Automating IT asset management - Why, how and when?
IT asset management includes a lot of different tasks and in the worst case, almost all of these are done manually. Even simple tasks can take multiple hours per week when there are hundreds of different devices. By eliminating repetitive tasks with automations, you will save a lot of valuable work time, make your IT operations more efficient, minimize human mistakes, and ensure security.
In this blog, we write shortly about how to get started with IT asset management automations and share our best tips.
Step one: Choosing the right tools
Integrations play a big role when talking about automations. This is why it is important to ensure that the selected ITAM tools offers the right integrations. Without integrations, you may find yourself copy-pasting data between systems and having disconnected processes.
If you are still relying on Excel for IT asset management, it might be time to consider investing in proper ITAM software. While tools like Excel or other similar tools can serve as a starting point, they often fall short in automating anything.
What integrations do you need? Of course, this all depends on what you are planning to achieve and what other tools you have. The most typical integrations we encounter within our customer base include software such as Microsoft Intune, Jamf, Google Workspace, ServiceNow, Jira, and Freshservice.
A modern ITAM software also brings all asset data into one place and with integrations, data from different endpoint management software and other platforms can be automatically synced. Now automations can also be managed under one platform.
Step two: What should you automate?
The key is to focus on tasks that take up valuable time for you or your IT team. Some automations can also save time for other employees.
In short, you should build automations that eliminate tasks, such as manual device tracking, monitoring unused assets, lease returns, and updating asset records.
Even by automating the monitoring of the devices, you can easily save multiple hours per week per IT manager and also improve the accuracy and reliability of asset data.
Step three: Building the first automations for IT asset management
But where should you begin? A good first step is to set up notifications for various device events. Start by automating the enrollment of new assets into your ITAM software. Following this, Intune, Jamf or any other endpoint management solution starts syncing data between it and your ITAM software.
With this setup alone you can build countless automations, for example:
- Receive alerts when a device is assigned to a new user.
- Be alerted when a device has been unused for over 30 days.
- Receive updates if a device falls out of compliance.
- Device hard drive capacity is too low.
Another good example is when devices are wiped from endpoint management. As we all know they don't just vanish. They're often left unused, wasting resources and posing security risks. With ITAM software and the right automations, this can be easily avoided.
When a device is wiped, it still stays tracked in your ITAM software and you'll get an automatic notification. This saves time, money, and environment as unused devices won't be forgotten.
Step four: Go beyond basic IT asset tracking
After implementing the most typical IT asset management automations, you can start thinking about automating the entire lifecycle of your IT assets. You can save even more time by automatically determining the lifecycles for all your devices and alerting the correct people when actions are needed.
Automations are the backbone of efficient IT Asset Management. By automating repetitive tasks, you reduce manual effort, improve accuracy, and ensure your ITAM processes are taken care of without a lot of human effort.