Guide / network inventory, honestly
Network inventory software, open source: a boundary note
"Network inventory" usually means IT asset discovery — scanning a network for devices, software and licences. That is a different domain from stock, and the honest answer starts by saying so.
The key facts
- Network inventory = IT asset discovery: software that scans networks for devices, installed software, licences and configurations.
- It is a different domain from stock: discovery agents and protocols, not receipts and picking — different tools entirely.
- Open source is strong in IT discovery: mature projects exist and are genuinely free to run — with the usual self-hosting costs.
- BSimple does not do network discovery — it manages physical stock and assets, including IT hardware once it is on the shelf.
- The wider system: inventory management end to end maps the whole record this page sits in.
- 01The key facts
- 02What "network inventory" actually means
- 03The boundary for BSimple — stated plainly
- 04Choosing by the job
What "network inventory" actually means
The term belongs to IT operations: software that discovers what is connected — servers, workstations, switches, printers, installed applications, licence counts — by scanning the network rather than by someone typing serial numbers. Good open-source projects exist in this space, mature and genuinely free to run; the costs are the familiar self-hosting ones: deployment, updates, backups, and someone who owns the tool. That trade suits IT teams well, because IT teams are exactly the people equipped to pay it.
What network inventory is not is stock management. It has no receiving against purchase orders, no picking, no counts, no expiry, no invoicing and no accounting handoff — because the domain does not need them. Confusing the two leads businesses to buy the wrong thing in both directions.
The boundary for BSimple — stated plainly
We build BSimple, so weigh that, and the honest answer is: BSimple does not do network discovery. It will not scan your switches or catalogue installed software, and we do not claim it. If the requirement is discovering what is on the network, the open-source IT-asset tools are the right neighbourhood, and their self-hosting costs are ones an IT team is equipped to carry.
Where BSimple genuinely fits is the physical layer around IT: hardware in boxes on shelves — laptops, phones, spares — received against purchase orders, tracked by serial and batch across locations, counted from a phone browser, issued to staff, and invoiced with the Xero or MYOB handoff. That is stock management for IT assets: a different job from discovering what is already plugged in, and a complementary one. The asset-tracking view covers the physical-asset side, and the stock-record basics cover the mechanics.
Choosing by the job
Ask what the record must answer. "What is running on our network, and are we licence-compliant?" — network discovery tools, open source or paid, run by IT. "What hardware do we own, where is it, what did it cost, and who has it?" — a physical stock and asset record, which is BSimple's territory from $180/month (AUD), with the trial on a shelf of real devices. Many IT teams end up wanting both, connected or separate — but they remain two tools for two questions, and any product claiming to be both in one box deserves scepticism.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is network inventory management software?
IT software that discovers and tracks what is on a network — devices, installed software, licences, configurations — by scanning rather than manual entry. It is an IT-operations domain, distinct from physical stock management.
Is there good open-source network inventory software?
Yes — the IT-discovery space has mature open-source projects that are genuinely free to run, with the standard self-hosting costs: deployment, updates, backups, and someone who owns them. For IT teams, that trade is often right.
Does BSimple scan networks?
No — and we do not claim it. BSimple manages physical stock and assets: hardware received, stored, issued and invoiced. Network discovery is a different tool for a different question.
Can BSimple track our IT hardware stock?
Yes — devices on shelves are stock like any other: received against purchase orders, tracked by serial or batch across locations, counted from a browser, issued to staff, invoiced to Xero or MYOB. The trial runs one shelf of real hardware.
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