Top 10 IT management tools & software for 2025
IT managers today are under immense pressure to keep systems running smoothly, secure sensitive data, maintain compliance, and support the ever-evolving needs of the business—all while keeping costs under control. With remote and hybrid work now a standard part of how most businesses operate, IT teams are struggling to manage and protect workforces spread across homes, offices, and locations worldwide.
This distributed environment makes it critical for IT leaders to equip their teams with the right IT management tools. These tools simply act as force multipliers, enabling IT teams to automate tasks, streamline processes, and gain visibility across their IT environment. However, with a plethora of options available, selecting the optimal tool for your business can be daunting.
This article explores the top IT management software solutions available and provides guidance on how to select the best one for your organization's unique needs.
What are ITSM software tools?
ITSM stands for IT service management, a practice often guided by frameworks like ITIL (Information technology infrastructure library) for IT service delivery.
ITSM software tools enable IT teams to design, deliver, manage, and improve the IT services they provide to employees and customers. These tools act as a centralized platform to monitor and control an organization's entire IT infrastructure and operations.
Implementing an ITSM solution offers several key benefits:
- Centralized control and visibility: An ITSM tool provides a unified view of your entire IT landscape. You can manage all your IT assets, services, and processes from a single pane of glass, rather than juggling multiple disparate tools. This centralized visibility enables better decision making and faster issue resolution.
- Enhanced security and compliance: With an ITSM tool, you can enforce consistent security policies across your organization, automate access management, and maintain detailed audit trails. This is especially critical for businesses operating in regulated industries or those that need to comply with standards like SOC 2, ISO, or HIPAA.
- Increased operational efficiency: ITSM tools help streamline IT workflows, automate repetitive tasks, and enable self-service capabilities. By automating manual, time-consuming processes, IT teams can significantly reduce their workload and focus on higher-value tasks. Self-service features empower employees to resolve basic issues on their own, further reducing the burden on IT.
5 must-have features of IT management tools
When evaluating IT management solutions, certain core capabilities are non-negotiable. Here are the five essential features your IT management tool must have:
1. Automated device management
Employees often use multiple devices to access corporate resources, including company-issued and personal devices. Modern IT management tools should include MDM (mobile device management) and MAM (mobile application management) capabilities to handle this complexity. These features enable zero-touch provisioning, remote configuration, and automated device enrollment, simplifying the entire device lifecycle management process.
2. Unified app access management
With the proliferation of cloud apps, managing user identities and access across multiple systems has become a significant challenge. An IT management tool should provide a unified platform to manage user identities, provision and deprovision access, enable secure single sign-on (SSO) and enforce security policies across all applications.
3. Comprehensive IT compliance and security
Security risks continue to grow while compliance rules get stricter. An IT management tool should offer robust security features and help maintain compliance with industry frameworks like ISO 27001 and NIST, along with relevant regulations and standards.
Key capabilities to look for include:
- Real-time device and user activity monitoring
- Automated policy enforcement
- Detailed audit logging
- Automated compliance reporting
4. Seamless onboarding and offboarding
Onboarding and offboarding are critical processes that involve multiple touchpoints between IT, HR, and other departments. An IT management tool like Rippling should enable you to configure role-based onboarding and offboarding workflows that automate IT tasks like provisioning accounts, assigning devices, and granting access. Similarly, when an employee leaves, you can revoke their access and reassign their devices in one click. This ensures a smooth onboarding experience and reduces security risks from ex-employees retaining access.
5. Centralized IT infrastructure management
Effective IT management requires tracking all your IT assets, including devices, software licenses, and network components. An IT management tool should give you complete visibility into your IT assets across their entire lifecycle. This enables you to automatically discover new assets, track key details like warranty and ownership, and manage software licenses to ensure compliance.
How to choose the right IT management tool or software
With many IT management tools available, selecting the right one can be daunting. Here are some key considerations to guide your decision:
Integration with existing systems
Ensure the tool you choose integrates seamlessly with your current IT stack. Look for pre-built integrations or robust APIs that allow you to connect the tool with your existing systems, such as your HR platform, identity providers, and other IT tools. This will minimize disruption and ensure data flows smoothly across your tech ecosystem.
