Tips on IT Asset Lifecycle Management
Are you fully optimizing your spare computers (usable ones)? Do you have spare computers lying in your users’ cabinets or under their desks?
- Start by centralizing the management of your IT hardware inventory. Be prepared to issue a policy that all computers should be managed and stored by the IT dept. You might need to offer a ‘temporary loan PC’ service to make this change process a success. It is also a good practice to ensure that every spare PC is always imaged and ready to issue out, this serves as a service improvement that will strongly encourage computers to be managed by IT.
- For every computer that IT hands out to employees, have employees sign out the equipment from your inventory file so that there is a check-out and check-in process
- Work with HR to ensure that the Employee Clearance Form includes a section for the user to return all IT assets to IT dept before they leave the company.
- Create a IT purchasing process so that when a request is initiated, it flows to IT first, to check if there are spare PCs (e.g. with 1yr or more warranty life). If there are such spare computers, the request form is marked as such and line manager should be educated to reuse the spare computer instead of purchasing new ones. Always have control point where the finance or a leader is in the review process when there is a spare PC but line manager still recommends a new purchases.
- In IT, for every spare PC re-issued, tracking it on a database (it can be as simple as a spreadsheet). Add a column to show the current price of a new PC – this is the amount that you have helped the company to save. Present this consolidated figure in your monthly report or IT scorecard as a value of this service. You earned it!
Note: You could also use this approach to manage request for PC rentals as well and software licenses.
