PDQ Deploy & Inventory

Really easy to used

Pros:

Really easy to used platform to deploy softwares and patch

Cons:

Sometimes need some search to have good silent deploy

Inexpensive, Hierarchecal, and Scalable

Comments: My overall experience with inventory has been very positive. Whenever I change jobs I encourage them to switch to PDQ. After its adoption, my team shares my enthusiasm.

Pros:

I like the ability to create nested groups, that can be dynamic or static. I will also enjoy the ability to use multiple compound statements, without limitation in order to drill down and find devices that meet whatever criteria I can dream up or that I've been given.

Cons:

The only problems I've really run into is the speed that you're able to scan large scale organizations with a lot of VPN users. Occasionally DNS does not update quickly enough so you wind up with an IP pointing to a different workstation. This doesn't really cause a great deal of problems, it just causes the scan to fail. It's not a huge deal because it will correct itself during the next scan typically

PDQ Deploy anomalies

Pros:

Simplify server management Saves on me sign in multiple times Repeat task on remote machines

Cons:

These features seem inconsistent: - Say you want to run a number on commands on a number of servers you cannot get a combined report of the output of all the commands. Often this is needed as the report may be input into further tools - You should be able to set default credentials for each computer you add manually which can be overridden from 'deploy one' - You should be able to group a group of computers like a tree structure eg. directory structure in Windows or UNIX - Computers should be able to be a member of more than one group. When you add a known computer to another group it should copy all these properties as default starting point - In new package, you should have the ability to not have to choose a step type but the commands the user types in most cases tell you what type of step it is

A regular PDQ user of 1 person IT department

Comments: I ran into projects after projects during pandemic. was looking for a tool to manage everything remotely, PDQ demo took place and went for it right away. Saved tons of time deploying patches, softwares, custom installations and much more. This tool allowed me to run whole IT department single handedly.

Pros:

Ease of use, simplicity, effectiveness. PDQ has nice video based how to dos and that was helpful.

Cons:

Two part of deploy and inventory, can they be one?

PDQ has become the most used toolset in my career.

Comments: This is the 2nd job I have had with PDQ. Part of the reason I was hired for this position was my knowledge of PDQ. The previous admins had purchased but no one knew how to use it. The overall system was in a neglected state. In the 9 months I have been here I have rebuilt and moved PDQ to new servers and changed the way Patch management was done. I retired WSUS because I can do all that it does and more with PDQ. So much more. And the customer support is amazing. I use it when I am stuck with what seems to be unique to our company issues and your staff makes it simple to resolve. I do believe I have become a much more efficient engineer because of PDQ. Keep up the awesome work!!

Pros:

Automation is a must when you have over 400 devices. It makes complex problems much easier to accomplish.

Cons:

I really have not had time to learn all of the features of your products. But that is not on PDQ. Your YouTube videos are amazing and fun to watch. Keep up the humor. That goes a long way in IT.

Want to look like a Admin Superstar? PDQ is the only way.

Comments: A big piece from the management side is being able to quickly true-up or massive Microsoft E5 licensing and pricing. The hardest port of using PDQ is teaching HD staff all of the powerful things that can be accomplished with the combination of Inventory and Deploy.

Pros:

Ease of use, integration with other tools, price, functionality, the overall stability of both Inventory and Deploy and the integration of the two products.

Cons:

They ONLY thing that I have found no way to do that would make things perfect, is to be able to pass a computer name or IP address variable to a custom PowerShell script or custom scanner.

Scale your Business with PDQ Deploy and Inventory

Comments: Overall best for my use because of it's ease of use and convience provided by it.

Pros:

Best thing is that it is very easy to use and guides us with the maps of printers and deployment of updated softwares.

Cons:

Sometimes some error occurs in the deployment that is not so clear...On large scale it's speed slows down

Excellent Deployment and Installation Tool

Comments: Was able to install products that GPOs couldn't. Was able to discretely target systems, or initiate a sitewide roll-out.

Pros:

Many options for setting up install and deploy routines. Automatically refreshed network inventory. Active Directory Integration. Ability to target by queries, OUs or just about anything.Good integration between the prodcts (Deploy and Inventory). Good reporting.

Cons:

Can be kind of daunting for new users. A bit slow sometimes.

A must have tool for any sysadmin

Pros:

PDQ Deploy makes software deployment an easy task. Super powerfull tool to install programs and patch computers without bothering users. Best tool i've ever used.

Cons:

No cons i can think of. Really, maybe ui can be a little more modern? but who cares?

Easy to use

Pros:

Without agent installation on the Clients.

Cons:

So far nothing negative has been noticed.

Automating made Easy

Pros:

Automating Software and Patches for Desktops.

Cons:

Wake on LAN does not work. Also, the package library is limited. I do not have the option to add different software to the package library so It can auto-download/ approve the latest version,

Easy local computer management

Comments: I like this very much

Pros:

Easy to implement and use. This project just works as intended. There is no hoops to jump through.

Cons:

Does not have an agent, some scans take a while over a bad connection

PC Management multitool

Comments: Overall, Inventory has become a staple for us, any other product would cost much much more and would not be as simple or quick.

Pros:

Dead simple setup, with quite powerful tools.

Cons:

Lack of remote client aside (Connect would resolve that) , lack of information for connection errors, and the basic reports with certain fields limiting other fields is quite annoying.

