Best Free Tools for System Administrators

Not long ago I asked subscribers of the Petri IT Knowledgebase ‘Week in IT’ email newsletter to send me suggestions as to what their favorite free and open-source tools and utilities for Windows system administrators were. I received dozens of emails mentioning more than 100 separate tools, utilities, and services, so many thanks to everyone who sent emails my way.

I received enough emails that I thought it would be good to go beyond just posting a single article on free tools and utilities, but to create a series of articles that highlight the best free offerings in multiple categories. That’s why I’ve decided to post this article first, which you can consider a hub page to all of the different free and open-source tools, utilities, and services that make the jobs of IT professionals that much easier. We’ll be adding more categories and write-ups over time, so please bookmark this page and return periodically to see all the new content we’ve added.

I’ve always believed that the collective wisdom of thousands of IT professionals trumps the advice of a single IT expert, as everyone faces slightly different challenges and obstacles that require unique solutions. Thanks again to all of the faithful Petri readers who reached out to me via email, and I’d like to dedicate this series of articles to all of you for your support.

Directory of Free Tools, Utilities, and Services for System Administrators

Please note: Entries without a hyperlink will be added soon.

• Automation
• Backup
• Data Transfer
• Diagnostics
• Disk Management
• Email
• File Compression
• File Synchronization
• Image and Video Editing
• Networking
• Scripting
• Security
• System Maintenance
• Virtualization

If you have a favorite free or open-source tool or utility that isn’t included in this directory, please drop me an email (or add a comment to this article) and I’ll add it to the list.