ALM - Asset Lifecycle Management
Understand the fundamental roles of technology assets, life expectancy, maintenance, and disposal.
Proper preparation prevents poor performance.
As IT evolves and becomes more complex, you can rely on the experts at DNSnetworks, who deeply understand how to align the right assets and lifecycle management plans with your business objectives and investment levels. Our team brings decades of experience and values sharing insights that foster growth and prosperity for each unique partner.
Every organization relies on various tools to operate successfully. Modern business operations depend on hardware, software, and data management systems, all of which have a finite lifespan and require procurement, maintenance, and replacement. Adopting asset lifecycle management enhances spending efficiency and resource tracking, ensuring smooth operations like a well-oiled machine.
Plan, Acquire, Care, Repeat.
Lifecycle management encompasses the planning, acquisition, deployment, maintenance, and eventual retirement of IT assets. Effective asset lifecycle management ensures that the business understands each asset’s role and aligns operational needs with budgets. Planning includes deployment, maintenance, and upgrades, with careful consideration of how the asset will be used over time to ensure optimal ROI for every acquisition. Tracking usability and managing the asset’s end-of-life closes the cycle when it retires or requires disposal. Implementing preventative maintenance during its use helps prevent unexpected failures in the future.
Cost Efficiency
Reduce unnecessary expenditures by optimizing the use and management of IT assets. Maximize ROI with detailed inventory and asset lifecycle tracking to get the most performance, productivity, and profit from each purchase.
Streamline Operations
Follow the standard lifecycle management stages and implement a comprehensive framework to prolong asset lifespans. Encourage proper methods and raise awareness throughout your work culture to lead your team’s efforts in caring for critical resources.
Risk Management
Mitigate risks associated with outdated or unsupported assets by implementing ALM plans that detail essential updates and upgrades and schedule regular assessments. Use preventative maintenance to detect potential issues early, enabling timely repairs and coordinated procurement of replacements. Safely decommission retired or obsolete assets with secure data erasure and responsible environmental disposal.
Compliance
Maintain regulatory compliance by consistently monitoring asset health and updating software. Following an ALM plan ensures the business adheres to the latest security policies and industry standards. Saying compliant with vendor warranties can help address manufacturing defects if they arise.
Five Important Stages of Asset Lifecycle Management
Planning
Identify the organization’s unmet needs and research what new assets will satisfy this issue. This might require considerable time, especially if the latest acquisition is expensive. Consider looking at multiple options and consult with procurement specialists at DNSnetworks for support.
Acquiring & Deployment
Include the costs and logistics required to obtain new assets in your lifecycle management plan. You might need delivery services, special instructions for deployment, and on-site assistance for assembly and configuration. Considering every aspect of this stage when calculating investment will ensure a seamless setup and avoid unforeseen expenses.
Tracking & Use
Record the asset’s initial cost, including warranties and licenses, before issues occur. Manufacturers usually have at least a one-year limited warranty that covers defects unrelated to user error. Monitor the use of each asset and assign a maintenance plan to ensure its longevity. Move beyond simply compiling an inventory list and understand how the asset is used to minimize reactive maintenance that leads to excess labor costs and downtime.
Maintenance/Upgrade
After assessing what the asset lifecycle might benefit the most from, decide between a combination of preventive maintenance, predictive maintenance, and routine maintenance.
For example, machines with moving parts, like printers, might benefit from a preventive maintenance plan with scheduled cleaning and replacement part installation.
In comparison, servers, network switches, and user devices must have routine maintenance from monitoring software and automated updates to stay secure from cyber threats and comply with industry regulations.
Predictive maintenance includes ongoing monitoring to detect irregularities for aspects such as port utilization, bandwidth, latency, packet loss, and error rates. Network congestion or a failing port can prompt the software to send alerts and suggest actions such as rebooting the switch or reconfiguring the settings.
Routine maintenance involves firmware updates and regular software license audits. Keeping firmware and operating systems up to date on servers, routers, and other hardware helps maintain security, performance, and compatibility while reducing the risk of vulnerabilities and system failures. Periodically auditing software licenses ensures companies do not overpay for unused licenses. Planning routine upkeep may also simply involve physically inspecting and cleaning hardware to prevent dust buildup and overheating.
Disposal
With technology, there is an expiry date. End-of-life for an asset in this context involves the item losing usefulness and becoming obsolete. If some components can be recycled or upcycled into other asset upgrades, incorporate repurposing into lifecycle management plans. If the asset holds data, scrub all sensitive information before removing it from the facility. Try to ensure the safe disposal of technological waste in your area to prevent the wrong materials from ending up in landfills.
Plan Right, Buy Smart, Use Wisely.
Connect with DNSnetworks for consultations and partnerships to build and optimize your IT asset lifecycle management. Find the right assets to fulfill your business needs. Join us in creating a savvy and secure digital world.
Common Challenge
Every organization defines unique stages of its asset lifecycle management. These stages have many moving parts that require research, budget organization, team coordination, and periodic maintenance. Whether businesses need assistance with meticulous inventory tracking or scheduling various maintenance plans, these stages can become complicated and difficult to consistently action.
Our Solution
Our Solution Detail every stage of your unique asset lifecycle stage. Build an organized strategy to incorporate all the details of each stage for every asset. Meticulously plan budget levels and logistical requirements along with deployment and configuration instructions. Include maintenance plans specific to asset use and monitor their status to obtain deep insights into the type of maintenance plans they will need over time. Enlist DNSnetworks to help you acquire the best lifecycle management strategy to maximize your ROI and get the most productivity and performance from every purchase.
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