Maintaining control of IT assets will help avoid unplanned expenses. That is the main reason it is so important to take control of your assets including data and software. When it comes to technology, it can be hard to stay on budget but proper asset management will be one less thing to sort out when it comes to your IT planning and budgeting. There are other perks to staying on top of your assets such as providing easy access to information and increasing productivity due to a better work environment for employees. You also lower your risk of noncompliance with licenses. The best way to keep assets in line- an IT asset management program. When getting started there are 10 important things to keep in mind:
1. Elect a leader
Make sure there is one person who is spearheading this mitigation. This person needs to have support in a team and the support of stakeholders, but they should be in control due to their intimate knowledge of the assets, technology, and processes. The right person will be able to bring all of the technology together and make it usable, accessible, and organized for everyone else.
2. Make it clear
Make it clear what is needed from getting an IT asset management program. Clearly defining the goals of this exercise will make it easier to make decisions during the shopping process. This will also help get all employees on board from senior management to the secretary. There is a lot of value in doing asset management so make sure you are set up to do it right.
3. What stays and What goes
Make decisions about what data, technology, or software will stay and what will go. Base this decision on the asset lifecycle- plan, procure, deploy, manage, and retire. In order to manage properly, some things may need to be retired. The types of assets you need to support your business should be established.
4. Retire the spreadsheets
Spreadsheets containing the information everyone needs on different computers, network drives, and DropBox is not efficient or effective. This usually leads to endless emails with subject lines like, “Do you have the numbers from last quarter” and, “Please send me the Excel sheet with this or that data.” Having one source of truth for your data is essential to save time and avoid unnecessary headaches. Companywide asset management means one common place to find all shareable company data.
5. Metrics and Reporting
When choosing a tool for your IT asset management program, make sure you are going to be able to measure the performance of your process. A customizable dashboard is something that will be very useful for employees. This will help in making strategic decisions because you will be able to manage, measure, and see your data.
6. Limit possibility of error
If you automate your asset management, you will be able to avoid the errors that can come along with manual data input. This also allows your data repository to be updated in real-time. Create workflows and take advantage of integrations. Choose the asset management software that will be able to do some work for you.
7. Make it easy
Your employees need a portal that will be easy to learn and easy to use. A new IT asset management program could mean big changes in their daily activities. They shouldn’t have any problems finding and requesting items.
8. Make software audits easy
Software audits can be painful. They sometimes result in hefty costs and even noncompliance risks. If your IT asset management program is good, however, you are being very proactive for these audits. The management of software licenses is hard to keep track of so automate this with your management program and avoid paying for software you don’t need or paying a fine because of noncompliance.
9. Account for non-IT
Yes, it is an IT asset management program, but this is also a good way to keep track of other things needed around the office that can eat up your budget. You employees need keyboards, printer paper, ink, and other materials to be successful. Proper management of these consumables allows you to track spending, provide faster service and gain more metrics.
10. Security
When you have asset and software management, you are able to track software that has been installed on computers in your organization. This means the software can’t be installed and unauthorized downloads can’t be carried out. This increases your security because it decreases the chances of viruses accidently being downloaded. This will improve privacy and guard against cyber-attacks.
GadellNet is an award-winning IT consulting firm that provides full-service technology solutions to small businesses. Since 2003, we have been delivering efficient, profitable and happier workforces. GadellNet’s best-in-class engineering team is highly successful at implementing and maintaining value-add hardware and software technology.
