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Free IT Management Tools Aren't Just for Solopreneurs, Startups and SMBs

Vidya Vasu

This is precisely what we found out when we ran a survey across users who use ManageEngine free tools. Among the survey highlights, we found that mid-size and large enterprises - not cash-strapped solopreneurs, startups and SMBs - are the leading users of free tools.

We have seen a 40 percent increase in downloads during the first half of 2013. Contrary to popular belief, it was found that a whopping 61% of free tools users are mid and large enterprises, 46% of which use it them on a daily basis!

Click here for Free Tools Infographic

The decision to use free tools is really about functionality and performance, not price. That's one of the biggest takeaways of this survey. Free tools won't replace the management consoles that give admins the big picture on IT, but the nimbler tools are often the go-to solutions for looking at a problem in isolation. Free tools are quick to install, easy to use and provide real-time data. That's why admins keep going back to them.

"Free Tools" Survey Takeaways

The ManageEngine "Free Tools" survey was sent to users who downloaded one or more of ManageEngine free IT management tools. Key survey findings center on who, exactly, is using free IT management tools.

Companies of all sizes use free tools:

• Mid and large enterprises (100+ employees) - 61%

• Small businesses (up to 100 employees) - 16%

• Solopreneurs and startups (up to 10 employees) - 23%

Free tools are used by IT teams across different industries:

• IT and technology - 28.53%

• Banking, financial services and insurance - 20.98%

• Healthcare - 18.38%

• Education - 10.38%

• Government - 10.23%

• Other - 11.50%

Sysadmins (43.5%) aren't the only IT pros using free tools. Others include:

• Network admins - 24.8%

• IT managers - 21.3%

• Vertical admins - 10.4%

This survey also revealed that the most common uses of the free tools include solving common Windows and desktop management problems (64 percent), troubleshooting (44 percent) and monitoring (29 percent).

Vidya Vasu is Head of the ManageEngine Community.

Related Links:

Free Tools available on APMdigest

Image removed.

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Free IT Management Tools Aren't Just for Solopreneurs, Startups and SMBs

Vidya Vasu

This is precisely what we found out when we ran a survey across users who use ManageEngine free tools. Among the survey highlights, we found that mid-size and large enterprises - not cash-strapped solopreneurs, startups and SMBs - are the leading users of free tools.

We have seen a 40 percent increase in downloads during the first half of 2013. Contrary to popular belief, it was found that a whopping 61% of free tools users are mid and large enterprises, 46% of which use it them on a daily basis!

Click here for Free Tools Infographic

The decision to use free tools is really about functionality and performance, not price. That's one of the biggest takeaways of this survey. Free tools won't replace the management consoles that give admins the big picture on IT, but the nimbler tools are often the go-to solutions for looking at a problem in isolation. Free tools are quick to install, easy to use and provide real-time data. That's why admins keep going back to them.

"Free Tools" Survey Takeaways

The ManageEngine "Free Tools" survey was sent to users who downloaded one or more of ManageEngine free IT management tools. Key survey findings center on who, exactly, is using free IT management tools.

Companies of all sizes use free tools:

• Mid and large enterprises (100+ employees) - 61%

• Small businesses (up to 100 employees) - 16%

• Solopreneurs and startups (up to 10 employees) - 23%

Free tools are used by IT teams across different industries:

• IT and technology - 28.53%

• Banking, financial services and insurance - 20.98%

• Healthcare - 18.38%

• Education - 10.38%

• Government - 10.23%

• Other - 11.50%

Sysadmins (43.5%) aren't the only IT pros using free tools. Others include:

• Network admins - 24.8%

• IT managers - 21.3%

• Vertical admins - 10.4%

This survey also revealed that the most common uses of the free tools include solving common Windows and desktop management problems (64 percent), troubleshooting (44 percent) and monitoring (29 percent).

Vidya Vasu is Head of the ManageEngine Community.

Related Links:

Free Tools available on APMdigest

Image removed.

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According to Auvik's 2025 IT Trends Report, 60% of IT professionals feel at least moderately burned out on the job, with 43% stating that their workload is contributing to work stress. At the same time, many IT professionals are naming AI and machine learning as key areas they'd most like to upskill ...

Businesses that face downtime or outages risk financial and reputational damage, as well as reducing partner, shareholder, and customer trust. One of the major challenges that enterprises face is implementing a robust business continuity plan. What's the solution? The answer may lie in disaster recovery tactics such as truly immutable storage and regular disaster recovery testing ...

IT spending is expected to jump nearly 10% in 2025, and organizations are now facing pressure to manage costs without slowing down critical functions like observability. To meet the challenge, leaders are turning to smarter, more cost effective business strategies. Enter stage right: OpenTelemetry, the missing piece of the puzzle that is no longer just an option but rather a strategic advantage ...

Amidst the threat of cyberhacks and data breaches, companies install several security measures to keep their business safely afloat. These measures aim to protect businesses, employees, and crucial data. Yet, employees perceive them as burdensome. Frustrated with complex logins, slow access, and constant security checks, workers decide to completely bypass all security set-ups ...

Image
Cloudbrink's Personal SASE services provide last-mile acceleration and reduction in latency

In MEAN TIME TO INSIGHT Episode 13, Shamus McGillicuddy, VP of Research, Network Infrastructure and Operations, at EMA discusses hybrid multi-cloud networking strategy ... 

In high-traffic environments, the sheer volume and unpredictable nature of network incidents can quickly overwhelm even the most skilled teams, hindering their ability to react swiftly and effectively, potentially impacting service availability and overall business performance. This is where closed-loop remediation comes into the picture: an IT management concept designed to address the escalating complexity of modern networks ...

In 2025, enterprise workflows are undergoing a seismic shift. Propelled by breakthroughs in generative AI (GenAI), large language models (LLMs), and natural language processing (NLP), a new paradigm is emerging — agentic AI. This technology is not just automating tasks; it's reimagining how organizations make decisions, engage customers, and operate at scale ...

In the early days of the cloud revolution, business leaders perceived cloud services as a means of sidelining IT organizations. IT was too slow, too expensive, or incapable of supporting new technologies. With a team of developers, line of business managers could deploy new applications and services in the cloud. IT has been fighting to retake control ever since. Today, IT is back in the driver's seat, according to new research by Enterprise Management Associates (EMA) ...

In today's fast-paced and increasingly complex network environments, Network Operations Centers (NOCs) are the backbone of ensuring continuous uptime, smooth service delivery, and rapid issue resolution. However, the challenges faced by NOC teams are only growing. In a recent study, 78% state network complexity has grown significantly over the last few years while 84% regularly learn about network issues from users. It is imperative we adopt a new approach to managing today's network experiences ...

Image
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