RMM for IT asset management

One of our most frequently asked questions by our MSP customers, is how can an RMM help us to streamline and simplify our IT services? Let’s dive in. It all begins with IT Asset Management.

In this white paper, you will discover how to use an RMM to:

• Log all assets, both hardware and software
• Scan all devices to detect assets through automation
• Stay on top of hardware that needs replacing and budget accurately ahead of time
• Leverage analytics for capacity planning.

Why do I need an RMM for asset management?

A key goal of remote monitoring and management (RMM) is to look after the system of a multi-site company, or for a managed service provider (MSP) to support the IT infrastructure of a client company.

Keeping everything running smoothly involves taking an inventory of all IT assets and ensuring that they are still within their service life cycle.

MSPs and IT departments benefit from having a precise inventory of all IT assets in order to plan for system expansion and asset retirement.

RMM systems must therefore include IT asset management functions in order to properly support the infrastructure of a business.

Locate and document hardware

Whether the user of an RMM system is an MSP or an IT department starting out with new system management software, the first task in IT asset management is to locate and log all assets — both hardware and software.

Compiling the hardware asset inventory comes first. Remote monitoring and management software can’t search through your stock room and look around the office shelves and windowsills for unused equipment, so that is a manual task. However, you should expect your RMM system to be able to track down all equipment that is active and connected to the network.

Traditional Network Discovery is the hallmark of a quality RMM suite. This function kicks in once the RMM software is first installed. It searches through the network and logs all encountered hardware. The result of this tracking process is a hardware inventory.
Useful information in the inventory for each piece of equipment listed includes the make and model of the device, the device type/purpose and capacity data, such as CPU, memory and storage sizes.

A very useful feature to have in an RMM tool is a network topology mapper. This shows all of the discovered devices on a map. This enables the administrator to see not just what equipment is on the network but where it is. Knowing the connections between devices helps with management tasks such as network capacity planning, segmentation projects and traffic shaping.

Both the inventory and network topology map should be updated automatically whenever there are physical changes made to the network.

Locate and document software inventory

Server and endpoint monitors need to be able to scan each device and detect all of the software installed on it. This task has both security and legal benefits. Surprisingly, few IT departments keep track of how many copies of a particular piece of software they have installed. This can present a problem for license management.

Other software issues include:

• the location of each instance so that updates and patches can be properly rolled out, keeping all software up to date.
• the need to scan all corporate assets for unauthorized software. User-installed software and utilities could well be malicious, or unauthorized – breaching license rules or creating instances of piracy.

Software license management

Once a full log of all installed software on the site has been assembled, the system manager needs to reconcile that list with the usage rights that the company has bought.

It could be that a piece of software has been overused and the company needs to buy more licenses. Another possibility is that the company has bought more licenses than it needs or might even have licenses for software that it doesn’t even use. So, another requirement of license management is the need for a licenses database.

Hardware and software procurement procedures

Keeping a list of all software and another list of all licenses helps companies to accurately provision all software. Similarly, the hardware inventory is a useful tool for asset amortization. Many companies fail to successful gauge the service life of their IT equipment and fall victim to the temptation of keeping devices in service longer than they should.

The benefit of hiring an MSP is the addition of a professional point of contact for the reasonable service life of equipment. An MSP starting on a contract will first take an accurate inventory of all IT assets and adjust the provisions of the service agreement accordingly.

The tracking of equipment statuses will soon alert the MSP to any inadequacies in the client’s system and the difficulties caused by inferior and outdated equipment. The evidence produced by the reporting module of an RMM helps the MSP’s client managers to coach the client into replacing the outdated equipment to improve performance.

The ability to identify outdated equipment is a business opportunity for the MSP. By establishing affiliate agreements with hardware and software providers, the MSP can create a new income stream. Managing the procurement process is also an activity that can be charged for as an extra service that is outside of the initial service contract.

Capacity planning

A good RMM system should include analytical tools. These operate using stored performance data and offer the MSP an opportunity to provide professional services that go above and beyond a straightforward monitoring function. Even a company in a period of static growth has an increasing requirement for IT system capacity because of the accumulation of documents and operational data. Any new application or software added to the system creates a need for more capacity and eventually, the existing infrastructure will cease to provide room for expansion.

An MSP with a quality RMM will be able to work together with the client to plan for extra infrastructure needs. Capacity planning is a straightforward task with the right RMM tool.

A forecasting system within the RMM will enable you to project the increased infrastructure needs of regular operations and also give feedback to clients that plan to add on new users or activities.

The capacity planning support that an MSP can provide is an extra service that can be charged for separately to the regular service agreement. It also leads through to a provisioning activity, which is another opportunity for increased earnings.

IT asset management with an RMM

The right RMM simplifies and automates most of the monitoring and management tasks of IT asset management. It also presents opportunities from increased income by enabling the MSP to offer extra professional services related to IT asset management.
There are a lot of RMM options to choose from. Here are some of the asset management features that helped Atera to be rated #1 by G2 Crowd, Capterra, Finances Online and GetApp.

• Real-time monitoring and alerts
• Innovative network discovery that suggests opportunities for upselling
• Automation, scripting, and patch management
• Reporting and analytics tools that easily get buy in
• Remote working without an intuitive mobile app

Want to learn more? See everything you get with Atera here.