IT departments are the heart of an organization. They are tasked with ensuring that communication is smooth between network users, encompassing things like server management, email distribution, setting up and managing devices, and tracking devices that enter a company’s network, among other things.
Keeping track of all this requires management software.
This article examines what features of an IT management software every IT department should look for, what they do, and how Atera could be just the IT Swiss army knife you’re looking for.
Types of IT Management Software
Only a few solutions — known as all-in-one IT management software — provide unified experiences encompassing all the software an IT department needs to function. Most of the time, the solution is cobbled together using various management software that each focuses on something different.
Some of the most prevalent ones include:
- Asset management software
- Remote access and support
- Ticketing system
- Incident response software
- Business continuity software
- Service desk software
- Database software
- Project management software
- Task management software
- File analysis software
- IT services management software
- Mobile device management software
The list doesn’t end here, given that each task you can think of has its own software. However, you can get unified platforms that combine many of these technologies and capabilities for easier access.
The main essentials of IT Management Software
As with any other department, there are essentials that these software options have to deliver to be considered not only useful but vital to have an efficient IT team.
For IT management software to be as valuable as you need it to be, it must have the following features:
Asset Management
Asset management software for IT departments offers capabilities that enable the organization to deploy, upgrade, maintain, and terminate an organization’s assets as needed. It is all about tracking valuable items, both intangible and tangible, to make the best use of them. With the right software, asset management is much easier, allowing teams to track IT asset lifecycles from planning to retirement.
IT Automations
IT automation is the use of software to develop reproducible instructions and procedures to replace or eliminate human contact with IT systems.
Automation is no longer a fad in corporate IT departments; it has become a must. This is related to the present technology mix, the pace at which IT must operate, and talent considerations.
Containers, cloud, and microservices top the list of technological factors driving the growing usage of automation. Containers and microservices aid in the management of hybrid cloud infrastructures. As you expand your use of microservices and containers, automation becomes increasingly important.
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Inventory Management
Inventory management software for IT departments involves overseeing inventory and warehouse administration components, simplifying the processes necessary to maintain inventory, coordinate reordering, and update accounting information.
Inventory management is critical for businesses of all sizes. Deciding when to resupply inventory, how much to buy or manufacture, how much to pay, when to sell, and for what price may become complicated considerations, simplified by superb inventory management.
Remote Monitoring and Management
Since COVID-19, collaboration has become more important than ever, coupled with the need to work from home. A big project team can have tens or hundreds of people working on different tasks from different locations, necessitating remote monitoring and management (RMM).
This is a tall order, especially with remote devices and the need to manage them, and includes easy file sharing, dashboards for teams, and communication channels for team members.
Ticket Management
An IT ticketing system, often known as a help desk ticketing system, enables IT support personnel to be structured, focused, productive, and successful through the use of ticketing software. This program enables IT support to monitor, manage, expedite, and efficiently handle situations.
The ticket management system is designed to categorize and arrange incoming tickets into distinct, customized categories or bins that may be grouped by urgency, department, origin, or user. This ensures that every facet the IT department is tasked with is taken care of at the right time to avoid clogging workflow pipelines.
Scheduling
It is critical to have everyone’s roles and responsibilities clearly defined in overseeing a team. Your software should allow you to schedule and delegate tasks to team members and define objectives and deadlines.
With planning and scheduling, you can easily prioritize tasks, manage progress, and help an organization’s members be more productive overall.
Database Management
Database software allows the IT team to develop databases in addition to analyzing the data and making it searchable. Databases save time when looking for specific information while enhancing security since access is only granted to authorized individuals.
Services
IT services management software helps the department plan, run and manage IT service delivery, which accounts for everything from managing security issues to troubleshooting functions. The software should include components for managing vendor tools, changing authorization, responding to incidents, taking questions, and so much more.
Mobile Device Management
IT teams have the task of tracking every mobile device (like smartphones and tablets) connected to an organization’s network to ensure that security remains high, the right devices have the prescribed level of access, and their holders can use them for the intended purposes.
Governance
With many devices connected to different apps and services in a network, it is always good to know who should have access to what. IT departments need a way to assign roles and access appropriately, accounting for real-time changes and needs as required.
These are, by no means, the only essentials to look out for, but they form the basis of most unified platforms that try to bring all these functions together on one dashboard or program.
Why you need Atera’s IT Management Software
Overseeing the environment of an entire organization, as we have seen in this, is a tall order that requires a lot of tools to handle. However, IT management is indispensable, given its benefits.
Some of the oft-cited ones include:
Disaster recovery — Preventing disasters, planning for when they happen, and coordinating how to get back up and running quickly is easier.
Productivity enhancement — Since everyone knows their roles, tasks, deadlines, and obligations, that level of accountability breeds productivity.
Security — Securing everything a business uses requires that the IT team know where every device, piece of data, or other sensitive information is found, which is possible with proper management.
Improved user experience — When all things are organized, it is a joy to find just about anything you need in an organization’s ecosystem, enhancing user experiences.
Mindful resource allocation — The data collection in a unified manner ensures that when analyzed, better decisions can be made regarding resource allocation, which is great for cost reduction and savings.
With the proper IT management software, your business can enjoy all the benefits of having a handle on everything all the time.
Final Thought: IT Departments need robust management software
IT management may be difficult and time-consuming. Because IT administrators have a lot on their plates, they frequently rely on information technology management tools to assist them in filling in the gaps.
This suite of tools offers assistance and support in the deployment, administration, and support of software, computer hardware, and different IT processes. Without management software, the departments would be swamped with issues they cannot prioritize or even track easily, causing more issues.
Does your business need IT management software? Check out Atera for your IT department to find out what it can do and whether it fits your needs.
Want to try our powerful IT automations?
The all-in-one IT management platform that will take your IT operations to the next level!
