SHI/Oomnitza integration: getting enterprise technology management right from the start

What is meant by enterprise technology management?

Enterprise technology management is the systematic process of purchasing, deploying, monitoring, securing, and servicing an enterprise’s technology. This is one of the core responsibilities of IT teams and an integral part of managing enterprise technology  (endpoints, applications, infrastructure, networks, accessories) move through the enterprise. More critically, however, this practice extends across nearly every line of business within the enterprise that functionally has little to do with IT, yet is completely dependent on it (finance, security, legal, customer service, human resources, etc.). Each of these groups will have their own peculiar requirements for purchasing, deploying, monitoring, securing, and servicing their specific enterprise technology, and as a result, need to be deeply integrated into the IT planning process. If there is a tight alignment between IT and the enterprise groups they support in terms of the enterprise technology management process, value is created across multiple workflows that touch the core value add of the organization, with direct effects on procurement, security, compliance, the auditing processes and employee engagement. It is effectively an ancillary process to IT asset management that answers the question “what do we do with asset X?”

Why does it matter?

Managing the broad range of IT assets available in today’s modern enterprise is a far cry from what this looked like even a few years ago. We’ve gone from a secure, tightly contained environment behind a firewall, to one where IT assets have effectively become free-range, “secured” network access is through a home wi-fi shared with family members, and the increase in cloud usage means adding and deploying software assets is a matter of clicks and seconds. This will lead to a massive expansion of IT’s purview, significantly higher security risks, and more exposure to compliance mandates. 

Who is going to care and why?

Exerting control over an asset’s lifecycle is going to affect everyone across the enterprise, but those most directly hit are going to be folks responsible for IT asset management, security, compliance, and finance. Secondary hits will be every operating group within the enterprise since every function is critically dependent on technology that is ideally optimized to the needs of the user or function at the exact point it’s needed. The short answer is everyone should care all the time because most employees in an enterprise cannot do their job without strong technology enablement.

What does an optimal solution look like?

The optimal solution is a combination of a large IT infrastructure provider like SHI, integrated with a full enterprise technology management provider like Oomnitza. This provides cradle to grave visibility, optimizing performance and management at every step in the device lifecycle. Examples of the relevant steps and sample companies that partner with Oomnitza to deliver them includes: 

• Purchasing (SHI) - Capture all relevant asset attributes before the device has even entered the enterprise, and do it automatically. No manual loading, therefore no manual errors, and management of your inventory starts on the right foot.
• Receiving  Add devices to inventory and match all receivables to the right purchase order, which will significantly accelerate deployment, and keep your finance people happy.
• Imaging (Jamf) - Capture real-time information from all devices, along with events and anomalies. This also ensures the device is optimally suited to the needs of the person using it. 
• Assigning (Okta)-  Manage the IT enablement element of employee on and off-boarding, track usage in near real-time while detecting exceptions, and reclaim unused or underused licenses. 
• Securing (Carbon Black)- Identify and seal off all gaps in security enforcement, and link all data back to specific users and their associated cost centers. This is incredibly important. 
• Maintaining (Zendesk)- Lower time to resolution means happier employees. Increased uptime means more productive employees. Happy, productive employees sounds pretty good, no?
• EoL   Understand the financial impact of offboarding assets, gain a sharper perspective on contract renewals and purchases. Keep data fresh for audits and compliance. 

How does an SHI/Oomnitza partnership work in this context?

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a first step, and the first step in this complex and dynamic process is ensuring the right information is captured at the start, since everything else going forward is going to be a downstream event. Given the accelerating pace of technology adoption and the continuous expansion of technology’s range, having a seamless integration with a leading IT infrastructure source like SHI active at the beginning of the process is absolutely critical for delivering value not only across the entire asset lifecycle, but also for  strengthening areas such as security, compliance, purchasing, finance, and employee experience.