Ground Report

While there is no one help desk software solution that will fit every business, SysAid does its best to provide one that will fit almost everyone. Integrating both help desk service and asset management into a single package, SysAid’s IT Help Desk software is a unique take on the standard service offerings found in most developer’s platforms.

One of SysAid’s greatest strengths is its years of experience and knowledge in creating an integrated solution that works for both ITAM and help desk management. This is a company that didn’t just throw these two functions together to try and stand out from the competition; they helped pioneer it, quickly adopting new technologies and industry standards in order to provide a real, working piece of software with all the customization IT managers could dream of to help make SysAid’s IT Help Desk software work for them.

It’s easy to say that SysAid may be trying to do too much. While service desk and asset management functions often go hand-in-hand, companies often manage these functions separately. There’s a number of reasons for this, mostly related to specialized software and compartmentalized teams being able to function better on a large scale. SysAid, however, marries the two together in a way that makes sense, and will be a powerful tool for businesses that are able to take advantage of the time and resource-saving approach SysAid presents.

Help Desk Module

Let’s jump right into the Help Desk side of SysAid’s software and start off immediately with the bad. SysAid’s help desk ticket receiving system isn’t as robust as some of its competition. While standard ticketing options are available, such as phone, chat, and e-mail, it lacks an option for social media integration, an outlet quickly becoming a needed standard in today’s world.

The rest of the system has all the depth you’d expect from a top-notch help desk software helping to pioneer the industry. An ITIL package will help keep large businesses on track with industry standards, with SLA reporting included to help keep IT departments for large server-based companies to stay in compliance. A cloud-based SaaS installation is available, or a more traditional on-site install. It’s worth mentioning that SysAid does a lot to keep its customer’s updated with the latest version of its software on the cloud-based platform, and do a great job of providing new innovations and tools, but that its on-site installation patches do come at a slower rate than the SaaS ones.

Outside of the lack of social media integration, SysAid’s ticketing system offers a wealth of customization. All the usual boxes get ticked here; automation, ticket routing and escalation, chat functions, remote desktop (including mobile), and easy end-user ticket submission. One of SysAid’s greatest strengths is the dual combination of an easy-to-use front-end interface for the end-user and a fully configurable dashboard for both front and back-end use. The amount of customization and setup that can be done to SysAid’s platform is almost overwhelming, and it will take an experienced user installing and getting the program up and running to take full advantage of everything it offers. Once fully configured, the versatility of SysAid’s software is on full display, letting administrators custom tailor their interfaces to feed the needs of their team and users.

This breadth of customization options may even be SysAid’s greatest downside. For first-time administrators, reading the documentation and watching SysAid’s (admittedly pretty good) tutorial videos will be an absolute must. Most of the interface setup can be hidden behind other menus, and figuring out how to get everything to go where you want can often be a process of trial and error. Once familiar with the interface. However, savvy users will find a software package that offers a level of configurable polish not found amongst its competitors.

SysAid’s help desk module also provides the easy integration of a knowledge base for both the end-user and the support desk employee.

Detailed analytics can be set up to be provided automatically for both the help desk module and the ITAM module, giving managers real-time data and information on their ticketing procedures, common service requests, and more. It stops just short of providing the adaptability of a machine learning algorithm, but we wouldn’t be surprised if that was already in the pipeline for SysAid’s software.

Asset Management Module

On the asset management side of things is where SysAid’s software truly shines. It’s clear from the get-go that this is what SysAid considers its forte, and the level of experience on display by its designers is a boon to ITAM administrators.

The level of customization present in the help desk module is also on display here, giving admins a high level of configuration in how they’d like their assets displayed. Not only can asset displays be set up in a way that makes sense for your team, but the amount of information displayed can quickly be adjusted to fit your needs.

SysAid’s asset module allows for automatic network discovery for both hard-wired and wireless assets, software licensing management, service history, patch management a hardware/software catalog, network monitoring, and remote viewing of the asset panel itself. Every feature you’d expect in a dedicated piece of asset management software can be found in SysAid’s module, along with some unexpected feature. The ease with which these two modules can be used together to create a more streamlined IT environment is impressive, as both control panels can be linked with each other to provide more detailed information on what’s happening with your business’s assets.

Customer Service

SysAid also offers outstanding customer service, including new-user help and a knowledgeable service team ready to help with any questions their customers may have. They were easy to reach, knew the ins-and-outs of their software, and offered quick resolutions to any problems we had.

The Bottom Line

After using SysAid’s software, it’s pretty obvious that this isn’t a slapped together package. This kind of solution isn’t for everyone, and there’s certainly dedicated software offerings out there that may be better suited to certain businesses, but for IT managers looking for a fully functional platform that provides both help desk and asset management capability, look no further than SysAid’s Help Desk and Asset Management modules.