Information Always on File: Working with Asset Trustee

Getting Started

Asset Trustee is easy to install and configure. As an IT administrator, you mass deliver a scanner to each client machine in your network using FileWave. An SNMP scanner can be installed on a PostOffice or other machine and configured to detect printers, switches and other similar devices. SuperPrefs can be configured on a given machine and deployed via Filewave to groups of clients.

Scanning Begins

Asset Trustee employs NMAP to scan a local network range, with each PostOffice featuring an agent that reports basic data about discovered computers on the network. The Asset Trustee Scanner application undertakes an initial full scan of each client computer's hard disk for applications, computer system items and configuration information. (For a list of all items scanned on the platforms it supports see the accompanying data sheets.) Then it sends the information gathered to the PostOffice, which makes the necessary transformations for storage in the Inventory Database.

User Friendly Interface

The Inventory Database is a web-based interface that can be run on a computer of your choice in your network in any web browser, including Safari, Internet Explorer and Firefox. You are greeted by a login screen and then directed to the Computers section, where a list of all scanned computers is shown. Searching for data is simple - just select a computer and browse its software or hardware, or click into the software and hardware section and browse all software and hardware on your network.

 

Data at Your Disposal

A software usage report provides an overview of how applications are being employed by various groups and individual clients on the network. And an audit licenses profile specifies the exact number of application copies installed on the network to enable you to quickly determine if your business is legally compliant with software licensing.

Going Deeper into the Data

You can also create custom searches to narrow results and then schedule those searches to be emailed on a regular basis to any number of recipients. A query-building interface is included or, alternately, you can use CocoaMySQL or the command line to craft your own SQL queries: the ERD document can assist in the use of these tools. The Inventory Database has an ODBC interface to enable detailed analysis of the data through standard OLAP tools such as Cristal Reports, Cognos, Business Objects, Hyperion and Excel. Data can be exported in multiple formats using the built-in export features.

All results reported from the queries can be saved to text or Excel format, and can be sent directly to the printer or, as stated above, emailed to the user according to a specified time schedule.