Spiceworks IT Desktop is a free program for monitoring and auditing hardware and software running over firms’ networks. Version 1.7 boasts extended software compliance features, the ability to send helpdesk support emails through Exchange servers, an upgraded user interface and enhanced device information.

The software’s web-based GUI has a separate pane displaying technology adverts, the proceeds from which are used to fund the software’s development.

We installed the 6MB application on a Windows XP Professional workstation. After the initial setup, it took us about five minutes to compile a detailed network inventory. Two servers were picked up during the initial scan ­ a Windows Server 2003 (WS 2003) Standard Edition system and a Wi-Fi security server running AirTight Networks’ SpectraGuard Enterprise package.

Spiceworks also gave details on the WS 2003 software configuration, picking up 24 applications, 96 services and 32 hot fixes. It also picked up all the storage devices on the network and detected our anti-virus package. IT Desktop runs on Windows only but can audit non-Windows systems.

The package let us set up an SMTP server that could then forward email alerts, and we also had the option to configure a POP3 email server so that users could send helpdesk requests. We could set up various monitoring conditions that if triggered would send an email to the defined address.

There are seven tabs on the GUI: My Spiceworks, Inventory, Help Desk, Reports, Community, Store and Settings. The My Spiceworks tab gives network admins an overview of their network, and features two particularly useful alerts ­ “New hardware this week” and “New software this week” ­ that enable admins to easily locate and check any unauthorised hardware and/or software appearing on the network.

The Help Desk tab lets admins assign “trouble tickets” to specific assets and then assign staff to deal with the tickets. Help Desk sorts out the workflow and new in 1.7 is the ability to attach Word, Excel and .PDF documents to the tickets.

Another attractive feature is the ability to submit questions to Spiceworks’ online community and also trawl the community question archives for information about any issues thrown up during day-to-day running of the package. Users can also request new features.