For many businesses, buying and deploying IT hardware before intervening when fixes or support are required is the only input they consider when using their tech assets. Once items are no longer needed or no longer function, they’re simply disposed of and replaced with newer models. Yet this status quo approach to hardware pays no mind to the potential within – and with Hardware Lifecycle Management, value can be increased and maximized to make better business sense.
Taking steps throughout the lifecycle of IT hardware can ensure it’s being used to its full potential at all times; resulting in no unnecessary costs, service disruptions or overconsumption of equipment.
What is Hardware Lifecycle Management?
Hardware Lifecycle Management (sometimes abbreviated to HLM) is a strategic approach to managing and maintaining hardware right through from its initial procurement to its eventual disposal. In integrating a wholly planned and well managed process within which to monitor hardware, the ROI (Return on Investment) from its purchase can be maximised through its optimal utilization.
Hardware Lifecycle Management is considered a wise business process as it improves the efficiency, performance and financial management of a company’s IT infrastructure and usage.
The Stages of Hardware Lifecycle Management
Thorough Hardware Lifecycle Management sees regular ‘check-ins’ and maintenance throughout the lifecycle of hardware, including (but not necessarily limited to):
- Planning – determining the IT requirements of the organization and planning its acquisition and deployment
- Procurement or purchase – obtaining the necessary hardware
- Deployment – the installation and configuration of the hardware
- Maintenance – interventions as required to continue the function of hardware (be this preventative maintenance, updates, and repairs)
- Upgrade – implementing upgrades as and when necessary
- Decommissioning – planning for the end of life (EOL) of hardware and how to replace it
- ITAD (IT Asset Disposition) – the eventual disposal, recycling or refurbishment of the hardware when it is no longer in use by the organization.
With proper planning and Hardware Lifecycle Management, there is opportunity at each of these stages to intervene and maximize the utilization and value of the hardware.
The 5 Ps of IT Asset Management
One approach to asset management is known as ‘The 5 Ps’. These form elements of a framework within which businesses can manage their IT assets – be them hardware or otherwise.
In this framework, the 5 Ps are:
- Planning – defining objectives, setting goals and planning methodologies
- People – the hiring and management of a team who will be responsible for the assets, their maintenance, performance, and optimization
- Process – the structured methods and practices used to implement lifecycle management strategies
- Portfolio – the assets held by the business at any one time
- Performance – the measure of the hardware’s functionality and its usage. If assets are properly managed and maintained, performance should be optimized.
Procurri can work with businesses who use the 5 Ps or any other asset management practice, shaping their services to meet the needs of an organization.
The Benefits of Comprehensive Hardware Lifecycle Management
While it may seem as though integrating additional measures to manage hardware that wouldn’t usually be in place may be a task that adds cost, resource and demand to an IT department, such effort is mitigated vastly by the benefits enjoyed. These include:
- Improved efficiency – where hardware is deployed strategically and its use optimized, IT runs at maximum efficiency
- Reduced risk – a lower risk of failure, non-compliance with regulation and security breaches
- Extended lifecycle – when used optimally, hardware can last considerably longer than its estimated lifespan
- Cost savings – reducing unnecessary spend and improving the ROI on hardware
- Increased productivity and better service – with less risk of failure, end users will experience less disruption.
All of these can have a vast impact that far outweighs the effort required to integrate a proper Hardware Lifecycle Management practice!
Procurri’s Hardware Lifecycle Management Services
Procurri’s expert teams are available worldwide around-the-clock thanks to our ‘follow-the-sun’ model of operations. As such, our services are able to help businesses throughout the lifecycle of their hardware to help optimize, save and extend the performance of IT infrastructure.
Deployment: Data Center Commissioning/Relocation
Procurri’s expert team of project managers, technicians and engineers can manage your data center installation or relocation entirely end-to-end, minimizing all risk and ensuring a seamless service throughout for your end users. Data centers are vast and specialist environments, but our experts work with and in them day-in, day-out.
Deployment: WFH Asset Reclaim Program
Responding to the global shift to increasing work-from-home practices, Procurri moved to introduce an asset reclaim program. For organizations with remote locations or workers, this box program recovers IT assets when a traditional onsite pickup is not practical. Every item is tagged and tracked throughout to ensure its usage is optimized and all inventory is present and correct.
Deployment: Device-as-a-Service (DaaS)
Where outright purchase isn’t necessarily appropriate, Procurri offers cost-effective short-term rental solutions for distributed hardware assets. We ensure that every item of hardware is logged, tracked, and fully tested and audited to ensure performance remains at the standard expected, and we collect when the rental term is finished. Such agreements are flexible and tailored bespoke to the organization’s moving requirements.
Maintenance: Ad Hoc Day Engineering
Our team of skilled engineers is available on a per-day or half-day basis to assist with a wide range of technical requirements. If it’s troubleshooting, system maintenance, or implementing new technologies, we’re equipped to handle various tasks promptly and efficiently. This service is available worldwide and Procurri has the knowledge base to bring specialist technicians in with a team tailored exactly to the organization’s requirements.
Maintenance/EOSL: Third Party Global Maintenance
The perfect fit for your customers who want to extend the life of their IT assets and provide more affordable and flexible maintenance options once the OEM’s warranty period expires, Third Party Global Maintenance provides a seamless service of updates, patches, upgrades, fixes and repairs as necessary. Our proactive monitoring even ensures that errors are identified and fixed before they escalate; often providing a more comprehensive service than an OEM would be able to offer anyhow!
Maintenance: Hardware Supply
Working with Procurri, you can meet your end users’ multi-generational hardware needs by providing end-of-life, refurbished hardware alongside current generation data center and workstation hardware. Our refurbished hardware supply is of the highest quality and provides the same performance and uptime as that of newly manufactured systems. Sustainability is held at the heart of everything we do – so if we can refurbish and reuse, we will always aim to, including via the Procurri Buyback Scheme. What’s more, Procurri has the biggest inventory of hardware worldwide, carrying even the most complex, legacy and unusual of configurations.
Maintenance: Proactive Support
The Procurri Genie is a proactive support product that analyses and audits IT assets to work out the feasibility of ongoing support for each item and provides a full report detailing the risk level of each piece of equipment so that the business owner is able to judge how best to proceed. Then, Procurri will be on hand to work through any support services they can provide alongside planning out any strategy for future support, ITAD options, and equipment replacement.
ITAD: Data Erasure
Procurri offers a full suite of data destruction services including data sanitization, physical shredding, crushing/bending, and degaussing. All data destruction is compliant with strict data security guidelines such as NIST, DoD, NAID AAA, HMG Infosec 5, and other regional standards.
ITAD: Zero-to-landfill Asset Disposal
Assets and materials that are end-of-life and have no resale value are dismantled and the materials are sorted, aggregated, and routed to specialized downstream recycling partners. Procurri follow comprehensive industry best practices in keeping with regional e-waste guidelines to ensure all materials are processed resulting in zero landfill waste, and where possible, refurbish, recycle and remarket assets.
ITAD: Data Center Decommissioning
Procurri’s teams of expert technicians can ensure a seamless service is maintained for your end users when hardware is eventually turned off – re-routing all requests and traffic to your desired system instead. Our ‘Lift and Shift’ services include on-site support for the physical removal and decommission of all data center hardware assets; and we can work standalone or as an extension to your existing IT engineer team.
To learn more on how Procurri can help maximize the value, lifespan and performance of your IT hardware, get in touch today.