Endpoint management is critical for IT teams. In a SANS survey they found that 44% of IT teams manage anywhere from 5,000 to 500,000 devices. With so many devices, it can be challenging to keep track of the health and status of each individual endpoint.
So how can IT teams ensure that organizational endpoints continually contribute to the company’s success? Endpoint lifecycle management is a valuable process that can enable your team to achieve this.
What is the endpoint lifecycle?
The endpoint lifecycle consists of various stages each computer, laptop, mobile device, or server goes through in your IT environment. It follows an endpoint from when it is first approved and obtained through when it is retired and disposed of.
The five stages of the endpoint lifecycle are:
1. Procuring
The endpoint lifecycle begins when your organization initially acquires the device. Before this, a requisition is submitted, research is conducted to determine which asset is needed, and a plan is set to deploy the endpoint.
2. Taking an inventory
Every endpoint that is added to your organization needs to be added to your IT asset inventory so you have a record of all devices and endpoints. IT asset management software is an effective tool that can be used to accomplish this.
3. Assigning and deployment
The last step required for device setup is to assign devices and deploy them to users or departments. Installing hardware and software, setting up configurations, and adding them to management software
4. Managing/Supporting
Ongoing management and support, through the help of endpoint management software, helps to maximize the lifespan of the endpoint. Increasing the lifespan of the asset allows you to reduce your total spend on the device and improves the productivity of the end user.
5. Retiring
When endpoints are either no longer needed or are not secure, they have reached their end of life. At this point, the endpoints should be retired.
What is endpoint lifecycle management?
Endpoint lifecycle management includes the policies and procedures your organization has in place to manage the lifecycle of all your organization's devices. This includes tasks to track, maintain, update, protect, and deploy each endpoint in the IT environment.
Examples of various activities that are typically included within endpoint lifecycle management are:
- Inventory organizational endpoints
- Software installation and configuration
- Patch application and updates
- Renew or dispose of devices
Why endpoint lifecycle management is important
Endpoint lifecycle management is a necessary component of a successful IT environment. It gives you visibility into the status of your organizational devices and helps you effectively manage all of your endpoints.
Remote or hybrid workforce
Zippia reports that 16% of companies are completely remote, and many employees work from home at least part-time. When your users’ endpoints are located in different areas, it can make it challenging to effectively manage and maintain their health and smooth operation. However, with endpoint lifecycle management, you can ensure that all your endpoint devices are in optimal health and contribute to a solid workforce.
Mobile device management
Mobile devices are increasingly being used in the workplace, and it’s just as important to maintain the health and smooth operation of these devices through mobile device management. Because these endpoints are being used to access company information and data, mobile devices also need to be protected and secured throughout their lifecycle.
Cybersecurity
Endpoint lifecycle management also works to protect your endpoints from exploitation and threat actors. If devices in your IT environment are unpatched, behind on updates, have incorrect software configuration, or are in bad health overall, it could result in dire security consequences. Managing endpoints through all the states of their lifecycle is a way to actively protect against cyberattacks and save your company both time and resources.
The benefits of endpoint lifecycle management
1. Cost savings
Managing your endpoints throughout the lifecycle allows you to maximize the use of a device and dispose of it when needed. This helps you to cut unnecessary spending on devices.
2. Increased productivity
Maintaining devices and ensuring they perform optimally prevents end users from having to attempt to resolve issues on their own, wait for help from the IT team, or potentially having an endpoint fail. Their productivity increases because they have a dependable tool to accomplish their responsibilities.
3. Improved compliance
Endpoint lifecycle management helps organizations measure up to standards in their industry and abide by any applicable compliance requirements.
4. Enhanced security
Continual monitoring and maintenance of endpoints helps you to ensure that endpoints are up-to-date and secure. This allows you to increase security on your endpoints and protect them from cyberattacks.
5. Better end-user experience
Endpoints are the tools that your end users use to accomplish their work. Managing endpoints throughout their entire lifecycle helps you provide dependable devices, resulting in greater end-user efficiency and satisfaction.
Utilize endpoint lifecycle management to optimize your IT environment
Endpoint lifecycle management, when performed effectively, can help optimize your IT environment and ensure all endpoints are in prime condition. It gives you enhanced visibility so you can see what steps need to be taken throughout an endpoint’s lifecycle, all the way through to the retirement of a device.
NinjaOne automatically collects endpoint information that is readily available such as processors, memory, and serial numbers. Information that isn’t directly on the endpoint, such as asset status, asset owner, cost center, and more can be tracked using Ninja’s custom fields. Sign up for a free trial today to try out custom fields and learn how NinjaOne makes your endpoint management easier.
