Supporting users across locations
Australian-based hsy autoparts specializes in importing car parts for European vehicles for after-sales services and repairs. The company has 15 branches and employs about 130 people.
David Elliott is the IT coordinator on a team of three. The team supports hsy autoparts’ digital infrastructure, including an ERP system, e-commerce, and Windows devices distributed across its locations.
Deciding on PDQ Connect
David had previously implemented PDQ Deploy & Inventory at a previous job as a straightforward way to discover devices and deploy software.
When he joined hsy autoparts, he continued using PDQ Deploy & Inventory at first. But he quickly realized that there might be better options for hsy autoparts’ distributed fleet. After all, many devices were off network and didn’t routinely connect to VPN, making it tricky to maintain full visibility and control over the distributed fleet.
David recognized that a number of remote device management solutions could fit the bill. Plus, he had existing access to Intune. However, PDQ Connect stood out due to David’s positive experience with PDQ Deploy & Inventory. David decided to make the switch to PDQ Connect to meet the company’s remote device management needs.
Streamlining remote device management with PDQ Connect
David and his team use PDQ Connect frequently throughout the day for tasks ranging from initial device setup to compliance. The simple solution streamlines processes, making it a popular tool in hsy autoparts’ IT arsenal.
“It's just easy to use. It's a single pane of glass. It's got minimal interruption to your end users. It just sits there doing its thing.”
Easy setup
All too often, software migration is a huge hassle. But David seamlessly made the switch from PDQ Deploy & Inventory to PDQ Connect. Using PDQ Migrate, he moved packages he’d created in PDQ Deploy & Inventory to Connect. Distributing the PDQ Connect agent to devices was just as simple.
“I join the domain, and a Group Policy will install the Connect agent. And then I leave it alone for an hour. I let it do all of its restarts, which I've already put into the deployment packages,” said David. “An hour later, it's enrolled in Defender, it's got a bunch of other applications installed on it, it's got its Windows updates done, it's got its Dell driver updates done. I just walk away.”
David has also found that PDQ Connect has slashed how long it takes to set up new machines, helping him roll out about 70 new machines in the last few months with remarkable efficiency by leveraging automations.
"The amount of time it saved me has been tremendous.”
Automations
David set up automations to take care of a lot of routine tasks, freeing up the IT team’s time and ensuring prompt, consistent action.
"The automations are really handy. I can set it and forget it, and my browsers are kept up to date."
Speedy package deployment
One-off package deployments take David just a few seconds thanks to PDQ Connect.
“Deploying a package takes seconds. When a user calls up, I'll search for their name in all devices, find their machine, tick the box, press deploy, type in the name of my package, and send it.”
By simplifying the process down to a few clicks, PDQ Connect helps David get users the software they need quickly while preserving his team’s bandwidth.
Restart tracking
The great restart vs. shutdown has slowed countless computers (and presumably destroyed a few relationships). But David uses PDQ Connect to get users to restart their machines and finish installing updates or drivers without as much hassle.
His solution is remarkably simple: He maintains dynamic groups to keep track of computers that haven’t been restarted in a while. Then, he just uses a command prompt message asking affected users to restart their machines. No fuss, no hassle, no direct confrontation.
Vulnerability management
Keeping the hsy autoparts fleet up to date helps reduce vulnerabilities that hackers might otherwise aim to exploit.
One way David ensures devices have the latest software versions is by maintaining several dynamic groups that show devices with old software.
“It just makes it easier to find and bring to surface. I've got 14 machines right now that could do with some sort of attention.”
While David paved the way to streamline hsy autoparts’ IT processes with PDQ Connect, he’s not the only team member leveraging the tool. Multiple admins can manage the same account without paying more since PDQ Connect uses per-device pricing, so one of David's teammates also uses PDQ Connect for vulnerability management.
“He's seeing already that the fact that browsers and applications are being patched automatically and operating systems are being updated. The vulnerabilities are decreasing just organically,” said David. “Any particular device that's an issue or that's a critical risk — he can highlight those, and we can investigate. And, generally with a one click, we can remedy.”
David's colleague has also long used Microsoft Defender, and he has noticed that sometimes Defender's data is out of date compared to PDQ Connect's. "When you resolve a vulnerability in Connect, you can scan the device again, and it confirms — yep, job done. But a day later, it's still in Defender saying that it's not done yet."
The ability to rescan plays a huge role in that. "There isn't a button in Defender to immediately rescan a device. But I know there's a button for that in PDQ Connect."
Compliance
Internally, the hsy autoparts team aims to achieve a particular maturity level in the Essential Eight Maturity Model, a cybersecurity framework developed by the Australian Cyber Security Centre.
PDQ Connect helps support that goal through application and operating system patching, reporting, and maintaining historical records in case of an audit.
Looking to the future
David would recommend PDQ Connect to other IT professionals due to its responsive support, online resources, and good price point. It’s simple to use thanks to its single pane of glass, allowing IT teams to access device information, remote in to machines, deploy software, and more without switching between platforms.
PDQ Connect helps David’s team on a day-to-day basis, but he's even more excited about the role it could play in the future. With a PowerShell Scanner already on the PDQ Connect roadmap, David anticipates his team will be able to surface even more information, query the registry, and more.
“I just like working with PDQ stuff.”