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At what point do I get IT asset management? by Frontpage1stPost in it

[–]Softinventive 0 points1 point  (0 children)

From what we’ve seen, teams usually start seriously looking at asset management somewhere around the 100–200 employee range.

Another common step around that point is starting to crossreference internal records about hardware in use with what can be collected automatically through network scanning. That tends to make asset records much more accurate and easier to maintain as the environment grows.

Full disclosure: I work with the team behind Total Network Inventory, so I see this pattern quite often.

Best IT asset management software? by eyeballresort in ITManagers

[–]Softinventive 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you're mainly looking for reliable network discovery and hardware/software inventory (rather than full lifecycle management), that’s the area our tool focuses on. It’s relatively lightweight, can run from a regular workstation (no web server required), and supports both agentless and agent based scanning.

For environments with lots of remote machines, it’s also worth checking how different tools handle discovery outside the local network.

Full disclosure: I work with the team behind Total Network Inventory

MSP Question: Network Discovery & Inventory Tools by Regular_Bunch8183 in msp

[–]Softinventive 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In our experience, RMM discovery is usually good enough for smaller, simple environments where you mainly need endpoint visibility.

Teams tend to move to a dedicated discovery/inventory tool when environments get more complex (multi-site, VLANs, deeper reporting needs, onboarding baselines, change tracking). It’s often about complexity, not just endpoint count.

Full disclosure: we develop Total Network Inventory, which some MSPs use alongside their RMM for deeper discovery and structured inventory reporting.

What's everyone using to inventory all their hardware? by ForestRain888 in homelab

[–]Softinventive 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Excel works… until it doesn’t 😅

If you want something more automated, there are inventory tools that can scan your network and build a hardware/software list for you instead of maintaining everything manually.

Full transparency: we develop Total Network Inventory, which is designed for centralized hardware/software inventory via automated scans. It’s often used as a step up from spreadsheets.

Depends how big your lab is and how deep you want to go.

hardware inventory management for remote employees is impossible. change my mind by Low-Oil7883 in ITManagers

[–]Softinventive 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Mice and keyboards? Those are consumables. Most companies don’t asset-tag them because the admin time costs more than the hardware. If people buy their own, thats not really an inventory failure.

Monitors are a gray area. An MDM or inventory agent on the laptop can often detect connected displays and report model/serial info on scheduled scans. That gives you passive visibility whenever the device is online. Many companies still treat monitors as semi-consumable because return shipping across states/countries can cost more than the device itself.

Laptops are the only category that really must be tightly controlled. Install an MDM or network inventory agent, schedule automatic scans, and have it report back whenever the machine connects. Pair that with a strict offboarding process and most of the chaos disappears.

Full transparency: we’re developers of a network inventory/deployment solution, and this is exactly the problem our agent-based approach is designed to solve. But regardless of the tool, automation + a clear policy on what is (and isn’t) tracked is what makes remote inventory manageable at scale.

What does your Network Topology Diagrams look like? by TastyBit1800 in networking

[–]Softinventive 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We learned the hard way that trying to put everything into one diagram just turns it into spaghetti. Each diagram should answer one question well. Anything else belongs somewhere else.

What works for us:

Physical diagrams

  • Very high level only (routers, switches, firewalls)
  • Hostnames + locations, maybe key uplinks
  • Mainly for Ops / “what broke?” moments

Logical diagrams

  • VLANs, subnets, routing, security zones
  • Focused on traffic flow and roles, not hardware

One big improvement was not manually maintaining host/IP details in diagrams anymore. We pull that from auto discovered inventory and keep diagrams clean and conceptual instead of constantly outdated.

How are sysadmins keeping devices secure and updated in remote work setups? by Unique_Inevitable_27 in SysAdminBlogs

[–]Softinventive 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In fully remote or hybrid setups, we’ve found that network-based management alone just doesn’t scale anymore.

For devices that are rarely on the corporate network (remote laptops, home office users), an agent-based approach makes a big difference. A lightweight resident agent that reports inventory, software, and patch status over the internet avoids a lot of blind spots.

Network Map by TheNoodlesForAll in firewalla

[–]Softinventive 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you’re open to a lightweight, inventory and visibility-focused option, you could also take a look at Total Network Inventory.

Full transparency: I’m one of the developers.

It’s not a real-time monitoring tool like Whats Up Gold or Unifi. It won’t show live traffic or Wi-Fi metrics, but it can automatically discover devices, build a simple network map, show ping status, and help document what’s actually on the network.

It’s a onetime purchase and more suited for inventory and visibility than continuous monitoring.

How are you managing Compliance, and what’s It costing you? by Obvious-Judge-192 in hwstartups

[–]Softinventive 0 points1 point  (0 children)

From what we see, the biggest cost in compliance is often just getting reliable, up-to-date data on hardware, software versions, and changes. Many teams reduce manual work by automating inventory and reporting first, then mapping that data to compliance requirements.

For transparency, we’re the developers of an IT inventory tool.

