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Spiceworks for Managed Service Providers?
I’m often asked by members of Technibble about my choice of platforms when it comes to my managed services. The answer is often a cause of concern, confusion, and more commonly surprise. Spiceworks, really? Really, I’ve implemented Spiceworks on a number of fronts over the last 12 to 18 months have run a number of successful trials within my own business and I don’t see that I’ll change my plans anytime soon. Spiceworks has its faults, but this cost-efficient and robust platform can no longer be ignored as a potentially strong Managed Service Provider offering.
I looked at Spiceworks some years back when first looking for an MSP solution and walked away from it within the course of a week. I wasn’t particularly blown away, the platform looked basic and there seemed to be a number of solutions on the market that could do the job better. Albeit at a cost. Spiceworks is of course free and this often made me feel uncomfortable about installing the product on customers or even my own networks, I couldn’t see how Spiceworks funded their product. Spyware? Underhanded data gathering for sales targeting and information selling perhaps? No. In short, I didn’t give the product the chance it deserved, I was naïve.
Queue 18 months ago. My day job required me to implement a help desk ticketing system quickly and I knew Spiceworks could do the job adequately with no upfront cost. With time my understanding of the product improved and I slowly started to use other elements fully. I then implemented Spiceworks servers at all my additional sites and those servers uploaded gathered data to my central Spiceworks server giving me a full view of my network. Within the course of a few weeks, the helpdesk ticketing streamlined support processes and we had excellent logical visibility of the network. Perfect.
It was clear that the product exuded many MSP possibilities and I quickly set it into action. My central Spiceworks server was set up on my home office network and the firewall configured to allow incoming Spiceworks communications and I was set. Installation and configuration were ridiculously simple, I needed some clarification on port usage and the Spiceworks community had everything documented in full, step-by-step detail.
Spiceworks themselves market their products MSP abilities with the following points:
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Manage Multiple Networks from a Single Console
This is obviously a key point to any Managed Service Provider platform. Easy visibility of your customer networks is really important and Spiceworks ticks the box, you can see everything in one hit or drill down to each customer network, or perhaps just a particular group of devices across all customers. No problem.
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Multi-site Help Desk Management from a Single Console
One of its nicest features is being able to have a customizable help desk portal for each customer but run it all within a single console on the admin side. Tickets can then of course be drilled down as necessary and managed accordingly.
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Run a Fully Functioning Help Desk – from your Pocket
Spiceworks loves to tout the mobile side of the platform, with good reason of course. iPhone and Andriod apps are available to manage your network with the majority of features that you have when sitting at the console. The Helpdesk ticketing and management whilst on the move is particularly useful.
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Receive Real-time Alerts on All of Your Networks
Real-time alerts can be created and activated in moments. Want to know when a particular set of devices go offline and do not respond within 7 minutes? No problem—just set it and you’ll be emailed if the worst happens.
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Take Control of Tracking Your Costs
Tracking your own labor rates as well as that of your staff is easily configured. If your rate is $60 an hour, just set the rate against your name. When your updating your help tickets just specify the time spent and your rate against that job is calculated accordingly.
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Completely Free
The platform is free. Obviously a big plus. Spiceworks manages this with the implementation of unobtrusive advertising, this did initially turn me off but the ads are really not that bad. The team has taken care of how they push this to their customers and the resulting ads tend to be more interesting and informative.
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Report on Client Networks and Activities
The reporting system is of course an important part of an MSP solution, it’s impressive. Allowing you to generate internal reports for yourself as well as a monthly costing report for your business client perhaps? Again this is all covered.
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Monitor Client Sites for Changes
Unlike Real-Time alerts, site changes keep you apprised of what’s taking place on a network. This could be changed to the DNS, client ABC has two anti-virus products running, new software installed on servers. Just a small taste of the information that is gathered.
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Spiceworks Community
Perhaps a key point to rival all other MSP solutions is the Spiceworks Community. A vibrant and strong community that will just about answer any technical query whether it relates to the Spiceworks product or not. They’ll help you on your feet and have you mastering the product in no time at all.
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Supports Smaller MSP Needs
If you’re looking to trial or start out with MSP offerings then Spiceworks provides you with a perfect option. Cheap, robust, and user-friendly.
The Downside
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More Work in the Early Stages
In order to get the most out of Spiceworks, there’s going to be more work in the early stages than with many other MSP products currently available. If you’re wanting to monitor a remote network you’ll need a Spiceworks server onsite, you’ll then need to open up your client’s firewall to allow the server to upload to your central server. Not a huge deal but a few potential clients don’t like the idea of installing on existing servers and selling a server is no easy feat for a small business. Having said that, any desktop with IIS capabilities should be able to handle the work adequately.
