Digital transformation and the increase in remote work accelerated the use of multiple technologies in the workplace. These circumstances led to various challenges and increased the urgency to find solutions. Two of the top challenges faced by IT management are accurately assessing IT needs and finding skilled technical staff.
Also, in a survey conducted by NinjaOne, it was reported that 87% of organizations saw an increase in the number of new devices the previous year. Unfortunately, a lot of them haven’t adapted well to the change. Many organizations still rely on manual processes for routine IT management, and are spending a lot of time and resources carrying out those processes.
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10 Common IT Time Wasters
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What is IT efficiency?
Efficiency, in general, takes a look at current processes and production and then looks at what more could be achieved or how things can be made better with the existing resources. It also looks to improve the quality of the end result.
IT efficiency, then, is how effective your organization is at providing quality IT services while reducing costs. It is about efficiently delivering IT value to your business and doing it in a way that contributes to its overall success.
Why do you need IT efficiency?
IT efficiency is invaluable when it comes to dealing with a variety of business challenges, and finding ways to increase your organization’s IT efficiency can help not only alleviate issues, but also increase production and profitability. The goal is to improve your workforce productivity through IT efficiency while keeping costs down.
Two ways you can increase your own business’s IT efficiency is by either outsourcing IT management to a third party or investing in tools for your in-house IT team.
3 areas you can increase your IT efficiency
IT efficiency is a broad term that can refer to all information technology within your business. Since IT is so complex, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed when trying to decide what area or aspect of your technology to improve first.
Endpoint management is a common area in most organizations that could benefit from increased IT efficiency, so let’s focus on three aspects of endpoint management that can benefit from IT efficiency efforts: patch management, software deployment, and new device setup.
Patch management
Applying patches to software and systems in a timely manner is crucial to ensure safety against cyberthreats and support IT efficiency. Mandiant writes, “Attackers are in a constant race to exploit newly discovered vulnerabilities before defenders have a chance to respond.” When a vulnerability is disclosed and a patch is released, it’s essential to deploy and apply the patch before cyberthreats can exploit the known vulnerability.
Manual patching processes can be painfully slow and leave systems open to attack, so one of the most effective ways to optimize patch management is to automate patching deployment and application. Testing patches prior to applying patches is also advised so you can avoid installing a patch that creates more problems than it solves. Supporting the safety and security of systems in your IT environment enables IT efficiency.
Software deployment
Deploying software to end-user devices is an important part of endpoint management. Unfortunately, it can take up a lot of time to carry out this process. Some people report spending more than 10 hours a month on software deployment alone.
You can boost IT efficiency in software deployment by using a tool to monitor and manage your software inventory, set up automatic software deployment, and manage applications at scale.
New device setup
The continual increase of organizational devices the past few years led to better solutions for initial setup or reconfiguration. However, many businesses haven’t implemented those solutions or changed strategies and are spending too much time on new device setup.
Automatic device discovery and software that puts you in control of endpoint behavior and configuration assist and make device setup and maintenance simpler and more efficient.
Benefits of partnering with an MSP for IT efficiency
Enterprises typically have internal IT teams dedicated to ensuring that the organizations’ IT environments are running optimally. SMBs, on the other hand, often don’t have the resources necessary to effectively manage their own technology. This is where MSPs can become a fantastic resource.
Managed IT services, provided by an MSP, are a popular way for businesses that lack their own IT staff to address the technology needs of their organization. An MSP provides outsourced information technology (IT) and network support. The outsourced services provide smaller operations with the opportunity to receive support that is typical in larger organizations with a dedicated IT team.
MSPs provide 24/7 monitoring and management from dedicated IT experts, so you’ll know your IT environment is in good hands. That, plus the proactive management approach of MSPs, also means there are predictable costs and overall less risk for your business.
→ How to Automate
10 Common IT Time Wasters
Spend less time (and money) on repetitive, time-consuming tasks
How NinjaOne improves IT efficiency
NinjaOne is a remote unified IT management platform focused on making your IT management is as optimized and effective as possible. It includes all aspects of IT management into one platform including service management, network and infrastructure management, security, and more. Start your free trial today to discover how your organization can benefit from efficient IT operations.
