Spiceworks 4: Network Management Software Review

Network management software falls into the “must-have” category for medium-to-large firms, but for smaller ones, it’s typically in the “nice to have, but can’t afford” category. Spiceworks 4 is network management software that any size firm can afford, mainly because it’s free.


The advertising-supported software gives resource-constrained smaller firms the capability to inventory and manage network devices like PCs, servers, printers and the like. (Don’t be turned off by the ads, because it’s not as bad as it sounds — more details on this later.)






Spiceworks screen shot
Spiceworks takes an inventory of your network devices.
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Up and Running


As soon as you’ve installed the browser-based Spiceworks software on a single Windows server (or workstation that runs all the time), you’re ready to scan your network. There’s no agent software to install on all your systems; you need only tell Spiceworks which subnet(s) to scan and provide it with the necessary administrator account information for your network.


Spiceworks then does its thing — polls Active Directory, pings the network to locate devices, and gathers information about them via the appropriate management protocol—WMI for Windows PCs, SSH for Mac or Linux systems and SNMP for things like printers, switches, routers, etc.


Spiceworks says that for best performance the software should be used on networks of 500 or fewer devices, though it will still work — albeit more slowly -— on larger ones. When we turned Spiceworks loose on a Class C (maximum 254 devices) network, it took approximately 20 minutes to do an initial scan, after which it found nearly fifty devices ranging from PCs to IP phones.


On all but the smallest or simplest networks there are bound to be devices that Spiceworks can detect but not properly identify, which is usually because of incorrect or missing logon info or interference from firewalls or anti-virus software. As a result some initial legwork may be required to visit and troubleshoot these “unknowns”. The biggest glitch we encountered was that Spiceworks couldn’t detect the presence of Norton Anti-Virus Corporate edition on our systems, though it does work with 19 different packages from about a half-dozen major vendors.


Spiceworks repeats its scans at regular intervals to keep the information up-to-date, but you’re given a high degree of control over how and when they’re performed in order to minimize the performance impact on your network. Note that although the software is Web-based, all the information Spiceworks collects about your network — or that you provide — is stored locally on the Spiceworks system, not on some remote server.  






Spiceworks screen shot
Spiceworks generates a range of standardized or customized reports.
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Taking Stock


Once the scanning is complete, the Spiceworks Dashboard gives you a bird-eye view of your network (and lets you know if it found any red flags), while an Inventory page displays devices organized by category and lets you drill down to get a summary or detailed configuration info for individual devices (e.g. what software is installed on a PC).


When viewing a specific item you can access a host of connectivity troubleshooting tools like ping, trace router, nslookup, and if a PC supports it, initiate a remote access session using either VNC or RDP. Companies using Dell hardware will appreciate the fact that Spiceworks notes system asset tags and provides a direct link to Dell’s support/download page for the specific system.    


To help you keep tabs on the network when you’re not in front of the Spiceworks console, the software provides a number of built-in monitors to inform you of things like when a server runs low on disk space, a printer needs ink/toner, or a user installs something on their system. You can view alerts in the dashboard or receive them via e-mail, and you can keep yourself informed by creating custom monitors, including ones that don’t necessarily pertain to a particular hardware or software event (such as when a service contract is about to lapse). For broader and more comprehensive information gathering, Spiceworks can generate a range of standardized or customized reports. 


Helping Hands


The Spiceworks help-desk feature can help small IT departments better manage user support requests. Support requests are collected by the help desk as tickets that can be prioritized and responded to (you can also track the time spent on each). Support requests can be submitted by e-mail or through a basic but functional intranet portal that’s new to version 4.






Spiceworks screen shot
In addition to hardware, Spiceworks also inventories the software running on your network.
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Users can monitor their open requests through the portal, and administrators can use it to publish content like support articles, phone lists, etc., though you can’t simply upload existing documents. Instead, you need to type or copy text directly into the online forms, which is somewhat inconvenient.   


From the admin’s perspective, the wide array of support options that Spiceworks offers makes it especially easy to work with. These range from the comprehensive online documentation and knowledge base to the extensive array of training videos and Webinars.


If you can’t get the help you need from these resources, you probably will from the large (the company claims 700,000+) and active community for Spiceworks users. Consulting the user forum helped us determine why a Microsoft Exchange 2003 mail server wasn’t recognized as such (turns out it was a common WMI glitch in the Exchange software). Spiceworks users can even upload their custom report templates to share with the community and download plug-ins that add new capabilities, such as license monitoring, to the software.


As far as Spiceworks’ advertising is concerned, it’s a mix of small and large graphical ads (from IT vendors, naturally) in the page margins, along with sponsored links to tech white papers and such that are integrated into the administration console. You’ll notice the ads, but they’re not at all obtrusive. If you simply can’t stand them, you can opt for Spiceworks My Way and pay a monthly fee of $20 to substitute all ads with your company logo. 


Spiceworks capabilities make it an impressive product and a remarkable value whether or not you pay to use it. Small organizations that want to get a better handle on their technology resources for little to no cost will do well to give Spiceworks a serious look. 


Price: Free with ads, or $20 per month without them.


Pros: Easy to setup, easy to use; lots of support info available from company and online user community; includes help desk support-management system; did we mention it’s free?


Cons: Nothing worth noting.


Joe Moran spent six years as an editor and analyst with Ziff-Davis Publishing and several more as a freelance product reviewer. He’s also worked in technology public relations and as a corporate IT manager, and he’s currently principal of Neighborhood Techs, a technology service firm in Naples, Fla. He holds several industry certifications, including Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) and Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA).





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