January 2, 2021

Best Network Management Software 2023

Traditional network management approaches and tools are no longer sufficient? Check the list of the best network management software that help IT administrators manage complex networks.
Editor’s choice 2019
Network Inventory Advisor
Automatically collect all relevant data on all network devices and get detailed OS and devices statistics.
Network Inventory Advisor for Windows scans Windows, Mac OS X, Linux computers and SNMP devices, any of them will count as a node.

We’ve tested many network management software tools and rounded up the best ones. Included on our list of top 3 best network management tools are both free and paid solutions, and they together cover a wide gamut of network management topics, including asset discovery, performance monitoring, wireless monitoring, and many others.

Why is Network Management Important?

Today, businesses of all sizes are dealing with a broad array of technology and workplace trends that are changing the rules of network management. Even relatively small networks have become alarmingly complex, making effective network management tougher than ever. Businesses allow their employees to bring their own devices to the workplace, they replace parts of their in-house IT infrastructures with managed cloud services, and they face a plethora of potentially devastating cyber threats.

“Without the ability to keep track of potentially hundreds or even thousands of devices and their activity, businesses risk expensive downtime and the loss of productivity in the workplace.”

Without the ability to keep track of potentially hundreds or even thousands of devices and their activity, businesses risk expensive downtime and the loss of productivity in the workplace. According to a survey by Information Technology Intelligence Consulting, the cost of a single hour of downtime for most businesses is over $100,000. That’s a very large price to pay for poor network management.

Besides being cost-effective and productivity-boosting, network management also creates an environment for growth, making it possible to implement new technologies in an optimal manner and utilize existing IT resources to their maximum potential.

Paid Versus Free Network Management Software Tools

The network management software landscape is sprawling. Providers have saturated the market with high-quality solutions that address virtually every need of modern IT administrators and the businesses that employ them.

Many features have become so common and expected that the providers of network management software tools don’t even advertise them anymore, while other features are just gaining popularity. Some network management software tools offer all important features, such as automatic network topology discovery, robust alerting, and software license tracking, for free and charge extra only for support and premium features, while other network management software tools are paid and don’t offer a free trial version.

Small and medium-sized businesses often gravitate toward free software tools to save money, but whatever they manage to save upfront they often lose when a problem occurs, and there’s nobody to call for help. SMBs should instead consider choosing a provider of network management software with flexible licensing options based, for example, on the number of nodes on the network. With such a provider, even small businesses can enjoy the same best-in-class tools as large enterprises.

Our List of Top 3 Best Network Management Tools

choice #1
4.9
#1 • Editor choice
Network Inventory Advisor
Professional Network Inventory
Runs on Windows. Scans Windows, Mac OS X, Linux computers and SNMP devices.
Network Inventory Advisor is professional inventory software that automatically collects relevant information on all available network devices. Featuring several types of scanning, Network Inventory Advisor can quickly and reliably create a comprehensive database of IT assets, and it even supports the management of non-IT assets, like office furniture.

Network Inventory Advisor supports the collection and management of most major software products from more than 500 vendors, including Microsoft, Adobe, and others. Thanks to Network Inventory Advisor’s comprehensive reporting capabilities, it’s very easy to review all collected software licenses to stay protected from any potential copyright infringement claims.
Network Inventory Advisor
The latest version of Network Inventory Advisor can be downloaded here, and using the software could hardly be any simpler. For example, generating comprehensive reports is a matter of clicking on the Report icon on the toolbar and checking the boxes next to all the fields that you wish to be included in your report.

Network Inventory Advisor can scan Windows, macOS, and Linux, and it runs on all computers running Windows XP or newer. The price of Network Inventory Advisor is calculated based on the number of nodes, and attractive discounts are available to IT service providers. ClearApps, the developer of Network Inventory Advisor, guarantees business-friendly license terms without hidden fees or subscriptions of any kind.
Editor’s choice 2019
Network Inventory Advisor
Automatically collect all relevant data on all network devices and get detailed OS and devices statistics.
Network Inventory Advisor for Windows scans Windows, Mac OS X, Linux computers and SNMP devices, any of them will count as a node.
choice #2
4.5
#2 • Author rank
Spiceworks is a professional network for the information technology industry that is headquartered in Texas, offering a popular network management software solution for Windows. Spiceworks automates IT asset discovery and is able to perform a comprehensive scan of network devices, software inventory, and even cloud services.

IT administrators are often required to prepare easy-to-understand presentations for the management, and Spiceworks’ reporting capabilities can be of great help. With dozens of built-in reports and thousands more shared by the community, generating a comprehensive list of IT inventory or listing software licenses that are about to expire soon is a breeze.
Spiceworks
Because Spiceworks generates most of its revenue through the sale of ads displayed on its network, it can afford to offer its professional network and software free of charge. Users can also pay $45 per month (or $495 per year) to get rid of the ads and to support Spiceworks’ help desk. Unfortunately, the price doesn’t scale with size, so small businesses have to pay the same price as large enterprises.
choice #3
4.2
#3 • Author rank
Advanced IP Scanner is a reliable, free network scanner compatible with Windows 10. It shows all network devices, gives you access to shared folders, provides remote control of computers, and can even remotely switch off running computers. Perhaps the best testament to the usefulness of this free network scanner is the fact that it’s used by over 30 million users worldwide.
Advanced IP Scanner
Advanced IP Scanner could hardly be any simpler to use. If you don’t want to, you don’t even need to specify an IP range—you can simply click on the Scan button and start analyzing your network. While Advanced IP Scanner can’t create graphs or display complex network visualizations, it can export scan results into a CSV file for further analysis, which is really everything one can ask from a free network management software tool.

Conclusion

Network management is an important topic for businesses of all sizes. Without proper network management software tools, businesses are at risk of losing track of their resources and becoming the victims of cybercriminals. Fortunately, excellent network management software solutions are easy to find, as our selection of top 3 best network management tools illustrates.

Editor’s choice 2019

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