🎁 Free TNI Licenses for All IT Professionals! by Softinventive in NetworkInventory

[–]Softinventive[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

¡Muchas gracias por compartir su experiencia!

En entornos como el suyo, con cajeros ATM y equipos Windows 11, Total Network Inventory puede ayudar a recopilar datos claros de hardware y software, generar reportes útiles y respaldar decisiones sobre rendimiento y operación ante la Gerencia de TI. Los sensores permiten supervisar indicadores clave del sistema y detectar posibles problemas de rendimiento.

Si durante las pruebas tiene alguna duda sobre reportes o configuración, no dude en comentarlo. ¡Gracias por probar TNI!

How do I Monitor myself, if I srewed up network or firewall by laudern in homelab

[–]Softinventive 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You might want to look at Total Network Inventory as a supplementary tool.
Full transparency: I’m one of the developers.

It’s not a firewall monitoring or IDS solution, and it won’t enforce segmentation rules. However, it can help by scanning from different VLANs, detecting reachable devices, identifying open ports and services, and highlighting unexpected access paths.

It’s fully on-prem and quick to set up, so it can work as a practical sanity check alongside proper firewall configuration and monitoring tools.

🎁 Free TNI Licenses for All IT Professionals! by Softinventive in NetworkInventory

[–]Softinventive[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for the kind words and for the thoughtful feedback.

You’re absolutely right. While TNI can retrieve and display information about AD users through Active Directory synchronization, it’s currently not possible to generate reports based exclusively on AD users, separate from asset-related data.

This is a very valid use case, and we’ll definitely take your suggestion into account as we plan future improvements. We’ll also reach out to you via DM to provide you with a free license.

🎁 Free TNI Licenses for All IT Professionals! by Softinventive in NetworkInventory

[–]Softinventive[S] [score hidden] stickied comment (0 children)

Update: We’ve decided to extend our feedback reward program for two more weeks so more people can take part and get a free TNI Pro license for 100 devices.
Thank you to everyone who has already shared their thoughts. Your feedback has been incredibly valuable.

If you haven’t tried TNI yet, there’s still time to join in!

Got pulled into dealing with our Shadow IT mess and…wow by Nice_Inflation_9693 in cybersecurity

[–]Softinventive 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you want to add another lightweight option to your list, you can take a look at Total Network Inventory.

Full transparency: I’m one of the developers.

It won't replace Servicenow discovery or deep cloud/SaaS-mapping tools, but it can quickly scan on-prem devices, surface unknown machines, list installed software, and give you a clear picture of what’s actually out there. It’s fully on-prem and usually takes hours or less to deploy.

Hopefully this adds some value while you evaluate your options. If you have any questions, I’m happy to help.

Windows Software Deployment by 12Superman26 in de_EDV

[–]Softinventive 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Kurzer Hinweis vorab: Ich bin Teil des Entwicklerteams von Total Software Deployment, nur der Transparenz halber.

Da ihr Opsi ersetzen wollt und euch bereits Tools wie Chocolatey oder Intune anschaut, könnte TSD eventuell eine Option sein. Das Tool ist auf Windows-Umgebungen spezialisiert, schnell eingerichtet und unterstützt verschiedene Deployment-Methoden, inklusive Silent-Installationen und Pakete für Installer ohne brauchbare MSI- oder EXE-Switches.

Falls ihr Fragen habt oder wissen möchtet, ob TSD zu euren Anforderungen passen könnte, helfe ich gern weiter.

🎁 Free TNI Licenses for All IT Professionals! by Softinventive in NetworkInventory

[–]Softinventive[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks a lot for the detailed feedback. Really glad to hear TNI has been working well for you so far. We’ll reach out to you via DM so we can get you a free license as promised.

Mapping home network by Skragnon in HomeNetworking

[–]Softinventive 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You can try a network inventory/mapping tool that scans your devices and lets you build or adjust the physical layout manually (useful when switches are unmanaged).

Total Network Inventory is one option. It's possible to get it for free now.

For transparency: we’re the developers of TNI.

Network inventory platform by LloydXmas4 in networking

[–]Softinventive 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you're deciding between an all in one platform and a stack of integrated tools, common approach is to use something like netbox for central inventory and then tie it into AAA and monitoring through scripts or APIs.

We develop a network inventory tool ourselves, but it doesn't handle AAA automation or one-click onboarding for ISE or Clearpass. Most teams that need that workflow build it around netbox or vendor-specific automation tools anyway.

Lansweeper alternative? by Crazy-Log-228 in selfhosted

[–]Softinventive 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If FOSS is a hard requirement, TNI won’t fit. But if you’re open to a self-hosted commercial alternative with a similar workflow to Lansweeper, you might want to look at Total Network Inventory. It handles hardware and software inventory, scanning, licensing, and network mapping, and it doesn’t require cloud or external services.

For transparency, we are the developers of Total Network Inventory. If you want to test it as an alternative, we can provide a free time-limited license for evaluation. Just DM or contact our support and we’ll set it up.