Spiceworks 6.0 adds cloud computing service detection to IT management toolkit
May 24, 2012
Spiceworks has launched version 6.0 of its free IT management and helpdesk platform for small-to-medium businesses (SMBs).
Chief among the updates the firm has added is a cloud discovery feature that enables administrators to see which cloud computing services are being operated by users on their network, and take appropriate action if necessary.
Unveiled today at the firm’s SpiceWorld conference in London, Spiceworks 6.0 also adds a number of new features, including the ability to customise the Spiceworks knowledge base, an optional agent to deploy on roaming devices, and a mobile admin user interface for iOS and Android devices…
However, the cloud discovery service is the headline feature, as this gives administrators the ability to regain insight over what applications their workforce is using, according to Spiceworks marketing manager Nicole Tanzillo.
"We’ve seen a proliferation on the cloud services front with applications such as Salesforce.com, LogMeIn and Dropbox, many of which have a legitimate professional use, but the problem is that IT loses oversight of what’s going on, and you are open to unintentional security breaches," she said.
With cloud discovery, Spiceworks initially detects about 40 of the most common cloud services, which can be identified by the IP range in use when users on the network are actively connecting to them.
This is especially important for SMBs, many of which may not have a large IT staff or access to high-end management tools to lock down their network.
"This is going to make my life a whole lot easier. Until now, I had no idea what users were running, but now I can see everything in one place and get the information I need to make things safer and better," Andy Phelps, IT Manager at HPS Group and a prominent contributor to the Spiceworks online community, told V3.
Administrators can use this knowledge gleaned from cloud discovery to set policies for users to follow, such as putting in place an official company Dropbox account.
"It could also save you money. If you’ve got 25 users running the same cloud service, you can approach the vendor and ask them for a discount," said Tanzillo.
Spiceworks is a free application that runs on Windows, but discovers Windows, Unix, Linux and Mac OS X endpoints as well. It is also linked to an online social network for IT professionals and technology vendors, which includes online tendering capabilities, leading to it being dubbed the "Facebook for IT".
Spiceworks 6.0 also now enables firms to customise the knowledge base, information that has been accumulated by the Spiceworks user community, and publish local self-help articles that are only available to users within their own company.
Spiceworks has always been an agent-less platform, but version 6.0 adds an optional agent that customers can deploy onto laptops. The purpose of this is to collect information from users who spend much of their time away from the office, and who would otherwise be missed by an inventory scan.
Finally, Spiceworks 6.0 adds a mobile app, Spiceworks Mobile HD, which enables admin users to view and manage helpdesk tickets while on the go, using Apple iOS or Android devices.
Spiceworks said that the company is now working on an updated user interface, and is looking at adding the capability to discover mobile devices in future releases.