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Hardware Inventory with Network Inventory Advisor

Manage your Hardware Assets in the best manner

It is a known fact that software asset management (SAM) helps save money, but do you know enough about effective Hardware Asset Management (HAM) and whether it can help your savings? There is definitely a potential for great savings on hardware (desktops, laptops, physical servers) and software thanks to Network Inventory Advisor.

Hardware Asset Management (HAM) covers the management of physical components as well as networks starting from procurement to the retirement of an asset. HAM processes need to be incorporated in organizations' routine and aligned with other IT processes for the most effective result. Hardware needs proper management just like software, assets should be properly maintained from the moment of request till retirement. And it won't only save the money, but will definitely have an impact on how much time will be needed to fix any hardware issues.

Lifecycle of Hardware

Hardware asset management may need a slightly different approach than software one, but it is still equally important. The main stages of a hardware assets life cycle are:

Hardware Request

Procurement

Deployment

Use (Any issues? Needs upgrade? Accidental damages)

Storage/Not in use

End of warranty or maintenance

Retirement

Disposal

The disposal stage doesn't have to be wasteful - depending on your country there are various ways to dispose of old hardware in an environmentally friendly way. Some businesses will buy old hardware from an organization and resell them as ‘refurbished’. Hardware can also be properly recycled, given to charity or to a school, depending on its current state.

Why Hardware Inventory is good for IT departments

Both hardware and software inventory are rather beneficial not just for administrative tasks in your business but also for helping IT asset management. IT department needs to have an up-to-date information on the assets used in organization along with their location, user info, network configuration data, the services they support and key financial info. This also means knowing what machines are used, where they are located and what software programs an end-user is entitled to have. With proper hardware inventory management you are getting the important information on whether the computers on the network need an operating system upgrade or whether they are in need of a hardware that is required for a software upgrade.

Hardware asset management is financially advantageous

Tracking the financial data according to a hardware life cycle assists in making business decisions based on meaningful and measurable financial objectives. It helps planning an IT budget for upcoming years both for software and hardware expenses, giving a justification for hardware asset management and offering convenient transparency to the IT stakeholders.

Having the hardware and software inventory under control allows spending less time and money each year, because it is clearly visible whether any units need to be replaced, upgraded or accounted for, or simply left to be. Also being aware of the department and the exact location of a hardware asset allows for quick relocation of the machines that are no longer used for some reason, instead of ordering new ones. A useful feature of a hardware inventory software is also of keeping a record of ‘in stock’ assets that are ready for deployment. Using a quality hardware inventory software solution is definitely a double win in terms of your time and financial investment.

The return of investment in terms of hardware management is very similar to software, the savings are most substantial in the beginning, and with time become less noticeable, however are stable and beneficial in the long run. IT budget becomes much more friendly as you go, just like with software.

An effective, properly organized hardware asset management setup means time and financial savings, which speeds up Service Level Agreements (SLA's) for hardware requests or incidents, and will generally create a smoother hardware inventory management. The end user of hardware is not really going to be as affected by any timing issues, because the "downtime" will be drastically reduced.

Network Inventory Advisor - Hardware Inventory Software

Network Inventory Advisor allows managing multiple systems or networks in the most professional way. It offers such important features as software license management as well as hardware and software inventory. Hardware inventory queries computers on the network in agentless mode directly (WMI) or with an agent utility. When inventorying with an agent you can get more specific information on certain hardware classes in some cases.

Network Inventory Advisor provides you with the network summary which reports on all hardware devices in inventoried networks.This way you are getting great basic statistics for your use. Then there are customizable reports, which allow more flexibility.

Gather, store, analyze

We absolutely understand that setting up a structured hardware inventory can be challenging, especially in multi-platform or not well organized networks. However working toward proper setup with scheduled network scanning will be rewarding in the long run.

Network Inventory Advisor can handle the hardware audits of any complexity providing you with the most current data on the hardware in your network within minutes. Hardware and software inventory are handled brilliantly with Network Inventory Advisor monitoring solution!

Stay on top of your hardware inventory

It is rather important, wouldn't you agree? Being prepared for hardware audit, tax related issues, or simply to save money is what Network Inventory Advisor is good for. It is fast, highly efficient, and neat. Network Inventory Advisor is always your best way to manage hardware inventory. Our hardware inventory scanner doesn't care whether your network is big or small, how much it changes and how quickly, the service meticulously builds a rich database that you can utilize toward your needs.

Source: https://www.network-inventory-advisor.com/hardware-inventory.html

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Top 5 Best Inventory Management Software Solutions

https://www.network-inventory-advisor.com/best-inventory-management-software.htmlAs the famous proverb says, knowledge is power. Knowing what resources your business or organization has at its disposal is critical for smooth and cost-efficient growth. The challenge is finding a way how to handle inventory management and still maintain a firm focus on one’s core business. A good inventory management software solution allows you to do just that and more. Perhaps more than any other piece of software, an inventory management app needs to compliment your existing workflow, instead of forcing you to change your processes to match its capabilities. Fortunately, there are multiple inventory management software solutions to choose from, and, in this article, we’ll help you pick the best one for you.

