Managing IT assets and equipment orders: a growing challenge for businesses 

it asset management


With the rise of remote working, mobile devices gain in attractiveness

The use of mobile devices is becoming increasingly widespread within companies, particularly in the wake of the health crisis, when telecommuting began to spread strongly among employees. Its popularity is due to the flexibility it brings, enabling employees to work away from the office. it asset management

However, the Digital Workplace presents many challenges, such as the growth in mobility, usage and virtualization. Employees routinely use a multitude of terminals (smartphones, PCs, tablets) as well as diverse collaboration and analysis tools. The changes that the digital workplace has brought to the daily lives of employees entail a number of risks, such as financial slippage, loss of control over the inventory and its uses, and inflation of the digital carbon footprint.   

If companies underestimate these hazards, they could face a multitude of barriers concerning the Digital Workplace, such as: it asset management itam  

  • Lack of visibility on a multitude of suppliers  
  • Lack of usage indicators it asset management 
  • Lack of cross-functional coordination (business, purchasing, HR, IT)  
  • Lack of resources  it asset management
  • Lack of expertise  
  • End-user dissatisfaction  
  • Lack of correlation between purchasing policy and operations


Solving these challenges with centralized inventory and order management

The inventory management solution provides a centralized view of the entire IT inventory, enabling administrators to easily track the status of each piece of equipment (assigned, after-sales service, in stock, etc.), to know which employee it is assigned to, and to quickly identify whether it has a carbon footprint. Having the entire mobile inventory in view enables organizations to see all its associated costs, thus getting rid of unnecessary expenditure.  

In terms of security, centralized management ensures consistent application of purchasing and security policies, reducing the risk of security breaches and data breaches. Finally, centralized inventory management solutions are often compatible with a wide range of devices and platforms, facilitating integration with existing systems and offering advanced inventory management functionalities. As for order management, its centralization offers the following services:   

  • Customized catalogs and price lists   
  • Single or multi-distributor order tracking    
  • Specific validation processes   
  • Order history management   
  • Delivery tracking   
  • Equipment allocation   
  • Management of stocks, loans, declarations and after-sales follow-up   
  • Request history  
  • Detailed equipment, line and employee files  


API interoperability and its benefits  

APIs enable different platforms and systems to communicate seamlessly with each other.   

In the context of inventory and order management for mobile equipment, opening up to APIs facilitates integration with the company’s human resources systems, making it possible to know who is working for the company and to track staff movements. This avoids double data entry and reduces the risk of errors associated with this practice.  

What’s more, opening up to APIs offers the possibility of interacting with suppliers’ information systems (IS), avoiding multiple entries and the associated time-wasting, while reducing the potential for errors.   

For example, when an employee is added or deleted from your organization’s human resources database, the API will automatically update the information in suppliers’ systems. Similarly, when an order is placed for new equipment, the API facilitates the transmission of relevant information to suppliers’ ordering systems. 

SUMMARY

The spread of enterprise mobility poses complex management challenges. Centralized IT asset management offers a solution to these challenges by providing :  

  • Global visibility of the entire device inventory and its costs  
  • Consistent application of security policies  
  • Compatibility with a wide range of devices and platforms   
  • Consolidated purchasing  
  • Better negotiation of contracts with suppliers  
  • Standardization of products and suppliers   
  • Improved inventory and stock management   

Open APIs facilitate integration between different management systems and offer numerous advantages:  

  • Avoids double data entry   
  • Reduces the risk of errors  
  • Enables seamless communication between platforms and systems  
  • Improves overall operational efficiency  

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