Ease of use and automation
The tool should have an intuitive interface that is easy for your IT team to learn and use. Complex, clunky interfaces can lead to low adoption and productivity loss. Additionally, look for features that enable IT automation, such as drag-and-drop workflow builders, pre-built automation templates, and scriptable interfaces. Automation capabilities will allow your team to reduce manual effort and focus on higher-value tasks.
Robust security features
Security should be a top priority when selecting an IT management tool since these tools have deep access to your systems and data. Opt for a tool with enterprise-grade security features like SSO, MFA, role-based access controls (RBAC), and granular permissions.
Cost-effectiveness
Cost is always an important factor, but you should look beyond just the sticker price. Consider the tool's pricing structure and ensure it aligns with your current business needs and future growth plans. Factor in any additional costs for add-on features, professional services, or support. Also, evaluate the tool's potential to deliver ROI by way of improved efficiency, reduced manual effort, or better security outcomes.
The 10 best IT management software tools
Today's market offers several robust solutions, each with unique strengths and capabilities. Let's explore the top 10 IT management software solutions that stand out:
1. Rippling IT
Rippling offers a comprehensive and unified workforce platform that brings together HR, IT, and Finance. Its IT management capabilities streamline access management, device management, and security across the entire employee lifecycle.
Features
- Automated access provisioning and deprovisioning tied to HRIS system
- Device management with zero-touch deployment and MDM
- Self-service app management for employees
- Advanced security with zero-trust architecture and dynamic security policies
- Custom workflows for automated IT processes
- Centralized policy enforcement and real-time device monitoring
- Integrated SSO and multi-factor authentication (MFA)
- Automatic syncing of user data across all business systems
Benefits
- Streamlines operations with complete visibility and control over all users, devices, and apps in one system
- Enhances security by ensuring accurate access rights and enabling one-click offboarding
- Simplifies compliance with pre-built reports and always up-to-date user data
- Reduces operational costs through IT system consolidation and automation
2. Okta
Okta is an enterprise-grade identity management platform that secures and manages access for workforce and customer identities. It offers advanced capabilities for access management, authentication, and user lifecycle management.
Features
- Universal directory for centralized user management
- Adaptive MFA with risk-based policies
- Extensive integration network with 7000+ apps
Benefits
- Provides secure access for all users, devices and resources
- Improves security posture with intelligent MFA
- Enhances user experience with seamless SSO
3. Josys
Josys is an IT management platform focused on providing "360-degree control" of both SaaS and device assets. It specializes in unified device inventory management alongside SaaS control, with strong capabilities in hardware asset tracking and employee lifecycle automation.
Features
- Automated employee lifecycle workflows for both software and hardware
- Integrated device asset tracking and management
- Granular access control and provisioning
Benefits
- Simplifies device inventory tracking and retrieval
- Optimizes SaaS spend and license utilization
- Mitigates security risks from shadow IT
4. OneLogin
OneLogin is a cloud-based identity and access management platform that provides SSO, MFA, and user provisioning. It focuses on simplifying access management while enhancing security.
Features
- SSO for cloud and on-premise apps
- Adaptive multi-factor authentication
- Automated user provisioning and deprovisioning
Benefits
- Improves user experience with seamless access
- Strengthens security with risk-based policies
- Reduces IT workload through automation
5. NinjaOne
NinjaOne is a unified IT management solution that combines remote monitoring and management, endpoint management, and IT automation. It enables IT teams to centrally manage and secure endpoints, automate tasks, and provide remote support.
Features
- Remote monitoring and management
- Automated patch management and scripting
- Integrated remote access and control
Benefits
- Consolidates tools and streamlines IT operations
- Improves efficiency through automation
- Enhances security and compliance posture
6. Uniqkey
Uniqkey is a cloud-based password management and access control solution. It helps businesses secure and manage employee access to applications, while providing users with a simple, unified login experience.