The Importance of Inventory Management

The importance of inventory management in the distribution businesses is never questioned. Having meaningful oversight over one’s stock promotes operational efficiency, reduces expenses, and speeds up fulfillment, among other things. Why is it then that so many businesses and organizations lose track of their hardware and software assets early on, only to struggle to gain it back as they become preoccupied with day-to-day operations?

Perhaps they don’t understand how easy it is to maintain an accurate inventory of all software and hardware assets. Or maybe they don’t realize what the benefits of maintaining an accurate inventory are. It’s only when the time to purchase new equipment arrives when it becomes obvious why a small upfront investment into an inventory management software solution makes so much sense.

Inventory management software pays for itself because it saves both time and money. Decision-makers and stakeholders are guaranteed to benefit from sophisticated reporting capabilities, and IT administrators can better plan future hardware and software purchases because inventory management software exposes all current assets.

Don’t let the common misconception that inventory management makes sense only for large businesses and organizations deprive you of what could be a huge competitive advantage. Inventory management software for small business owners has just as many benefits as inventory management software for multi-national enterprises.

Must-Have Features of IT Inventory Management Software

Your IT inventory management software solution should support hardware, software, and non-IT assets. The big picture starts to emerge only when you gather all assets in one place. You may discover that while you have multiple underused workstations, you don’t have enough software licenses to utilize them. You may also discover that one department uses much more non-IT assets than other departments, which could be a sign of poor asset utilization.

As with all other business processes, you want your inventory management to be as automated as possible. If your inventory management software forces you to manually enter every asset, such software could be a huge burden in the long run.

You want an inventory management software solution that supports most major software products and handles even complex, multi-OS networks. Perhaps above all, your inventory management software shouldn’t be difficult to deploy and operate.

Best Inventory Management Software

As with most things in life, you can’t get the best inventory management software free of charge. You can, however, download a free inventory management software trial version and test it on your network. Don’t forget that a well-selected inventory management software is in many ways the exact opposite of an additional expense. It’s a way how you can avoid needless purchases and utilize your existing assets to their maximum potential.

Our Pick: Network Inventory Advisor

The inventory management software solution that we recommend is Network Inventory Advisor. This professional asset management and network monitoring tool can automatically gather relevant data on all devices on your network and track future changes for you. With Network Inventory Advisor, it takes just a few minutes to discover all hardware and software assets. If you have assets outside your main network, you can easily include them in your inventory using a stand-alone audit agent. Network Inventory Advisor is suitable for businesses and organizations of all sizes, which is reflected in its pricing structure.

Network Inventory Advisor runs on the Windows operating system and scans Windows, Linux, macOS, and SNMP. The main application window exposes at glance all important and often used features related to inventory management and reporting. Administrators can use Network Inventory Advisor to remotely examine the exact configuration of computers, and they can use the sophisticated reporting module to audit assets and plan purchases. Inventory scans can be configured to run as often as you need, and Network Inventory Advisor is compatible with any third-party CMDB thanks to its embrace of open standards.

AssetLabs Streamline License Manager

If you need nothing but a reliable software asset management solution, the AssetLabs Streamline License Manager is an excellent choice. The software can automatically gather license information from your network and sort active licenses based on their type. The collected information is transformed into ISO-19770-compliant product families and used to calculate compliance levels and exposure costs.

A1 Tracker

A1 Tracker aims to help businesses and organizations reduce their IT overhead by tracking many different types of contracts and agreements. It supports software agreements, maintenance contracts, service agreements, contract document sharing, insurance coverage limits, and more. As a single-purpose inventory management solution, it works best when used in conjunction with other software.

Asset Track

Asset Track can help you track the location of all fixed assets using barcodes and a central asset database. The software supports equipment loans, depreciation, and can generate detailed activity logs and reports.

Remedy Asset Management

Remedy Asset Management is a complete asset lifecycle management solution designed to integrate with the Remedy Service Management. It can track depreciation over time, ensure vendor compliance, and proactively identify contract infringements and purchasing opportunities.

Source: https://www.network-inventory-advisor.com/best-inventory-management-software.html

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SNMP network management

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is an Internet-standard protocol used for network monitoring and network management. It allows collecting, organizing and modifying data about the devices on IP networks. Such devices include routers, workstations, switches, printers. Network Inventory Advisor is a great SNMP monitoring software for large networks with multiple equipment by different vendors.

https://www.network-inventory-advisor.com/snmp-monitoring-and-management.html

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Find out everything you wanted to know about server inventory management and inventory tools.