Amazing Software for Managing and Updating Windows Computers

Comments: Before using PDQ Deploy, we were periodically re-imaging our public computers which was a time consuming process as we have multiple areas in the library each with different software programs installed. In between re-imaging, key utility programs would regularly become out of date, negatively impacting patrons usage of the computers. Now with PDQ Deploy, we are able to easily update only specific software programs across all areas, irregardless of the overall software image in use. Simpler and faster process allows for the computers to be updated on a quicker schedule resulting in a better overall experience for our patrons, and significantly less time expended by IT staff.

Pros:

The included Package Library is a fantastic added value to the program providing prepared and tested packages for installing/updating most of the popular/requested software programs. Very easy to use without having to study a lengthy manual. Seemless integration with existing systems and AD. Regular updates to the software, weekly webcasts, extensive video tutorials on usage.

Cons:

None that I can really think of. Not a fan of the new program icons which make it more difficult to identify which program is which, but that's really a minor nitpick.

Great quality of life from a very powerful program

Comments: I have had a tremendously positive experience. I have more time on my hands to address more complicated tasks and bigger projects now that I don't have to perform repetitive tasks, and I can rest easy when I push a critical windows update because I will know which computers got the update and which ones only need to restart.

Pros:

We like being able to perform the same repetitive task, deploy configurations and installations, and keep consistency across our computers. We reclaimed so much time with how fast we can now do these tasks! It is straightforward to use, and there are so many ways to perform my tasks that I only need to choose the easiest way that I know to do them. The community and knowledge base articles are a treasure trove whenever I need to do something new that I don't yet know how to do.

Cons:

I think the only improvement that I would like to see is a way to know that a failure to deploy is something other than the network path was not found. If I deploy a package to multiple computers and some of them fail with an error code and some where network paths can't be found,, I need to look at each failure across multiple failed deployments to make sure that they all did not fail with an error.

Simplicity at its best, but still feature rich

Comments: The number one thing is being able to efficiently keep our endpoints patched and have visibility into that process.

Pros:

For us, the patching component was the most important part. We were using another product that we always had to struggle to complete patches and even then it was a pain just to be able to see which machines needed patches. PDQ deploy made our lives so much better!

Cons:

There are three things I would like to see them do: first, a cloud based approach for deployment and patching where we dont need the computers on the company network to handle them - this is in the works from my understanding. Secondly, add the ability to capture the last logged on user and store it with the rest of the attributes where we can add that as a column. Finally, add an imaging component where we can setup, build and manage images within the same pane of glass - they recently acquired an imaging software company, so I hope this is on the roadmap!

PDQ - A must have tool

Comments: Fantastic. This tool saves our staff time and money. The team who created it have built something that has become a staple in our IT toolbox.

Pros:

The ability to push out software updates, add/remove files remotely, and ease of managment.

Cons:

We'd like to see more templates for more common software deployments and tasks, but the team is working on adding those on a regular basis.

PDQ Inventory & Deploy

Comments: Software packaging is easy with important feature such as job resume after client reboot. Extensive package library with plenty of common software ready to deploy and constantly updated by PDQ.

Pros:

Solution is easy to set up, both PDQ inventory & Deploy are up and running within minutes. Software packaging is easy to build, and deployment is smooth and job can be schedule for automation to targeted clients.

Cons:

Lack of OS deployment and Windows Update scan and patching similar to WSUS.

Must have part of large network

Comments: I've used it for a large portion of my career. Always been essential.

Pros:

The multitude of deployment options. Built in or downloadable uninstalls for almost everything. Running powershell commands on 2000 pcs couldn't be easier.

Cons:

Sometimes I wish there was a client option for the occasional DNS issues.

Great Product to Fit Any Budget

Pros:

When using a software solution to automate certain tasks (like patch management), it's important that the product is simple to use and fit to purpose. PDQ Deploy is not one of those packages that you purchase and quickly forget about.

Cons:

We haven't encountered any issue that we were not able to resolve by either viewing the many supportive YouTube videos or supporting documentation. We would be hard pressed to identify a feature we didn't appreciate.

Can't live without it

Comments: I had an initial issue with building my first package. I reached out to their support team which was top shelf. I had made a simple mistake which they found and then educated me on why it didn't work so I wouldn't make the same mistake.

Pros:

What I like most about this software is the ability to push out software to all my devices. Once a package has been built you are set. When you need to upgrade that software all you have to do is update the .exe/.msi file and you can still use the original package you built. I also support multiple domains and it integrates really easily.

Cons:

Don't have an option right now for work from home pc's.

Love it - Works even better with PDQ Inventory

Comments: Love this stuff. Easy to use. Does what it says it can do. The company is awesome to work with. What more can you ask for.

Pros:

Set up is easy and once you have it set up it just works. Love it!

Cons:

I wish it would handle all of Microsoft patches but I fully understand why it doesn't.

PDQ a lot of value for the money

Comments: PDQ does as good a job or better than products that are much more expensive, and the bonus is that PDQ is simple to learn and manage.

Pros:

PDQ Deploy and Inventory changed the way we work and saved the IT staff a huge amount of time. Befor PDQ we had to do manual patching and could never keep up. After getting Deploy we have patching set on auto pilot and we can get reports of the status of updates.

Cons:

Having to use a third party for remote access, in our case VNC.

PDQ Deploy is the best

Comments: Simple, very efficient to help manage our deployments.

Pros:

The sowtware updates automatically 3rd party software and helps us manage our updates and deployments

Cons:

The only Downside is that it is not available in SAS

Great Product!

Comments: Love the product. Love the ease of use

Pros:

Love how easy it is to set up and deploy software. And the connection between Deploy and Inventory makes it even easier.

Cons:

Sometimes it does not find a computer and the help section doesn't actually help resolve the issue.