Jonathan Coleburn, Director of Field Operations
Effective Asset Management can play a central role in lowering the cost of operating a business. Hardware inventories need to be accurately managed in order to reduce the likelihood of equipment being outdated and unable to function at a required capacity. An efficient asset management strategy is also important to regulate maintenance issues with equipment approaching or extending past EOL dates.
Tracking the life of your hardware can solve many business challenges including the ability to ensure a secure IT framework and also extending the life of your IT hardware. The Director of NorthSmart, Scott Liebelt, outlines three tips that businesses can use in order to create an efficient asset management strategy that can save time and money.
Audit
The first step in creating an asset management strategy is to audit your hardware. Liebelt explains that a business must first identify their devices. This includes servers, storage, network, telephony, desktops, printers, and anything else that is used in the day-to-day operations of the business.
A business must also take into consideration more than just the physical hardware. A detailed audit should include information such as geographical location, network location, configuration, MAC, IP, firmware, software, and associated maintenance support as well.
Analyze
Once an audit on a business’s hardware is complete, they are able to move on to the next step in the asset management strategy – analyze. A detailed audit of a business’s hardware will reveal information that can be used to save money on maintenance support.
Liebelt explains that IT equipment goes through specific stages as it gets older and newer generations are produced by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM). Analyzing these stages is a process called Lifecycling. This process will identify if the equipment is Generally Available (GA), End of Life (EOL), End of Support (EOS).
This information will help guide a business’s decision about the maintenance requirements for their hardware. Some may be eligible for third-party maintenance while others could remain under the manufacturer warranty. Knowing the difference between the two can reduce maintenance costs and create a strong asset management strategy.
Action
The final step in creating an efficient asset management strategy includes taking continued action to maintain the process. Liebelt explains that businesses need to develop an ongoing process or employ a managed service that continues to identify MAC’s (moves, adds, and changes) to the equipment.
The action stage in asset management also includes updating the business decision makers with maintenance validations and additional support options when they become available.
Utilizing these three tips to create an asset management strategy will allow any business to effectively operate in today’s fast-past, technology driven environment. This process eliminates waste and saves money by constantly analyzing the best IT options for a business.