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Antivirus / Windows Updates not Built In
A typical feature of MSP offerings is a built-in Antivirus and Windows Update management. Spiceworks relies on third-party solutions such WSUS or Kaspersky Security Center to manage these which has the potential to up your work in relation to managing these networks.
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Not the Best MSP Product Out There
It’s clear that Spiceworks doesn’t come out on top of other MSP offerings currently on the market. As a result, you’ll often find that the majority of people favor other fee-based solutions, the reason is clear. Spiceworks isn’t solely targeted at MSP, it’s designed primarily for small to medium internal IT departments and has been gradually developed to cover some MSP needs. Other MSP solutions have been built up from the ground targeting Managed Service Providers, the result is that they often do the job better and a lot more efficiently.
Final Thoughts
When looking to start a Managed Service Provider service Spiceworks can no longer be ignored, whilst not the most efficient MSP product on the market it does offer some pretty impressive features. For one it’s free, it’s easy to get started, and you’re solely in control of the Spiceworks infrastructure that you control and ticks a lot of the important MSP boxes. If you’re thinking of providing Managed Services or you’re just not that happy with the solution you pay for then give it a look, you’ve really nothing to lose.
Using Spiceworks for your Managed Service offerings? Spicing up your business?
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To use Spiceworks to me is like using VNC for remotes (free is not always better).
**you’ll need a Spiceworks server onsite and selling a server is no easy feat for a small business.
Spiceworks server onsite? Way too much effort and cost for no reason. I could take that cost of the server and put it into my managed services plan instead of have the business shell out the money.
**Antivirus/Windows Updates not implemented easily….Way too many other options for managed services out there with this built in to have to mess with it.
“Not the best MSP product out there”…I agree 100% it’s not and won’t be. I also agree with it’s for internal IT departments to implement into their current model and run it themselves.
It’s not for a computer business to implement into their managed services plan because it’s “free”. For a few mere dollars you can use a legitimate product (i.e. GFIMax) and not have to worry about all the things that Spiceworks does not bring to the table.
Thanks for your comments Dan, I would agree completely that trying to sell a server is a waste of time but generally most businesses I work with will happily shell out for a desktop computer. In the rare cases that it’s necessary I’ll upfront a spare PC as the return is worth it.
Spiceworks has the added bonus of doing complete network scans allowing a more thorough check of network activity. As a result we can extend our managed services to include network switches and other key devices.
Can do ports, devices etc:
http://www.gfimax.com/remote-management/automated-monitoring/snmp-and-network-monitoring
At the price GFIMax goes for there is no way in the world I would do managed services for a business client using Spiceworks.
@Dan : Some customers will definitely want an onsite server but none is required. Spiceworks can be installed on any Windows device (Server, desktop, VM or otherwise.) There is no OS requirement other than XP or later. So a dedicated server is fine but very rare. I find it most common that a little utilized desktop that has other tasks to do is chosen. Spiceworks runs just fine from a desktop, uses moderately low resources and runs completely in the background – they’ll never notice. We are trying to encourage Spiceworks to get a Linux deployment option out and they are working on that but that is not available yet.
Also, if you are scanning customers you could opt to deploy agents rather than a dedicated “server” or you could scan over a VPN. Many options that are regularly used.
you do not need a dedicated server for spiceworks… heck you can run it from a xp workstation if needed
Completely understand you don’t need an actual server “but you do need “another “device” on the network..To me still not worth the hassle when I can do it just as easily with a more robust system for a few dollars.
No need for another device on the network. You can if you want and many people chose to go that route but I never have and know of very few that do (and I know many with Spiceworks.) Running it off of a mixed use desktop is most common. Even moderately sized companies normally run it from a less heavily used desktop.
That it would even be talked about running on its own device means we’re talking about the fringe, large scale or special case, not something normal by any stretch.
*GROAN*
Really? Really? REALLY?
While I really could have done without the anecdotal introduction [I think he’s trying to come off as “quirky” and “down home”, and instead he’s coming off as “amateurish” and “needy”], the negatives far, far, FAR outweigh the positives on the software that he so glibly recommends.
While Spiceworks might be okay if you’re a small town and small time tech, but to deploy that in any other environment is career suicide.
tl:dr DO NO USE THIS CRAPWARE!!!
Hi Larry,
Deploying the product without any thought would indeed be suicide. Highly recommended that new users should test thoroughly before deployment. As yet I’ve not had a single problem, always works as it should and has a lot of benefits for both the small and larger techs out there.
Larry what are you basing this off of? It doesn’t do windows updates for you, it doesn’t manage your anti-virus, and you must possess the have cognitive thought when configuring it. Those are your negatives?… those far outweigh its benefits? My anti-virus is controlled via a central terminal, my windows updates are controlled from a central terminal, separate management software isn’t needed on top of that.
