We're considering moving away from ManageEngine after using it for over five years. Initially, we went with it for our ticketing and endpoint management needs. However, we've hit a major roadblock: while attempting to upgrade our ServiceDesk Plus from version 14.x to 15.x, we discovered that we lost the master database key, and we need to move to a newer version of MSSQL. Currently, we can't migrate our existing setup to the cloud due to issues with the original cloud instance set up by a former employee.
Given that we might need to start from scratch, we're looking for suggestions on replacements for our ticketing, imaging, software installation, remote control, asset management, and MDM needs. We're a Microsoft-centric organization, so ideally, we want to incorporate Intune for imaging and provisioning PCs. These are the specific features we're interested in: ticketing, imaging provisioning of PCs, software installation, remote control/troubleshooting, asset management, and mobile device management.
5 Answers
If you're open to alternatives, I recommend checking out NinjaOne. It covers RMM, MDM, and software installations—pretty versatile. You could also pair it with Intune for a more powerful setup! They have a good feedback loop for new features too, which is promising.
Using Ninja with Autopilot and Intune has really sped up our processes. We love deploying non-Microsoft software more efficiently!
If you're stuck on ManageEngine, I suggest just starting fresh with them. They've made a lot of updates in the past few years which could improve your setup a lot!
Absolutely! We're hoping the new features will be worth the wait to delete our old instance. Thanks for the encouragement!
Wow, that situation sounds rough! I totally feel for you. Starting over sounds daunting but sometimes it’s a necessary step to get things right. Best of luck with the migration!
Thanks! It's definitely going to keep things interesting!
Consider integrating Intune with IntunePckgr and Action1. Intune does a great job with provisioning, but you’ll need IntunePckgr to keep everything updated. Action1 can help with tracking software and patch management.
Great points! I hadn't thought of that combo. Thanks for the suggestions!
I can’t provide specific alternatives since we also use ManageEngine, but you should be able to regenerate the master key using SQL commands. Everyone is scared to try, but it’s worth checking out. Just run this command: ALTER MASTER KEY REGENERATE WITH ENCRYPTION BY PASSWORD = ''; It’s worked for us with no issues.
We’ve heard similar things, but our DBA is wary about trying it out. We don’t want to end up locked out of the database.
Agree! We transitioned from ManageEngine to NinjaOne and it's been a smoother experience. Just be ready for some conflicts during onboarding.