Question 1

What is IT asset discovery?

Accepted Answer

IT asset discovery is the process of identifying and cataloging all the hardware and software assets within an organization's information technology (IT) environment. This includes computers, laptops, servers, networking equipment, routers, storage devices, software applications, virtual machines, mobile devices, and other components that make up the network infrastructure. The primary goal of IT asset discovery is to create a comprehensive inventory of the organization's technology resources. This helps IT administrators, managers, and stakeholders gain a clear view of available resources, keep track of new devices, manage changes and updates, identify potential security risks, ensure software licenses are in compliance, and optimize IT processes. Asset discovery is possible through a variety of methods, such as automated scanning tools, network monitoring, and active and passive discovery techniques. It’s possible to manually keep a record of all the assets on your network. However, even under the best circumstances, this leaves a lot of opportunity for error. If you have a medium or large-sized organization, manual asset discovery becomes nearly impossible and very unreliable. To effectively discover assets in every corner of your organization, you need to turn to an automated asset discovery software that incorporates best practices, like SolarWinds Discovery, which has tight integration with SolarWinds Service Desk. Overall, IT asset discovery is a critical component of effective IT management, ensuring organizations comprehensively understand their technology resources to make informed decisions and maintain a secure and efficient IT environment.

Question 2

How does asset discovery software work?

Accepted Answer

﻿IT asset discovery software works by scanning an organization's IT environment to identify and collect information about all the hardware and software assets present. The software uses various methods to gather data and build an accurate inventory. Here's an overview of how asset discovery software typically works: Network Scanning: Asset discovery tools often start by scanning the organization's network ranges or IP address ranges. This involves sending out packets of data to various IP addresses and analyzing the responses received to identify devices connected to the network. Device Identification: When a response is received from a network device, the software identifies the type of device based on factors such as its IP address, MAC address, hostname, and other identifying information. Data Collection: Once a device is identified, the asset discovery software collects data about the hardware and software components on that device. This includes details like the operating system, CPU, RAM, storage capacity, installed software applications, and more. Active and Passive Discovery: Asset discovery tool can use both active and passive techniques. An active discovery tool actively probes devices by sending requests and collecting responses. A passive discovery tool monitors network traffic to detect devices without directly interacting with them. Passive techniques are often used to identify devices that might not respond to active probing, such as IoT devices. Data Aggregation: The collected data from various devices is aggregated and organized into a centralized database or inventory system. Data Presentation: Asset discovery software usually provides user-friendly interfaces that allow administrators to view and manage the discovered assets, such as dashboards and customizable reports. Scheduled Scans and Continuous Monitoring: Many asset discovery tools support scheduled scans or continuous monitoring to ensure the inventory remains current. This is crucial for tracking changes in the IT environment, such as newly added devices or software updates. Integration: Asset discovery software often integrates with other IT management and service management tools to provide a seamless workflow. This can include linking asset information with ticketing software , CMDB discovery tools, and license management tools. Asset discovery software is a lifesaver when managing many devices and software applications, streamlining the process of identifying and cataloging IT assets that would otherwise be cumbersome and error-prone when done manually.

Question 3

What is the difference between agent-based and agentless detection?

Accepted Answer

Agent-based and agentless detection are two approaches used in asset discovery. The key difference between the two lies in how they gather data from target devices. In agent-based detection, a small software component known as an "agent" is installed on each target device. The agent acts as a software and hardware discovery tool, collecting information about these components, configurations, and other relevant details. The agent periodically sends this data to a centralized management system or server for analysis and reporting. Meanwhile, agentless detection uses network scanning and other techniques to collect information directly from the devices without installing anything on them. While you can choose between agent-based and agentless detection based on your organization's IT needs, security requirements, and resource constraints, we highly recommend adopting both methods. Agent-based detection provides more detailed information but requires software deployment and ongoing management. Agentless detection is simpler to deploy, but might offer less granular data and could have limitations in terms of device accessibility and network impact. Going with the hybrid approach ensures that you cover all your bases so that you don’t encounter any unwelcome surprises.

Question 4

Active vs. passive asset discovery tool—what’s the difference?

Accepted Answer

Active asset discovery involves sending requests or queries directly to devices within the network to locate them. This method requires devices to respond to these probing requests, providing information about their hardware, software, and configurations. One of the main advantages of active discovery is that it offers real-time data about the current state of devices in the network, providing highly detailed and accurate information. Passive asset discovery takes a different approach by monitoring the network traffic exchanged between devices. Rather than sending requests to devices, passive discovery tools gather information from the data packets transmitted during normal network communication. Devices are not required to respond to any requests. This non-intrusive method allows for identifying devices that might not respond to active probing. While passive discovery might provide slightly less detailed information compared to active methods, it offers the advantage of being less likely to impact network performance.

Question 5

What is the process of discovering IT assets in SolarWinds Service Desk?

Accepted Answer

SolarWinds Service Desk uses a Discovery Agent to collect hardware and software information from IT assets that host the agent. It keeps all data compressed, using very little bandwidth, and runs at random intervals throughout the day to minimize network traffic and preserve network performance. Service Desk also uses the Discovery Scanner to scan your network for IP-connected devices from multiple data sources and regularly scan for infrastructure changes, to keep you posted on the status of your asset inventory. For best practices on properly leveraging these tools, feel free to check out our Discovery & Assets page.

Question 6

What assets can you discover and what data about them can you store?

Accepted Answer

From network interfaces to printers, Service Desk can help you find and gather details about every IT asset tied to your organization. This includes: Hardware devices , along with their host name, manufacturer name, and hardware type. Software inventory , with information about the publisher, installation date, subscriptions, version, and more, for both saas and on-premise applications. Associated networks , in addition to MAC addresses, indexes, default IP gateways, servers, and more. Storage components , along with their name, manufacturer, description, storage type, size, and model. Drive systems , including their name, type, volume name, total size, and more. For a full list of scannable assets, visit our Discovery & Assets page.

Question 7

What are the benefits of implementing asset discovery software?

Accepted Answer

Without IT asset discovery software, organizations would have difficulty keeping up with all the moving gears within their IT infrastructure. Implementing asset discovery software offers various benefits to organizations, the main one being a centralized and comprehensive inventory of hardware and software assets that provides essential visibility for resource management, upgrade planning, and accurate record keeping. With accurate and detailed asset information, IT administrators can efficiently manage and support devices, troubleshoot issues, address security vulnerabilities, and allocate resources effectively, keeping organizational performance at its peak while strengthening cybersecurity measures and practices. IT asset discovery tool also helps organizations maintain adherence to licensing agreements and industry regulations, and facilitates effective budgeting by giving managers insight into whether upgrades, replacements, or new technologies are needed. In turn, this keeps costs low, allowing administrators to foresee hardware limitations and plan new asset integrations effectively. A valuable investment for organizations of all sizes, asset discovery tool gives organizations the end-to-end IT visibility and automated management needed to keep their IT environment safe and running seamlessly.

IT Asset Discovery

Discover and track hardware, software, cloud, and network-connected assets with SolarWinds^® Service Desk.

Bring hardware, software, and connected-device information into one Service Desk asset inventory.

Discover assets with agent and agentless methods

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