Now that you've purchased an IT asset management system,[1] it's time to begin the heavy lifting. Keeping track of your devices, licenses, infrastructure, and help desk[2] tickets isn't just a plug-and-play process. You'll need to establish a system that records and automates only the most important items for your business. Sure, you can go gangbusters and let your vendor determine what you need, or you can focus on onl y your most essential assets.
In this article, I'll examine several important asset management features that you'll want to pay attention to. Every company is unique, so if something doesn't apply to you, move on to the next item. Just remember, you'll want to be extra considerate when you begin the set-up process, because going in and making changes to your software can be tricky the longer you use it.
1. Calculate Asset Depreciation
Vendors like ManageEngine[3] let you keep track of how long a device or component will be valuable for use, or for resale. As you assign more and more devices to your employees, understanding how long the phones, tablets, and laptops will be operational is crucial to ensuring you don't buy new devices too soon, or hold onto devices long after they're clunkers.
Not every vendor offers an asset depreciation calculator, so be sure to as your vendor what your options are. There are standalone depreciation solutions available you can probably integrate with your asset management tool, so be sure you look into this feature as soon as you can.
2. Geolocation is a Must
This probably sounds like a no-brainer given the ubiquity of the "Find My" option on personal devices. However, seven out of the 10 best asset management solutions in our roundup don't offer geolocation services. So, basically, if you implement their solutions, you'll have to track down lost devices using classified ads and rotary telephones.
Even our Editors' Choice tools like ManageEngine and MMSoft Pulseway[4] don't offer this feature, so it's not simply a matter of finding the "best" solution and making a purchase. If you're lucky enough to have an asset management tool that features geolocation services, use it as much as possible. These tools tell you where devices are, who they're assigned to, how they're configured, and what software is available on the device. You can also use geolocation to point mobile workers toward the nearest office, find devices running specific programs, or upgrade devices running old software or components.
3. Enable Remote Control
This is another feature that should be incorporated into all the best software. Unfortunately, three of the best tools on the market don't offer this capability as an integrated feature set. What's frustrating is that remote control is a must have for any IT department, whether you're using asset management software or not. It's almost sinful that asset management tools don't offer this service out of the box.
Remote control does exactly what you think it does. It gives IT departments the ability to patch into devices from distant locations. If your chief marketing officer (CMO) is on vacation in Hawaii and he can't access your company's VPN[5], IT can take over his desktop to investigate the problem. Your vendor likely offers this particular service, or can point you in the direction of an integration that works well with your asset management tool. Give them a call and set this up as soon as possible.
4. Integrate Active Directory
Most, but not all, of the tools we reviewed support Microsoft's Active Directory[6]. There are other network directories available from companies like IBM and Novell, but Active Directory is the most commonly used by far. If your company isn't using Active Directory, make sure the software you choose supports the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol[7] (LDAP), which is the most popular standard used to link disparate software and directories.Making sure your asset management software supports a directory means you'll be able to store information on devices, users, passwords, access rights, and more in the directory, and then tie all that data back to your asset management tool without having to jump back and forth every time data needs to be altered. For example: Without this integration, if you fire a rotten apple, you will have to restrict their access in both tools in order to have that change reflected within both pieces of software. Now, imagine what happens when your company lays off an entire department or shuts down an entire branch.
Active Directory can also help you tie software license data to specific departments and users to ensure your company remains compliant. Need to restrict a license because you're close to going over your allowance? Make the change in Active Directory and it will be reflected in your asset management tool.
5. Be Secure
Only one of our best asset management systems, MMSoft, allows multifactor authentication[8] (MFA). Using MFA means you're protecting your system using more than just a single mechanism, usually a password. MFA works by asking for two authentication processes before granting access, typically a password in conjuunction with a physical token like a special USB stick or security card. This added security layer means drastically improves the protection you're providing for your devices, applications, and licensing ecosystem.
As far as asset management platforms go, if security is your main concern, we've reviewed only one standalone choice for you. However, you can easily add MFA to your system by implementing a multi-factor authentication service provider to integrate the added security to your overall system. If you use a network identity management system like Microsoft Active Directory (mentioned above), you'll likely be using it to provide access to your asset management software along with every other networked resource. By adding MFA at the directory layer, you'll not only provide its benefits to the asset management suite but to everything else controlled by the directory as well. This will cost extra, but it basically guarantees that only your employees will have access to your asset management solution.
References
- ^ IT asset management system, (www.pcmag.com)
- ^ help desk (in.pcmag.com)
- ^ ManageEngine (in.pcmag.com)
- ^ MMSoft Pulseway (in.pcmag.com)
- ^ VPN (www.pcmag.com)
- ^ Active Directory (msdn.microsoft.com)
- ^ Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (www.pcmag.com)
- ^ multifactor authentication (www.pcmag.com)
Source → 5 Tips for Effective IT Asset Management
