Keep track of the devices' hardware, software and security (inventory)

What it is for

The extended inventory collects on every device what you want to know for operations and security: operating system, hardware, storage, installed programs, firewall, antivirus, encryption, open ports, pending restarts and the load. You see it per device and as reports across all devices — and can set baselines that make deviations visible.

What you need

• Your own relay with the licence feature Extended inventory. The Cloud on browserdesk.de has no extended inventory. Buy: Prices, install: A5.
• Without a licence the system administrator can try the feature once for 10 days: Licenses → Functions of the licence → Try for 10 days.
• Devices with a current BrowserDesk version. Under Windows the full values come from the BrowserDesk service (runs as system). Without the service, and under Linux and macOS, values that need administrator rights are missing.

How to do it

Look at one device

1. Devices → click the device (G1).
2. On the left under Assets → Extended inventory.
3. At the top the load of the last 24 hours, then the Profile (system, device, computer name …), below it the findings: conspicuous · could not be determined · OK.
4. Expand the sections Security, Storage, Network, Operations and Software. With Filter by item or value… you search for example "firewall" or a program name.

Report across all devices

1. Sidebar Inventory & security (only appears with the licence feature).
2. Choose an Analysis at the top. The tiles show Devices in this report, Rows, Could not be determined and Conspicuous.
3. Narrow it down with Search…; a click on a row opens the device.

Set baselines

In Inventory & security → Baselines: rules per access or tag, for example "firewall on". Nine recommended defaults can be taken over with a button; they overwrite nothing.

Only for certain accesses (system administrator)

Inventory & security → Tenants: out of the box the inventory applies to every access. A system house that resells it per customer switches to selected accesses and ticks them.

How you know it worked

• In the device's details under Extended inventory there are values with "since" and the time of measurement.
• In the device list the column Licence shows active for the inventory feature.
• Inventory & security lists the device in the reports.

Good to know

• "Could not be determined" is never "off" and never "safe". If a value could not be read (missing rights, not supported), it is shown grey with a reason — and, if available, with the last value determined.
• How often it measures: basic inventory every 24 hours, security every 2 hours, operations every hour, load every minute.
• What is never collected: passwords, keys, browser history, bookmarks, account names (only counts), command lines.
• Platforms: Windows and Linux are measured in tests, macOS is unmeasured and reports no load. Linux and macOS collect with user rights; under Linux, for example, serial number, SMART values and the effective firewall are then missing.
• The basic inventory (tabs Inventory and Software in the details) exists without a licence too.
• With the inventory come alerts for CPU, memory and disk (G12).
• With a licence per technician the licence decides how many devices report inventory — the ones that signed in first.

If it does not work