Businesses are complicated –the data they produce can be overwhelming—and when caught in a merger, or compliance protocols, that data can be pivotal.

This is all well and good with the devices still humming on your desk, but what about Johnson’s smartphone, or the intern’s tablet stuffed in that drawer? Yep, that data is important, too. Which is why having a good ITAM program is crucial to good business.

Add quarantine to your ITAM program for more protection

A good ITAM program will be outfitted to quarantine—or hold in suspension—devices that might be needed for legal discovery. This means the devices should be marked as important, removed from the rest of any other stored equipment, and isolated from any potential networks.

Recovery comes through discovery

When dealing with assets that have legal-sensitive data on them, there can be confusion without a proper tagging system. If your ITAM company doesn’t label every single device it takes in, it could become a shell game. Remember, all those beige boxes look the same when loaded on a truck. 

This potential for miss-tracking can be alleviated by using the right ITAM partner. Only use a program that includes a unique tracking system based on something specific to each device, like serial numbers. 

A good tracking process goes beyond just not losing devices. With the right tracking system, you can review all your IT assets whenever you need to do so. Whether for a legal-hold situation, or if you need to get that report Johnson left on his old laptop. 

Luck favors the prepared

The bottom line is, when you’ve got sensitive data on ANY of your devices, you’ll want to have a solid quarantine process in place before you have a need for quarantine action. Otherwise, you could lose assets in the scramble that comes after a call for data retention.

By working with an IT Asset Management company that uses a reliable system for quarantine in place, you increase the value of your surplus IT assets. And by tapping this kind of value, we’re really getting to the heart of a sustainable approach to your IT.

Quarantine helps your business be more sustainable

Anytime you increase the options of what you can do with your IT assets, you also increase their lifespan —unlocking their intrinsic value. 

Keeping tabs on every device your company owns allows you to leverage those items for more benefit. And with the right ITAM partner, you could sell or donate those items for an even greater return because they were well managed.