Now I’ll indulge your *groan* childish trolling, what would you say is a better MSP? Since obviously you are 100% versed on it.
So we call “troll” whenever we disagree with someone now? Is that how we’re playing this game? Ryan, take your whiteknighting elsewhere, and let the grownups talk.
As Dan said above, GFIMax is a far superior product, and won’t break the bank for our clients.
With that said, can we finally get past all of these amateurish and retarded circlejerks that are passing as “articles” these days?
You are correct in many of the things that Spiceworks “doesn’t” do. And there is nothing wrong with having software to do those things. But since your toaster, car, Windows Server, television, etc. don’t do those things either are we to assume that you feel that they are bad too based on their similar exclusions of functionality? That software designed to do one thing and not another being judged based on the criteria that you were looking for a different type of product is nonsensical. If you bought a car and whined that it made a poor boat we’d laugh at you. No different here. You seem to be looking for different functionality than what Spiceworks is designed for. Nothing wrong with that, but there is nothing wrong with Spiceworks or any other software package not going after that functionality.
If anything, finding such things to be the faults needing to be mentioned in order to disparage the product should be high praise indeed.
Funny how everyone seems to think that I’m “bashing” Spiceworks. I’m not bashing at all. I am simply suggesting that there are many (and often superior) alternatives out there, and that the software chosen to feature in this “article” (*snicker*) is not exactly the best.
Now, with Ric’s Defenders and the Spiceworks Squad involved, I highly doubt that this conversation can go anywhere productive. So I will refrain from and further comment on the topic.
One last thing: Ric, bro, do yourself a favor and start a blog. It might be a better showcase for your “talent” that writing for the critical and technical eye.
Goose out!
@Ryan All you need is Central AV and patch management? No wonder you don’t think that Spiceworks is for you. This is network management and monitoring software with integrated asset tracking and helpdesk. So if you don’t need to monitor machines, catalogue disk utilization, keep track of system details, do support, work with networking equipment or do anything but intern level tasks, then no, Spiceworks wouldn’t be for you. But if you are actually supporting people as an IT Pro where you might need to troubleshoot a problem, proactively deal with problems, watch for rogue software, inventory desktops and servers, troubleshoot networking, save money, provide reports, handle tickets, etc. then software like you have is useless and you need something more. Spiceworks is not meant to do the tasks that you have as that is already handled by Windows itself and by your AV product – so what you want it to do is silly. What it does is extremely useful to IT professionals supporting an end user environment. If you don’t do that, why are you even looking at this software?
While I agree Spiceworks isn’t perfect, no product is. What you choose to use is based upon your needs, how much you want to handle, what you charge your customers, and a number of other factors. However, for the price point, nothing quite compares to the versatility and configurability of it. It also scales fairly well provided you plan the deployment out and give it enough resources.
Certainly everything is paid for one way or another, time, effort, money, lack of features. But that said if you are willing to invest the time and effort of planning and implementation you can craft a set of offering from an MSP for very little money. Take Spiceworks, throw in Nagios, and a decent screen sharing application, even MS Remote Assistance and you have a decent toolset.
I have been using Spiceworks for a while now. I know its not perfect, but customers are not always willing to shell out big bucks, i have seen some pretty nice software over the years that would do exactly what i want, but at a price tag that is often not affordable. The spiceworks developers actually LISTEN to the people that they make the software for, which is more than i can say about a lot of other software i have worked with. May not fit the bill for all, but tell me which software actually will, without adding a big $ sign to it.
As a SpiceWorks trainer, I remember cringing a couple of years ago when I had an MSP in my class. A lot has changed with SpiceWorks since then. I knew back then we were not providing the right tools and training for MSP’s. That is changing. They are listening to MSP’s and helping them use this product to maintain a very viable business. It it doing just that for a lot of MSP’s along with the 2 million plus users of SMB’s that have downloaded and use SpiceWorks.
@Larry Goosemen. I’m glad you don’t use this product, and I’m glad you are not in our community. You wouldn’t survive 10 minutes before someone figured you out.
@Larry Gooseman what are your bases for this slander?
As an MSP I have deployed Spiceworks in envroments from 10 to 100’s of systems.
It is an internal IT department tool first and MSP second however it has been very useful.
I use it for asset management, software tracking, network device backups, troubleshooting, notification on low resources (toner, HDD space and so much more). It is not a patch management system (nor has it every claimed to be, but it is a fantastic reporting tool that any admin could easily see the value of, regardless of price!
What? Larry Gooseman from Texas?
Yeah! Do I know you? Maybe you know my father.