Features
- Single sign-on and multi-factor authentication
- Unified access management for cloud and on-premise apps
- Granular access policies and user provisioning
Benefits
- Reduces password fatigue and improves UX
- Enforces least privilege access across apps
- Speeds up employee onboarding and offboarding
7. Atera
Atera is an all-in-one remote monitoring and management (RMM) platform designed for MSPs. It combines remote access, monitoring, patch management, billing and reporting into a single tool.
Features
- Remote monitoring and access
- Automated patch management and scripting
- Integrated billing and reporting
Benefits
- Consolidates tools and streamlines MSP operations
- Improves technician efficiency and productivity
- Scales IT support and increases profitability
8. Zluri
Zluri is a SaaS management platform that helps enterprises discover, optimize, and secure their applications. It provides visibility into shadow IT, enables centralized management of SaaS licenses and user access.
Features
- SaaS discovery and inventory management
- Automated user provisioning and de-provisioning
- Vendor security and compliance assessments
Benefits
- Identifies and mitigates risks from shadow IT
- Enables granular access governance with custom policies
- Automates complex access review and certification processes
9. SolarWinds
SolarWinds provides enterprise IT management solutions through their new platform, replacing their legacy Orion software. Following their significant 2020 supply chain breach, they released security patches and updated their platform to combine self-hosted and SaaS capabilities for hybrid environments.
Features
- Network and server performance monitoring
- IT asset and service desk management
- Database performance analyzer
Benefits
- Provides end-to-end visibility into IT performance
- Enables proactive issue identification and resolution
- Optimizes resource utilization and costs
10. Freshservice
Freshservice is a cloud-based ITSM solution that helps businesses streamline their IT support and service delivery. It offers a user-friendly interface and a range of features for managing incidents, assets, and service requests.
Features
- Incident, problem, and change management
- Asset discovery and management
- Self-service portal and knowledge base
Benefits
- Aligns IT support with ITIL best practices
- Improves visibility into IT assets and relationships
- Reduces ticket volume through self-service
Put IT and security management on autopilot with Rippling
As we've seen, an effective IT management tool is critical for organizations looking to streamline operations, strengthen security, and drive efficiency. Rippling is a best-in-class platform that offers all the core IT management capabilities we've discussed and more.
Rippling's unified approach to identity, device, and app management across the employee lifecycle sets it apart. By treating identity as the foundation and tightly integrating with the HR system, Rippling automates many of the tedious, manual tasks that bog down IT teams.
From onboarding users and deploying devices to managing app access and handling offboarding, everything is handled automatically based on HR data. This eliminates hours of manual work, ensures consistent security, and provides a better experience for users.
For IT admins, Rippling provides a single pane of glass to manage all users, devices, and apps. Granular policies and real-time device monitoring enable admins to maintain a strong security posture. And with one-click compliance reports always ready, admins can offload the work of continually pulling audit data.
Rippling's platform extends beyond IT to include HR, Finance, and more. This allows businesses to manage all of their employee data and operations on one system, with bidirectional syncing that keeps everything up-to-date. The result is a solution that grows with the organization and empowers every team.
IT service management software FAQs
What tools does an IT manager use?
An IT manager's toolkit typically includes ITSM software, identity and access management tools, device management solutions, network monitoring tools, and security management software. Unified IT management platforms like Rippling combine many of these capabilities into a single tool.
What is IT service management?
IT Service Management (ITSM) refers to the activities involved in designing, delivering, managing, and improving the IT services provided to end users. ITSM software helps IT teams manage incidents, service requests, changes, IT assets, and more.
What is the best IT management software?
While the best IT management software depends on your organization's specific needs, Rippling stands out as a comprehensive solution that goes beyond traditional IT management. Unlike point solutions that only handle specific IT functions, Rippling uniquely combines IT, HR, and Finance management in a single platform. This unified approach eliminates the need to juggle multiple tools while providing enterprise-grade security, automated workflows, and complete visibility across your entire tech stack.
This blog is based on information available to Rippling as of December 31, 2024.
Disclaimer: Rippling and its affiliates do not provide tax, accounting, or legal advice. This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide or be relied on for tax, accounting, or legal advice. You should consult your own tax, accounting, and legal advisors before engaging in any related activities or transactions.
