The idea of spring cleaning has long become a cliché, but it's for a good reason. It is an opportune time to take stock of all the items we've collected throughout the year and clean out our inventories as we make way for new ones.
Spring cleaning can be particularly beneficial for IT departments, notorious for housing obsolete cables, computer components, handsets and other equipment that has not been used for months, if not years.
If your IT/Telecom department is in need of more space and a better organized inventory, here are some tips to optimize your IT spring cleaning. And here's some added motivation: You'll could save significant money in the process.
- Remove old inventory
- This is as basic as it sounds. You are probably well aware of those items that have been sitting on shelves unused for months (or years). Now is the time to organize, categorize and salvage or discard.
- Update your contracts
- One of the side advantages of removing old equipment is that it gives you an opportunity to revisit any supplier contracts associated with unused hardware and/or services. There may be thousands of dollars to be saved simply by re-negotiating with your suppliers.
- Clean up what you have
- We mean, literally! Get out your compressor air cans, static free cloths and get to work. Cleaning printer cables and computers on a regular basis can help eliminate performance issues downstream. Keeping your equipment clean and in good working order can add months to its MTBF and add years to its lifespan. That equates to dollar savings as well.
- Create a new inventory policy
- If you have an existing corporate policy concerning lease/purchase of equipment as well as registrations and maintenance, now is a good time to review and update it. Be sure to create clear user guidelines for your employees and make sure everyone is aware, especially if changes to the original policies have been made.
Many IT and telecom managers tell us that the only regret they have after doing an equipment inventory overhaul is that they didn't do it sooner! While cleaning out inventory may initially seem like a daunting task, the biggest challenge is to take the first step. Once you start making progress, you'll probably find it more energizing than exhausting.
Need some help? TTI has an experienced team of IT/Telecom veterans who have been helping organizations tighten up their control of their IT assets for over 20 years. Contact us to find out more about how we can help you clean up your inventory and save considerable money in the process.