The computer tool has become essential within companies. As a growth and productivity lever essential to any activity, the IT assets must be developed, maintained and optimized. To do this, you must deploy or outsource a relevant IT asset management. In this way, your company will be able to take full advantage of the benefits of digital technology and adapt permanently to technological developments.
However, for an optimal management of your information system, it is essential to put in place good practices to avoid the inconveniences of a badly managed park. Let's discover the best way to manage your IT assets.
What is the management of a computer park?
The organization of the company's IT system is strategic. This is because the IT elements are usually critical to the smooth running of the business. In addition, data that is stored in the cloud or via physical devices is strategic. For this reason, the management of a computer park is a fundamental aspect of the success and sustainability of a company.
The management of IT resources is aimed at reducing operating costs as well as preventing failures. This management therefore has at least two aspects. The first is to optimize the use and operation of the IS as much as possible. The second is to preserve the system from any attack or failure that could negatively impact the company's activity and results.
An IT Asset Manager can be responsible for many tasks to optimize all activities related to the IT asset:
- Conduct an initial audit to identify and locate the various elements of the computer equipment.
- Acquire the hardware or software resources necessary for the business.
- Ensure the maintenance of the elements of the computer park in a preventive and/or corrective way.
- Administer the servers and all the company's network equipment.
- Deploy tools to secure the computer equipment and share best practices with employees.
- Manage the service providers who intervene on the computer park, whether it is software support, hardware support or internet operators.
- Ensure optimal management of the financial resources allocated to the management and maintenance of the computer fleet.
To carry out these essential tasks, the service provider can use techniques or software to manage the IT assets. The main thing is that he succeeds in developing and preserving the IT resource, a major stake for a company, whatever its sector of activity.
What are the components of a computer park?
The computer park designates all the hardware and software elements of a company or an organization. Its different components form what is called the IT system of a company.
The elements of a computer park can be of very varied natures:
- The fixed workstation with a central unit or laptop of all employees.
- Peripherals such as external hard drives, mice, keyboards, webcams, printers, etc.
- Mobile devices (smartphones or tablets in particular).
- Servers, essential for data storage.
- The enterprise cloud and its physical network.
- All essential network equipment, including modems, WIFI terminals, switches, firewalls, etc.
- Software, applications and licenses associated with these tools.
- The company's computer data, whether active or archived.
The different elements involved differ from one company to another, depending on its specificities and needs.
What are the risks of not managing your IT assets?
Refusing to implement IT asset management to reduce costs is a poor decision. IT services require regular maintenance and monitoring for optimal performance. In addition, the risks associated with a poorly managed asset base result in significant losses for the company, far in excess of the savings initially envisaged.
A computer system that is not adapted to your needs
The first essential element is to adapt your IS to the needs of your activity. This concerns both the size of the computer park and the devices and software that make it up.
On the one hand, the various computers and peripherals must be renewed, but it is also necessary that they are suitable for your use. Your software must be up to date and carefully selected. Likewise, data must be synchronized so that you can access it from anywhere.
Regular computer attacks
The risks of attacks against your information system or vulnerabilities can take different forms:
- Fraudulent e-mails or malicious sites;
- Weak passwords;
- Spyware;
- Cyber attacks.
Some weaknesses in your IS can be easily avoided, such as opening fraudulent emails. In this case, it is the lack of education on good IT practices that is at fault. But the weaknesses of your IT infrastructure can also come from the lack of adequate protection against certain practices such as DDoS or denial of service attacks.
Loss of strategic data
One of the pitfalls of poor IT management is data loss. It can be caused by a computer attack, an incident (fire or flood) or even a burglary.
Physical data protection and regular backups protect you from massive data loss that could significantly compromise your business.
Breakdowns in the computer system
Finally, breakdowns and malfunctions can also disrupt your business. It can be a loss of network or the malfunctioning of one or more aging workstations.
How to efficiently manage a computer park?
To prevent failures and optimize the operation of your IT assets, you can adapt various best practices such as adopting an IT asset management software.
Different steps are thus unavoidable:
- Conduct a system audit using a computer asset management tool;
- Keep your computer system up to date, especially through software updates;
- Automate IT processes such as shutting down workstations or starting up company servers;
- Create standard configurations for workstations according to the needs of each use: accounting, sales, marketing, production, etc.
- Share best practices with all the company's employees;
- Favoring SaaS mode software to save resources and ensure regular data backup (if you don't have the skills / need to administer them locally);
- Renew IT equipment in accordance with the average life cycle of the equipment.
If you don't have the time or resources to ensure proper IT management, you can delegate these tasks to experts. It is also possible to use online tools like the Bravas platform for simple, automated and secure IT management.
