Desktop management software solutions allow you to streamline and unify any network management tasks that need to be carried out on endpoint devices. Common tasks include the implementation of virus, or malware protection, patch management, helpdesk functions, and install/move/add/change (IMAC) tasks. Desktop management platforms will work not only on your PC desktop, but also your laptops, tablets, and other user devices.
Some desktop management software solutions will also allow you to monitor and manage identity and access. This ensures that your devices are being use by valid users, and that you can control this from a central, unified dashboard. Desktop management software solutions can be configured in house or managed by a third-party provider.
Desktop management software solutions are closely linked to Remote Management and Monitoring (RMM) solutions. While both types of solutions are capable of monitoring devices, analysing events, and performing management tasks, they differ in the way this is achieved. RMM solutions operate at scale across an entire network, and can encompass all of the servers, workstations, and network devices. They can oversee software updates, identify hardware failures, and security threats. Desktop management solutions are more focused on managing individual desktop devices, with specific configuration needs. There is, understandably, a lot of overlap in this category; many RMM solutions work as effective desktop management solutions, too.
In this shortlist, we’ll identify the top desktop management software solutions, and cover their key features and use cases. We will offer our expert opinions on each solution’s stand out features and identify the type of organization that would benefit from each platform.
NinjaOne, based in Austin, TX, provides an IT operations solution that streamlines, automates, manages, and remediates cyber events and workflows. Their remote monitoring and management solution features a comprehensive set of tools for asset management, patch deployment, backups, and remote access.
Why We Picked NinjaOne: We like NinjaOne’s ability to support users anywhere without requiring a company network, domain, or on-premises server. It offers robust support for MSPs to manage client desktops and IT solutions efficiently.
NinjaOne Best Features: Key features include asset management, patch deployment, backup capabilities, and remote access. The solution supports remote workers with technical support, patch deployment, and security configuration updates. It also automates remediation and scripted processes to improve efficiency.
What’s great:
Pricing: For detailed pricing, visit NinjaOne directly.
Who it’s for: NinjaOne is ideal for organizations with smaller IT teams needing comprehensive IT management and robust solutions, as well as MSPs looking to efficiently manage client desktops.
Atera RMM is a robust remote monitoring and management platform that provides extensive visibility and control over servers and desktops. It offers real-time monitoring, automated task management, and remote maintenance capabilities to streamline IT operations.
Why We Picked Atera RMM: We appreciate Atera’s real-time desktop event monitoring and its ability to automate repetitive tasks, ensuring efficient IT management.
Atera RMM Best Features: Key features include real-time monitoring of desktop events, automation of manual and repetitive tasks, automatic patch and update installation, remote uninstallation of applications, script execution, and patch management across devices. The platform ensures unified policy enforcement across networks and supports a wide range of use cases.
What’s great:
Pricing: For detailed pricing, visit Atera’s website directly.
Who it’s for: Atera RMM is ideal for organizations and MSPs of any size seeking to provide comprehensive remote support services. It suits both corporate IT departments and MSPs looking to simplify and streamline their IT management processes.
SuperOps is a unified Professional Services Automation (PSA) and Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) platform tailored for fast-growing MSPs. It distinguishes itself in the competitive market with AI-powered automation and intelligent alerting, enabling MSPs to reduce noise and efficiently remediate issues.
Why We Picked SuperOps: We appreciate SuperOps for its AI-driven automation that streamlines operations and its intelligent alerting system that minimizes false alarms.
SuperOps Best Features: Key features include desktop and endpoint management, asset management with complete endpoint visibility, policy management, patch management, alerting, and remote endpoint access. Additional capabilities encompass IT documentation, service desk functionalities, and client management. All functions are accessible through a single, customizable console. Integrations support automated invoicing, time-tracking, and profitability metrics.
What’s Great:
Pricing: For detailed pricing, visit the SuperOps website directly.
Who it’s for: SuperOps is ideal for MSPs seeking an all-in-one PSA and RMM solution with robust desktop management features to enhance operational efficiency and client security.
AnyDesk Remote Desktop is a lightweight, fast remote desktop solution from Stuttgart-based AnyDesk, serving over 170,000 customers and handling more than 900 million sessions monthly. It offers seamless performance with a minimum frame rate of 60fps for screen sharing and robust security using TLS 1.2 and AES-256 encryption.
Why We Picked AnyDesk Remote Desktop: We appreciate its high-performance capabilities and strong security measures, ensuring smooth and secure remote desktop management.
