouces to dedicate to the type of audit yuo describe. These guys probably don't even have a fulltime IT presence, so they're depending on a dedicated amateur. Most of the h/w & s/w audit tools I've found so far seem to be geared towards sites numbering 100's & 1000's of PCs.

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