Charity improves IT support to internal users
Leonard Cheshire implements asset management tool
Disability charity Leonard Cheshire is implementing an asset management information tool to improve IT support.
The EasyVista system supplied by Staff&Line will integrate with the organisation’s existing IT helpdesk providing staff with a full user and asset history when responding to caller queries.
Bryan Grive, head of IT at Leonard Cheshire, says an asset number will enable helpdesk staff to bring up user and asset information on the system when a problem is reported.
‘Information about assets help manage hardware replacement requirements as well as when to apply updates to software,’ said Grive.
The asset management tool, which will go live in March, enables an improved view of licensing information with the aim of gaining the Federation Against Software Theft’s (Fast) gold standard accreditation.
‘The tool will save us a couple of months a year on reconciliation of our software licensing by making the most effective use of lisences by re-using or reassigning,’ said Grive.
The charity has 1,200 fully lisenced PCs and has already achieved Fast’s bronze and silver accreditation. It is expecting to achieve gold in the spring.
‘We will integrate the tool into our purchasing system so we can place the order and raise a job through the procurement and configuration,’ said Grive.
The organisation plans to add other information to the management tool around printers.
‘Adding printer information will not be as straightforward as computer assets as the information will have to be manually collated,’ said Grive.
Clive Longbottom, analyst at research firm QuoCirca, has seen a big uptake of asset management software tools.
‘People really want to get a handle on what software they are using now, not just for compliance reasons but for saving money,’ said Longbottom.
‘Increased pressure on the business to really know how much IT is costing is pointing people in the direction of doing full asset management whether it be hardware or software,’ he said.
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