AnyDesk Remote Desktop Best Features: Key features include a 60fps minimum frame rate for screen sharing, TLS 1.2 and AES-256 encryption, customizable settings, and compatibility with a wide range of operating systems. It supports remote management from both mobile and PC devices.
What’s great:
Pricing: For detailed pricing, visit AnyDesk’s website.
Who it’s for: AnyDesk Remote Desktop is ideal for SMBs seeking a user-friendly solution and mid-market enterprises managing a diverse device fleet.
ConnectWise Control is a versatile platform that facilitates network operations management, offering remote access to devices anytime through a flexible console. It can be configured in either Access or Support mode, each tailored to specific use cases: Access enhances remote endpoint connectivity for improved support, while Support functions as a helpdesk for remote problem resolution.
Why We Picked ConnectWise Control: We appreciate its dual-mode functionality, enabling both remote access and helpdesk support. This versatility makes it a comprehensive solution for managing and troubleshooting network devices efficiently.
ConnectWise Control Best Features: Key features include remote access to any device, a flexible management console, Access and Support modes, advanced reporting for MSPs, and reliable performance. The platform supports seamless remote device management and troubleshooting without disrupting end-users.
What’s great:
Pricing: For detailed pricing, visit ConnectWise directly.
Who it’s for: ConnectWise Control is best suited for small to medium-sized MSPs needing a robust desktop management solution with strong support and troubleshooting capabilities.
IBM MaaS360 is an AI-backed Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) tool that offers comprehensive device management for all endpoints, including laptops, smartphones, IoT devices, and wearables. IBM manages over 10 million devices, ensuring scalable protection as organizations grow.
Why We Picked IBM MaaS360: We appreciate its robust endpoint management capabilities and the ability to scale effortlessly, meeting the needs of expanding organizations.
IBM MaaS360 Best Features: The solution provides effective data management, enhances threat detection, and improves identity and access management. Key features include automated device enrollment, flexible security policy configuration, containerized architecture implementation, and seamless integration with various technology platforms.
What’s great:
Pricing: For detailed pricing, visit IBM’s website directly.
Who it’s for: IBM MaaS360 is best suited for medium to large organizations needing a robust UEM solution with granular configuration capabilities to meet their specific needs.
ManageEngine Endpoint Central is a unified endpoint management and security platform that addresses a broad spectrum of cybersecurity needs. It offers comprehensive device management, patch management, software deployment, and ransomware protection.
Why We Picked ManageEngine Endpoint Central: We appreciate its granular device management capabilities and streamlined user interface, which simplify complex network management tasks.
ManageEngine Endpoint Central Best Features: Key features include patch management, software deployment, asset and software licensing management, usage statistics, and ransomware protection. It also offers privilege escalation and network event visibility. The platform integrates with various systems to enhance its functionality.
What’s great:
Pricing: For detailed pricing, visit the ManageEngine website directly.
Who it’s for: ManageEngine Endpoint Central is ideal for organizations of all sizes seeking a robust desktop management solution with extensive functionality and a diverse feature set.
N-Able N-Sight is an RMM solution that integrates remote access, ticketing, and billing into a single platform, designed to monitor, manage, and secure customer systems, data, and networks.
Why We Picked N-Able N-Sight: We appreciate the solution’s comprehensive remote management features, including asset discovery, inventory tracking, and patch management with drag-and-drop automation. Its ability to customize and brand the portal is particularly valuable for MSPs.
N-Able N-Sight Best Features: Key features include remote access, ticketing, billing, asset discovery, inventory tracking, patch management, and drag-and-drop automation. It offers a customizable and brandable portal, a mobile app for technical staff, scheduling and tracking capabilities, and multi-site data analysis and reporting. The solution integrates all functionality through a single, streamlined dashboard.
What’s great:
Pricing: For detailed pricing, contact N-Able directly.
Who it’s for: N-Able N-Sight is ideal for organizations of all sizes, especially managed service providers seeking a versatile and effective solution to manage client devices.
Scalefusion is a specialized solution for mobile and endpoint management, ensuring unified device policies and rigorous security enforcement. It offers desktop management software that provides visibility and control over network computing devices across Windows, Mac, and Linux.
Why We Picked Scalefusion: We appreciate Scalefusion’s rapid configuration and deployment capabilities, enabling swift updates and patches across all relevant endpoints.
Scalefusion Best Features: Key features include simultaneous rollout of updates and patches, enhanced visibility over network events and device settings, and control over desktop layouts for a unified user experience. It supports Windows, Mac, and Linux desktops.
What’s great:
Pricing: For detailed pricing, contact Scalefusion directly.
