Boost your ConfigMgr Capabilities with Endpoint Insights

Prajwal Desai
Posted by Prajwal Desai
Boost your ConfigMgr Capabilities with Endpoint Insights

This article explains how you can boost your ConfigMgr capabilities with Endpoint Insights. Using Endpoint Insights, you can access critical endpoint data not available natively in ConfigMgr or other ITSMs.

Endpoint Insights by Recast Software quickly reveals the all-too-important information about your infrastructure, hardware, and software inventory that you didn’t know and couldn’t find. You can view hundreds of data points within ConfigMgr and CMDB that can drastically alter your environment and end users’ experience.

With Endpoint Insights, you get insights you’ve never had before on user-installed software, device warranty, replacement information, databases, and hardware – like monitors, printers, docking stations, and more. When paired with Right Click Tools, Endpoint Insights gives you the power to quickly remediate the issues you uncover.

Also Read: How to Upgrade Right Click Tools to latest version

Top Features of Endpoint Insights

Before we learn how Endpoint Insights enhances the ConfigMgr capabilities, listed below are some unique features offered by Endpoint Insights.

  • View all computers, monitors, and docking stations in your environment.
  • Better manage your software updates and deployments.
  • Access up-to-date information on the users assigned to devices.
  • See all software in use in your environment, no matter how it was installed.
  • Discover what servers and printers are in your environment and who’s using them.
  • Quickly see device warranty status and device age.

Useful Article: SCCM Remote Software Center | Right Click Tools

Add Important Data to your ConfigMgr Instance

When it comes to endpoint management, having comprehensive insights into your IT environment is essential to both enhancing productivity and ensuring solid security.

Endpoint Insights is an additional data stream for ConfigMgr that supercharges your endpoint management experience. A part of the Recast Software suite, which includes the well-regarded Right Click Tools, Endpoint Insights allows you to dig deeper into your ConfigMgr environment, providing new information that was previously inaccessible.

Beyond ConfigMgr: Adding More to Your Inventory

Endpoint Insights brings an expansive list of items that aren’t included natively within ConfigMgr. From new data on applications and packages deployed across your IT environment to detailed information about installed monitors, local users, and groups, Endpoint Insights enables a much more comprehensive understanding of your assets, both hardware and software. For instance, Endpoint Insights provides data on mapped drives and printers, providing you with a more holistic view of your devices.

The All-in-One Computer View report gives you a deep look into a single device for quick insights
The All-in-One Computer View report gives you a deep look into a single device for quick insights

The result of all this powerful data? Over 200 actionable reports that offer new insights into your IT environment.

Endpoint Insights: Computer Replacement Costs Report

Endpoint Insights not only provides the data you need, but also enables you to take immediate action. For example, imagine you have to remove a “rogue” user account from your environment. With Endpoint Insights, you can load a report showing all local accounts on the designated computer and validate the existence of the rogue account. Following this, you can use the System Information tool in Right Click Tools to locate and remove the account from the system, allowing for immediate remediation.

Endpoint Insights also provides valuable information that can help in strategic decision-making. The Computer Replacement Costs report is a game changer for many organizations using Endpoint Insights, including for those navigating the transition to Windows 11. The computer replacement cost report solely looks at the age of the computer compared to the data entered manually for the lifespan. It does not identify whether or not it’s ready for Windows 11.

However, there are reports in EI that help identity those devices that aren’t ready for windows 11:

  • TPM 2.0 is required for Windows 11 and TPM info can be found in the BitLocker and TPM status report in Endpoint Insights.
  • SecureBoot is another Windows 11 requirement. Info on SecureBoot can be found in the BIOS Dashboard in Endpoint Insights.
The Computer Replacement Costs report brings clarity and ease to budget planning
The Computer Replacement Costs report brings clarity and ease to budget planning

The Computer Replacement Costs report also allows users to set the lifecycle of the computers in your environment and the replacement costs, revealing budget projections that help you plan your budget needs more easily and accurately. No more desk-to-desk tracking of hardware or model-by-model device warranty hunting on multiple OEMs’ websites. By connecting with each computer manufacturer for you, Endpoint Insights can determine each device’s age and then project when these computers will exceed your planned lifetime, along with the cost of replacement each year.

Also Read: Install Right Click Tools SCCM Console Extension

Unlock the Top Features of Endpoint Insights

The capabilities of Endpoint Insights are vast and varied. From inventorying user-installed software that wouldn’t otherwise be detected by ConfigMgr, to providing comprehensive warranty data for devices from over 150 different manufacturers, Endpoint Insights is a powerhouse of information.

Dashboards and ConfigMgr reports, extended inventory, and user logon details are among the other features that power up IT teams. Not only do you get to visualize critical data through easy-to-read dashboards and ConfigMgr reports, but you also get to have an extended inventory capturing finer details about your environment.

Whether looking at collections or single devices, you can quickly access warranty data across hundreds of OEMs
Whether looking at collections or single devices, you can quickly access warranty data across hundreds of OEMs

Endpoint Insights offers Improved Security

Improved security is also a significant benefit of using Endpoint Insights, as it reveals security weaknesses in your IT environment. For example, Endpoint Insights shows you which end-users have administrative access to their workstations. You can then detect and remove such security risks promptly.

Endpoint Protection Dashboard
Endpoint Protection Dashboard

Interesting Read: SCCM Content Distribution Monitor by Right Click Tools RCT

Software Update Dashboard

The Software Update Status Dashboard can help identify software update problems that require attention. The report shows new software updates that are available and if there are any old software updates that still need to be deployed. You’ll see obvious issues such as computers that need to be rebooted before software updates can be applied or Windows Update Agent errors. The report can also help spot more subtle issues involving Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) synching and the Software Update Point (SUP) in Configuration Manager.

Endpoint Insights Software Update Dashboard
Endpoint Insights Software Update Dashboard

Conclusion: Improve Your Environmental Awareness and Take Action with Endpoint Insights

Endpoint Insights is more than a singular tool – it is an all-encompassing awareness engine that collects deeper data while also simplifying the action steps to manage your environment. By offering a wealth of information beyond what’s natively available in SCCM and integrating it with your existing tools, Endpoint Insights shifts you from reactive, manual data processes to a proactive, empowered position ready to strategize and tackle your bigger system challenges.

Stay ahead, stay informed, and let Endpoint Insights empower your team. Get a quote for Endpoint Insights and boost your ConfigMgr capabilities.

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Prajwal Desai
Posted by Prajwal Desai
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Prajwal Desai is a Microsoft MVP in Intune and SCCM. He writes articles on SCCM, Intune, Windows 365, Windows Server, Windows 11, WordPress and other topics, with the goal of providing people with useful information.
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