How to Simplify IT Asset Management with a Managed IT Services Provider

IT departments are dealing with a growing number of challenges, from evolving policies and limited resources to compliance demands and an increasing threat landscape.

It is a part of the “digitally transformed business,” which is leading every line of business to adopt digital strategies that enable them to operate more flexibly and efficiently.   

Unfortunately, while IT needs to support these new ways of working and deliver better experiences for the end-user, it is also under extreme pressure to do so while maintaining security and cutting costs.

Centralizing your managed IT services management will help you get a full view of what’s going on to meet these demands. From all your technology assets from desktops to servers and applications, provide the staff, processes, and technology needed to keep them running smoothly.  

How will MSP help you to simplify your IT asset management?

• It unifies your systems with client management software. Having a single pane of glass will allow your MSP to monitor and manage all your systems from one place.
• Take advantage of automation and orchestration tools. IT can automate tasks such as software updates and patch deployments, making the process more reliable and efficient than manual intervention could ever achieve.
• Make managing your desktop fleet easy with remote monitoring and management. Most MSPs use a suite of remote monitoring and management tools to ensure efficient, reliable systems.
• Decrease troubleshooting time with proactive monitoring and alerting. Early detection of potential problems means less downtime for your users.
• Enable better help desk responsiveness through predictive analytics. You can proactively plan for staff, resources, and time to avoid any service disruptions with accurate forecasting.
• Cut costs by leveraging pay-as-you-go models. With a flexible service model, managed IT service providers can help you take advantage of cost savings based on your requirements. 
• Help your IT team run the business more efficiently. MSPs help you to keep up with technology demands by unblocking issues before they become problems.
• Utilize the power of remote management tools. MSPs can provide your employees with secure remote access to workstations and servers from Remote Desktop to WebEx.

For example, if you only have occasional support needs, an MSP may be able to offer a lighter touch that still gives you the benefits of a professional service. In contrast, if you require full-time support, an MSP can make sure your systems are always up and running.

IT asset management – how it works?

Let’s say you want to manage a fleet of 10 laptops that employees use in two locations. If all devices were centrally managed, your IT department could automatically roll out custom settings and software to each laptop. 

When an employee at site A reports that they’re having trouble connecting to the internet, your MSP can use remote monitoring tools to check in on their system in real-time. For example, it can run a diagnostic to try and identify the issue or ask them which browser they use. This will help your MSP to quickly pinpoint the source of the problem and get it fixed faster.

An employee in site A reports a hardware issue; your MSP can similarly diagnose it remotely in real-time by checking the laptop’s temperature or running a quick software update to restart a contentious process. 

In this way, the IT consultant service management helps to narrow down the issue and fix it more quickly, reducing downtime. MSP can provide IT Asset Management through a number of RMM (Remote Monitoring & Management) tools depending on your needs to ensure security, compliance, productivity are maintained while keeping costs under control.

Benefits of IT Asset Management by MSP

There are enormous benefits that managed IT service providers offer to IT asset management. You should know such as: 

Reduced costs 

An IDC survey found that companies that manage their own devices save 20%. IDC also found that companies that have a formal strategy for managing BYOD (“bring your own device”) generally spend 7.5% less on IT support. In addition, when IT is in charge of device management, users are 30% more likely to be satisfied with their support experience.

Reduced risk

By having one team manage your fleet, you’re reducing the number of different passwords used by yourself and your employees. That makes it easier to enforce password security policies and reduces the likelihood of compromised accounts.

Reduced risk can also apply to data loss. And particularly if your MSP is using encryption on its backup service, which backs up all your company’s critical data before sending it securely to its servers.

Increased productivity

Maintaining a fleet of systems can take up a lot of time, with the average IT department spending 3-5 hours per week on hardware issues. That can leave you with less time to focus on projects that help grow your business. 

An MSP can manage many of these issues for you, freeing up your time and allowing you to concentrate on growth. The average IT department spends 3-5 hours per week on hardware issues. A managed service provider can free up your time and help you concentrate on growth.

Improving your employee experience

Because of its centralized approach to device management, an MSP can provide services that improve user experience across all devices. For example, if it’s easier to update software or install security features centrally, your employees will appreciate that their IT department is making it easier for them to do their job.  

Final Thoughts

IT Asset Management is a way for you to stay in control of the devices and laptops used in your business. By operating with a managed IT service provider, you can make sure that hardware is supported and updated and downtime is kept to a minimum. This saves money and improves productivity by reducing IT time spent on basic tasks. And it can give your employees a better experience and improve satisfaction.