4 Ways To Power Your PC Fleet For The Long Haul
Your PC fleet is the backbone of your organization – that’s nothing new. What has likely changed is where and how those PCs access your company network.
With much of the workforce going remote or shifting to a hybrid model, many fleets now increasingly operate in a distributed environment. Managing these machines and ensuring all their particulars stay up-to-date takes organization and foresight.
Use these best practices to keep your PC fleet secure and agile.
If you can, go green
Greening up your computer fleet is a simple way to do your part. And it starts by choosing the right manufacturers.
Computer Weekly recommends ensuring all your hardware is EPEAT-certified, “EPEAT looks at the materials used in manufacture, energy consumption, packaging and recyclability of components.” With one environmentally-friendly choice, you can hit multiple green targets.
If you want your company to go an even darker shade of green, pay special attention to that last point. Try purchasing from companies who prioritize green packaging made from plant-based materials and who help you come up with sustainable solutions to reuse or recycle components at the end of a PC’s lifecycle.
While the machines are in use, consider investing in apps and systems that can help monitor and curb unnecessary energy usage.
Create a complex fleet
Homogenous computer fleets can limit your workplace potential. That’s because there really is no one size fits all laptop.
To vary your fleet for different needs, start by taking inventory of the programs and apps each department uses most. Supporting your marketing team might require machines with more storage and better graphics. For your analytics or finance departments, you’re probably looking for a laptop with extra processing power.
Carefully considering the day-to-day of each team can help you create a more diverse, effective fleet.
Improve your asset management
Our new remote/hybrid workforce has made asset management more important – and complex – than ever. It’s no longer as easy as making the rounds to check for or employ a security or system update. Today, companies require an air-tight inventory for their fleets.
It only takes one machine running an older version of your operating system or apps to compromise your entire network. Keeping a running inventory list of hardware and software specifics that’s updated in real-time is an absolute non-negotiable.
Do a fleet audit
Keep in mind, maintaining an updated inventory list doesn’t just improve your asset management. Doing so also gives IT an organized outlet in which to conduct a fleet audit.
If your business is anything like most, you’ve probably got some older PC models in the mix. ToolBox reports, “A 2019 survey by security software vendor Kaspersky found that 41% of its users still use either an unsupported or approaching end of support desktop operating system (OS)...”
By nixing any aging, slow PCs and outdated operating systems, you stay more competitive and ensure your machines have the bandwidth to handle the host of regular updates needed to keep the entire fleet secure. It’ll also save your IT team time and accrued repair charges, as well as ensure your staff experience fewer downtime interruptions.
In short, your business is only as efficient and productive as its fleet. Especially as more work happens outside the office, fleet management is a critical component for any modern enterprise.