While I’m no longer with an MSP, I do see the benefit.
I’ll admit, the first time I ran a scan when I started this position as a sole sysadmin for nearly 200 users, I thought to myself, “Wow, what piece of crap software. It didn’t even find everything.” But, as I start delving into WHY it didn’t find everything, it brought many things to my attention. There were a ton of DNS issues that made it appear that no scavenging had ever been done on this network. Some had Windows Firewall turned on, some did not. Some had UAC turned on, some did not. Lots of standardization issues, or more precisely, lack thereof.
If I had been an MSP, I could have printed off these issues and presented them to the owner and could then lay out a plan of action. Pretty useful tool whether you’re an admin or an MSP, in my opinion.
As an it pro with over 30 years of industry experience, I would highly recommend Spiceworks. It has a great set of features that make any IT admin’s job easier. Its free. Its safe. The Spiceworks team listens.
@Larry – career suicide? Really? Really? How would a low cost solution with the support and following of Spiceworks be career suicide? To tell the truth, Spiceworks has helped me get my last 3 raises and in a downturn economy. Explain that one.
Spiceworks isn’t a full replacement for a RMM platform (We use N-Able) but honestly most of the tasks that RMM’s are built around (Anti-Virus, patching, scripting) are trivial to automate (Group Policy, Windows Intune, SCCM) and paying a company to just do that for you alone is really silly when there are far better/cheaper/cloud based tools that can handle this.
For an MSP its a great tool to have up to date inventories, support information, syslogs, router configs without a lot of work.
@Larry – After your ignorant comments, it’s plain to see that you’re goose has been cooked. Why not take a good look at what Spiceworks is designed to be and give it a serious look at it again? Then come back and make a believable comment.
(I meant to make this a general comment, not a specific one, as above. Forgive my double posting.)
Funny how everyone seems to think that I’m “bashing” Spiceworks. I’m not bashing at all. I am simply suggesting that there are many (and often superior) alternatives out there, and that the software chosen to feature in this “article” (*snicker*) is not exactly the best.
Now, with Ric’s Defenders and the Spiceworks Squad involved, I highly doubt that this conversation can go anywhere productive. So I will refrain from and further comment on the topic.
One last thing: Ric, bro, do yourself a favor and start a blog. It might be a better showcase for your “talent” that writing for the critical and technical eye.
Goose out!
I thought you were refraining from any more comments?
You called SpiceWorks “crapware.” If that’s not bashing, I’m not sure what is …
Thank you Larry for you parting words.
Hopefully that will be the last of you.
As a Spiceworks supporter, I hope that IT Pro’s that are following this thread take a serious look at it and see what you’ve been missing! 2 million + users can’t all be wrong!
Thanks for chiming in guys – And Goose, because I know you are still here – this is part of the bashing you spew:
Quote: The negatives far, far, FAR outweigh the positives on the software that he so glibly recommends, unquote.
Quote: With that said, can we finally get past all of these amateurish and retarded circlejerks that are passing as “articles” these days?, unquote.
Next time you feel the need to bash something,or someone. Don’t you fu@!ng moron. Especially when you have nothing to back up what you say except for illiterate, insulting and unwarranted insults. Just stay home little girl.
Thanks for the great article. Very in depth and I like the topics you brought up. Unfortunately, I have to say that after playing with Spiceworks extensively a few months ago for our own customer needs, I found it to present more roadblocks than anything. I have industry colleagues who have used it at their large organizations and say the client machine agent is buggy and not as rock solid in performance as claimed. Plus, the user interface is very “set” as far as how they expect you to use it… and in this regard, it’s very oriented towards IT support within larger companies not dealing with customers as we are.
In all, it just didn’t feel right as a solution. We’ve since opted to go with the lego-block alternative to cookie cutter platforms, Podio, which has allowed us to customize each and every aspect of the way we handle customer service and tickets. Give it a try.. it’s free for small companies, and paid accounts are dirt cheap comapared to ZenDesk or the other big boys.
I read about the great features of Spiceworks a few months and decided to try it. I loaded it on my W7 workstation on my home network with 2 W7 computers via Ethernet, 1 W7 via wireless, 1 XP computer via wireless, 2 USB printers shared, wireless router, DSL modem, 8-port Gig-Ethernet switch, and an external USB disk drive. I watched the short video on the Spiceworks site that made this sound so easy. I was excited.
I opened Spiceworks and launched the network discovery scan to find all the devices attached to the network. Nothing. It simply showed the very computer running the Spiceworks application. I could see nearly everything via Windows Explorer but Spiceworks was running more like SpiceDon’tWork. Turned off Avast Firewall but it made no difference at all. Spice still don’t work.
:-(