In business, as in life, the only constant is change. Markets and digital landscape shift frequently and companies are always scrambling to keep up and get ahead. As businesses grow and change, so do IT needs. Many organizations struggle to deal with asset sprawl, a byproduct of the fast pace of technological change. The reality is that whether you procure new technology by choice or add it to meet contingencies like regulatory compliance—your IT infrastructure is constantly shifting.
Expansion is only one aspect of asset sprawl. As an IT professional, you also contend with upgrades and replacement issues. With so many moving parts, tracking and managing assets can be challenging. And, to add to the confusion, any changes, additions, or removal of assets must also be coordinated through the IT help desk. If your organization is a small to mid-sized business working under budget constraints, this adds additional burdens to your team’s workload.
Thankfully, companies can take steps to effectively streamline their asset management and take the weight off the IT department without incurring too much additional cost. Here are some tips to help you simplify and organize your IT assets.
Build an Effective Roadmap
Logically, the best way to organize your IT assets is to discover what you already have. Start by creating a list of the available devices and other assets in your network. Include PCs, servers, and workstations, as well as their hardware and software components. The list makes creating an asset inventory easier. Another way to simplify the process is to use the IT asset discovery tool in your help desk software, which automates the process, so you aren’t scrambling to account for all your devices. It also takes the element of human error out of the equation. IT discovery automation also updates the status of devices. For example, you may get a notification when a device’s warranty is close to expiration, which you might not realize otherwise.
Track Assets Automatically
As an IT professional, you know your IT department is always working to resolve problems and keep your company’s ship on course and running smoothly. Certain assignments may require the IT department to find all assets belonging to one end user or location. To conduct routine maintenance, they might need to categorize all assets by model. Without a help desk tool, your team must manually log assets on a spreadsheet, which makes for a cumbersome process when it comes time to look something up. Automated asset management tools allow your IT techs to search for and find assets by using a centralized portal, which hastens issue resolution, expedites routine maintenance, and ultimately bolsters productivity.
Generate IT Management Reports
IT is often responsible for more than just tracking down assets. They may also need to probe deeper, offering management answers to frequent inquiries concerning:
- How many of a product are in stock?
- Common Problems. Which assets consistently produce complaints?
- Cost/Benefit Analysis. Which assets end up costing the company more than they’re worth?
- When do the warranties for each device expire? What is the estimated life-cycle for each asset in inventory?
This is where an effective IT asset management (ITAM) can prove its merit. A centralized engine helps you pull reports to answer these questions and more, which is particularly useful for keeping your management team in the loop, as well as complying with audit requests. Asset management plays a valuable role in taking a proactive approach to regulatory compliance by alerting IT staff to potential issues and aging equipment.
Look for an Efficient, Affordable Help Desk Tool
Companies often neglect asset management because they think it’s too expensive. But ITAM tools are not only affordable, but they offer a significant return on investment. Missing warranties and resolving common glitches can take a chunk out of your IT department’s productivity and your company’s budget. A help desk tool can integrate and streamline your asset management in several ways:
- Automate IT asset discovery and update inventory
- Track assets by type, location, or status
- Offer hardware or software data to hasten the resolution of tickets
- Give end users the opportunity to reserve assets and avoid double-booking
- Prevent loss or fraud with overdue alerts
- Automatically receive alerts for warranty expiration
- Generate reports ensuring regulatory compliance
Asset management is clearly worth the effort, and having ITAM capabilities included in your help desk tool expedites the process. Make room for such a solution in your IT budget.
If you’re looking for an ITAM tool to help your organization achieve its objectives and maximize your productivity, start here. Download Easy-to-use Ticketing and IT Asset Management Software for a free trial.
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