IT Auditing software Centenial Discovery vs Snow

Dazza_Random

Dazza_Random

Dazza_Random

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Joined
14 Sep 2007
Posts
302
Hi,

We are currently using Centennial Discovery as our IT auditing software and it will cost us a small fortune to renew the license.

So our current software reseller has suggested we move to "snow" please can people give me their thoughts on this; has anyone used Snow software before and give me the good and bad points about it.

I have Googled around but snow software reviews/forums seem quite hard for me to find!

Thanks
 
I thought the licence for Centennial was perpetual it was just support and software assurance (i.e. latest versions/upgrades?) you lose if you dont renew?
 
kefkef said:
I thought the licence for Centennial was perpetual it was just support and software assurance (i.e. latest versions/upgrades?) you lose if you dont renew?
Click to expand...

Yea; that's what happened and we/I just found out so Centennial are charging us a small fortune to renew - so that why we are now looking at Snow. As its the same price and Snow looks much better - but I need to know more ! :-)

I would like someone to tell me about their user experience with it.

Thanks
 
Depending on how you use Centennial (i.e. if you have all of your licences added, primary and secondary software sorted out, etc.) it would be a mamoth job to move. It sounds like someones 'bright' idea to save the company a few quid by not having SA has backfired.

I've never used Snow but had a quick look and it does look ugly. Not that Centennial is much better looking but anything that looks like the old Windows XP menu doesn't bode well to me.

Why not download a demo and trial it?



M.
 
Our version of Centennial Discovery is over 2 years old as an idiotic IT support assistant let it lapse 2 years ago (I have been in the job 3months now-first job in IT) we have 250 desktops and have 200 staff plus 700 students - I don't have the time at the moment to trial it but I may well do soon. In total our IT department has 3 of us in supporting a lot of users imho.

Basically the price is cheaper slightly to have a days training of Snow and move from Centennial to Snow...

Also our centennial doesn't audit software licenses - no idea how to make it do this...
 
It depends what version you are using i suppose. Ours audits software (we use it to report back to organisations on licence position) we also use the licence manager of the software assett management module to track licence validity and to ensure licences are only used in their correct place.
 
We are going through the process of using Snow right now.
From the demos we've seen of it, it is very good and it also understands downgrade rights to licenses.

We are importing the inventory from our ZENWorks system. Despite being assured that they can do this no problem, after we've paid for it we're now told that they need to build the sql export query.

I'll let you know more as we progress and start actually using it.
 
Have you considered Spiceworks??? Does a great job of auditing on my network and is completely free. Not just auditing mind, it does help desk, monitoring and alerting, reporting etc too.

And it has a great community :)

www.spiceworks.com
 
We are just implementing Snow now.

I'm not really involved with the project but from what I've experienced so far:

a) The interface is sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet
b) The support is absolutely first class
 
PAz said:
We are just implementing Snow now.

I'm not really involved with the project but from what I've experienced so far:

a) The interface is sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet
b) The support is absolutely first class
Click to expand...

Hi,

What did your workplace use before and can I be cheeky and ask what did your work compare and why did they choose Snow over anything else on the table...
 
Just out of interest Dazza, have you spoken to Forefront about the renewal or just taken the list price? I managed to get a decent discount on the licences when i bought them a couple of years ago by hammering out a deal with them (though i was buying a few more than you......... by about 17000 licences! :D)
 
Dazza_Random said:
Hi,

What did your workplace use before and can I be cheeky and ask what did your work compare and why did they choose Snow over anything else on the table...
Click to expand...

Nothing was used before.

- Eracent - Enterprise Asset Manager / Enterprise Entitlement Manager
- Front Range - Centennial License Manager

were reviewed for POC.
 
I do quite like Discovery/License manager, although not sure how much they like me reporting lots of quirks I've found with it over the years :)
 
Snow is a terrible piece of software and Snow Support is full of arrogant support staff who do not know what they are doing.

After Windows Updates the Snow service turns itself to manual from automatic and servers are not scanned. When raised as a support call Snow said that they did not believe it and did nothing to fix it! Would not recommend.
 
Tim Mill said:
Snow is a terrible piece of software and Snow Support is full of arrogant support staff who do not know what they are doing.

After Windows Updates the Snow service turns itself to manual from automatic and servers are not scanned. When raised as a support call Snow said that they did not believe it and did nothing to fix it! Would not recommend.
Click to expand...

Hate to be sceptical, but first post and slating a company.. Are you a competitor of theirs, perchance?
 
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