The number of people working from home more than tripled in 2022, and experts say that this number is on track to increase even further in 2023. Working from home is not only convenient but beneficial in many ways to certain industries that have been able to adapt. This has meant companies switching technologies to a more mobile friendly architecture. Companies providing laptop’s, tablet’s, smart phones, and other technology are all assets, and as the hybrid work environment grows, keeping track of all these devices becomes more difficult.
If your company or organization is utilizing a hybrid workspace, or even fully remote employee’s, it is often necessary to provide them with everything necessary to be successful. Because the technology you may be providing can often cost in the range of thousands of dollars, it’s vital to track and know where your hardware is. One of the disadvantages which effects organizations both large and small in size is the cost associated with all the devices they may provide to their team. Keeping track of your hardware assets, knowing where they are located, and knowing other important details such as warranty status, age, health, are all necessary forms of tracking your technology assets.
How Can You Keep Track of Your Technology
There are many methods and forms of hardware or software that can help you keep track of your hardware assets. For starters, it’s a good idea to maintain a proper naming convention for the devices under your companies management. By maintaining a standard naming convention across devices, it’s easier to identify what they are, where about it is, and who it belongs to. You can rename your Windows and Mac computers in their settings options, and you can do the same for mobile devise such as tablets or phones as well.
There are software tools that can also help keep track of where your technology assets are. Many can use forms of Geo-Location data to help pin point where devices are, help track what software and hardware the device has, and also track the health and warranty status of the device.
Some Asset Management Software you might find useful include:
- Spiceworks Asset Management – Spiceworks offers a free and robust asset management software solution, which tracks hardware utilities, shows software installed on each managed device, and provides essential device information such as serial number, manufacturer, warranty status, and when the device was added to your organization.
- DriveStrike – This software maintains an always on connection with the devices it runs on, providing device information, status, and location tracking information. With DriveStrike you can also remotely wipe, lock, locate, or encrypt the hardware asset your tracking in case it’s ever necessary.
- Absolute DDS – Formerly known as Computrace, AbsoluteDDS provides a constant connection with your hardware assets, including Windows, Mac, and Android devices. This provides location data, as well as the ability to lock and wipe your remote devices. The software runs silently in the background and uses auto-connect technology to always ensure a connection back to you.
There are many tools that can help track your assets and provide necessary information, but one of the best ways of managing and tracking your IT assets is by partnering with the experts who can help manage your technology with you. Working with a Managed Service Provider (MSP) like Natural Networks for example, can open you up to even better tools that can help track and maintain your technology assets. MSP’s incorporate enterprise tools and expertise to maintain, manage your company’s technology.
If you want to learn more about how we can help you manage your office laptops, desktops, and other technology, give us a call today!