Who it’s for: Scalefusion is ideal for SMBs and large enterprises seeking a solution for quick and easy setup and deployment of desktops across various operating systems.
Splashtop is a California-based remote access and support solution that has been operational since 2006. It offers a comprehensive enterprise support platform that enables endpoint supervision, performance enhancement, security monitoring, and automation of service desk workflows.
Why We Picked Splashtop: We appreciate Splashtop’s flexibility and scalability, which cater to growing organizations. Its robust security features, including role-based permissions enforced by 2FA and AES-256 encryption, ensure account safety.
Splashtop Best Features: Key features include endpoint supervision, performance enhancement, security monitoring, service desk automation, and role-based permissions with 2FA and AES-256 encryption. Additional enterprise add-ons include SIEM integrations, IP restrictions, RDP to VNC connectors, and augmented reality annotation.
What’s great:
Pricing: For detailed pricing, visit Splashtop directly.
Who it’s for: Splashtop is ideal for medium-sized organizations seeking a reliable and flexible remote access and support solution that offers robust desktop access and monitoring tools.
TeamViewer is a German technology company’s connectivity platform designed for managing remote access and control across various devices, from desktops and mobiles to industrial machines and robots. It supports over 2.5 billion devices, enabling organizations to troubleshoot and manage their operations effectively.
Why We Picked TeamViewer: We like its ability to provide permanent access to unattended devices and its robust collaboration features, including screen sharing, conversations, and real-time annotations.
TeamViewer Best Features: Key features include permanent access to unattended devices, black screen for private remote use, secure file sharing, and collaboration tools such as screen sharing, real-time conversations, and annotations. It supports a wide range of device types and operating systems, managed through a streamlined user interface.
What’s great:
Pricing: For detailed pricing, visit TeamViewer directly.
Who it’s for: TeamViewer is ideal for medium-sized organizations requiring a secure remote desktop monitoring solution to manage endpoints, assist with troubleshooting, and ensure optimal performance to keep operations running smoothly.
For organizations looking to keep their digital workspaces secured and running efficiently, proper desktop management is a comprehensive approach to achieving this goal.
Desktop management solutions allow you to unify the management and security of devices across your network, including computers, smartphones, laptops etc, keeping everything from hardware configurations to general business operations running smoothly. These solutions often allow you to deploy updates and roll out changes such as automated patch management and software updates, while ensuring that security features and policies are in place across all computer systems and mobile devices. These tools make it easier to adhere to desktop management best practices by facilitating remote control and management of endpoint devices and software applications, to resolve any issues that occur. This improves operational efficiency and network security. This type of solution works on your desktop PCs, as well as mobile and IoT devices, and tablets.
Troubleshooting – In a world where workforces are increasingly geographically disparate, desktop management tools allow IT teams to resolve technical issues and misconfigurations without being onsite. This results in swifter issue resolution, as well as reduced costs (through reduced transport and drop in productivity).
Policy Unification – Large organizations may easily have hundreds of devices to oversee, there may also be a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policy in place. Desktop management solutions allow you to ensure that the same security policies and configurations have been deployed across every device within your workforce.
Improved Productivity – Desktop management software solutions allow you to automate key maintenance tasks – such as updating software patches – to ensure all devices are adequately protected. As this process can be automated, it requires less admin time to instigate, and updates can be scheduled to happen outside of work hours. This reduces the workload for network administrators, thereby improving productivity.
MSPs – For MSPs, installing an effective remote desktop management solution is essential. Without one, MSPs will be limited in their utility and the range of remediation that is available to them when an issue does occur. While some specific applications may have the capability to be accessed remotely, only remote desktop management solutions allow complete access as if the remote user were using a local device.
It can be difficult to know what to look for when considering a desktop management solution. In part, the right desktop management software solution depends on what your specific use case is. You may be focused on finding a solution that can help you manage software patching and the deployment of software applications. Alternatively, you may want a tool that helps you resolve troubleshooting and user experience issues. These are very different use cases, but both can be achieved with desktop management software. Some other features to look out for include:
Alex is an experienced journalist and content editor. He researches, writes, factchecks and edits articles relating to B2B cyber security and technology solutions, working alongside software experts. Alex was awarded a First Class MA (Hons) in English and Scottish Literature by the University of Edinburgh.
Laura Iannini is an Information Security Engineer. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity from the University of West Florida. Laura has experience with a variety of cybersecurity platforms and leads technical reviews of leading solutions. She conducts thorough product tests to ensure that Expert Insights’ reviews are definitive and insightful.