'Free tools are not just for solopreneurs, startups and SMBs'

CHENNAI, INDIA: According to recent survey report on 'Free Tools' from ManageEngine, the real-time IT management company, reveals that mid-size and large enterprises - not cash-strapped solopreneurs, startups and SMBs - are the leading users of its free tools, which have seen a 40 per cent increase in downloads during the first half of 2013.

Among the survey highlights, ManageEngine found that free tools aren't just for system admins but other IT team members also use them too. "Most admins use free tools to solve common Windows & Desktop Management problems."

Vidya Vasu, head - ManageEngine Community said, "The decision to use free tools is really about functionality and performance, not price. This is one of the biggest takeaways of this survey."

"Free tools will not replace the management consoles that give admins the big picture on IT, but these 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," added Vasu.

Key survey findings center on who exactly are using the free IT management tools.

Company-wise popularity of free tools:

* Mid and large enterprises (100+ employees) - 61 percent

* Small businesses (up to 100 employees) - 16 percent

* Solopreneurs and startups (up to 10 employees) - 23 percent

Vertical-wise break-up of IT teams using free tools:

* IT and technology - 28.53 percent

* Banking, financial services and insurance - 20.98 percent

* Healthcare - 18.38 percent

* Education - 10.38 percent

* Government - 10.23 percent

* Other - 11.50 percent

People using free tools in an organization:

* Sysadmins - 43.5 percent

* Network admins - 24.8 percent

* IT managers - 21.3 percent

* Vertical admins - 10.4 percent

The survey also revealed that most of the mid and large enterprises - 46 percent - use free tools on a daily basis. The most popular ManageEngine free tools are the SNMP MIB Browser, Ping Tool, Ping Tool for iPhone, Windows Health Monitor, Active Directory tools and Desktop Management tools.

Click here to see 'Free Tools' infographic with survey results!