Watching Your Assets When Managing Desktops in Cloud Computing

By Judith Hurwitz, Robin Bloor, Marcia Kaufman, and Fern Halper from Cloud Computing For Dummies

2 of 4 in Series: The Essentials of Desktops in Cloud Computing

Desktop and device asset management help you select, buy, use, and maintain desktop hardware and software. From a management perspective, you should understand that cloud computing desktop virtualization doesn’t remove the need for management at the desktop. Additionally, you may still need to manage laptops and PCs that can’t be virtualized, and that task may still place a heavy demand on support.

What must you do to manage desktops and mobile devices thoroughly? Here’s a list of necessary activities:

Establish a detailed hardware asset register. A register is a database that itemizes hardware assets and records all the details. It lets you analyze hardware assets (including peripherals) and provides a foundation for many user services, including provisioning and security. It also may be fed with information by asset discovery software.
Establish a software register. A software register tracks all the software elements of devices. It complements the hardware register and offers a foundation for better automated provisioning of software.
Control software licenses. Even if you move your desktops to the cloud and have common implementations, you must manage the software licenses. Watching software licenses reduces costs and efforts; it also eliminates the risk that the company will be running more versions of software than it has paid for.
Manage device costs. Often, companies have devices that are no longer used but that still require time and effort to maintain. By tracking device use, you can reduce redundancies and maintain hardware more efficiently.