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Device Lifecycle Management
Device Lifecycle Management is a comprehensive approach to overseeing the entire lifespan of IT devices, from acquisition to disposal. Let Multiply ensure performance, security, and maximize the value of your assets throughout their lifecycle.
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From acquisition to retirement, we will boost device performance across the board.
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We will track your assets every step in the journey, so you know when it’s time to make adjustments.
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Device Lifecycle Management
Throughout your business, you likely use several types of technological devices to help you and your employees complete important daily tasks. When you make any kind of investment into your business, you want to optimize it for success to get the most value out of it. That’s why you need a device lifecycle management (DLM) system in place.
In this article, we’ll dive into exactly what DLM is, how it fits into an overall IT asset management (ITAM) system and resources that will help you deploy DLM effectively. Keep reading for all the information.
What Is Device Lifecycle Management?
Device lifecycle management is the process of tracking and optimizing the use of technological devices your business invests in over their entire lifecycle from the moment they are purchased until they no longer have a use and need to be disposed of.
Within DLM, there are many different stages and processes to ensure you are using devices as effectively as possible, including creating inventories, planning maintenance, and analyzing device security and performance.
The goal at every stage is to ensure you are getting the most value out of your assets, whether that’s negotiating with vendors for the best prices or ensuring they are running at their full potential to boost productivity.
If you’re wondering what types of devices are covered under DLM, let’s dive into some of the most common categories.
What Is Mobile Device Lifecycle Management?
Mobile device lifecycle management follows the core processes of DLM, specifically for mobile devices. Common mobile devices in companies will be cell phones, tablets, and laptops.
Mobile device usage is especially common if you have employees out in the field, who work from home, or who are simply on the go a lot throughout the day. When you have employees working from multiple locations, it can make it tricky to keep track of all the devices you have in use. That’s why a structured system with DLM is so important.
What Is Product Lifecycle Management?
Companies that develop products (especially those that are technological devices) will also need to be concerned with DLM in that process. Product lifecycle management works a bit differently since it occurs within the process of product ideation, development, service, and disposal.
Throughout this process, you’ll want to apply product lifecycle management best practices to ensure your efforts are a success. That includes tracking product and material inventories, costs, and usage within the company.
What Is Device Lifecycle Management Software?
When you have many devices in use throughout your company, you’ll likely be looking for a way to track and manage the information about all of them. That’s where device lifecycle management software comes into play.
All DLM software is designed with the goal of making systems easier to manage and helping your business operate more efficiently. It’ll typically provide you with important data in a streamlined way to help you make key decisions.
What Is the Best Device Lifecycle Management Software?
If you’re looking for the best DLM software, our team at Multiply offers a full asset journey platform that can help. Our asset journey platform will not only help you keep track of your company’s devices but also all the hardware assets you use throughout your organization, providing you with visual displays that make data easier to understand.
We also take things a step further than just providing you with software. We’re a team of ITAM experts with years of experience in the field who will partner with you each step of the way. We aim to help you set up the software, protocols, and lines of communication necessary to take the stress out of managing your company’s important devices.
Device Lifecycle Management Examples
To provide you with further details about what device lifecycle management looks like within an organization, here are a couple of examples.
Device Lifecycle Management Software Examples
Mary is in charge of managing records for all of her company’s devices. However, with multiple locations and many types of devices spanning from personal computers to IoT and everything in between, she’s having trouble finding the right system for success. With her company’s DLM needs starting to feel overwhelming, she brings Multiply on board as a partner to help.
When Multiply starts working with Mary and her company, they get to work identifying her key needs to create an organized system that allows her to streamline data and communication with teams in multiple locations. That process entails:
- Performing in-depth asset discovery across locations.
- Working with team members to get everyone on board and communicating effectively.
- Setting up a full asset journey platform with visual displays for easy understanding of data.
- Automating device remediation and reporting for easy management.
This system helps Mary and her company get back on track while feeling in control of every decision entailing the company’s core devices.
Mobile Device Lifecycle Management Examples
Sam is in charge of assigning and retrieving mobile devices for remote teams with workers across the U.S. However, with thousands of employees within the company, she’s running into many challenges as department shifts occur, new hires are made, employees leave, and certain devices need to be upgraded.
Knowing that she can’t continue to manage all of this on her own, she talks to company decision-makers about partnering with Muliply for device lifecycle management.
Upon bringing Multiply on board as a partner, some key changes are made to mobile device lifecycle management practices to ensure they are successful. That includes:
- User-led audits with real-time automation and remediation tools.
- Implementing streamlined data systems for easy decision-making.
- A no-hassle laptop retrieval system for departing employees.
- A complete cybersecurity system that helps manage access control in remote work environments.
These systems are able to help Sam and remote employees within the company feel more empowered in their decision-making and management of mobile devices.
What Is IoT Device Lifecycle Management?
Another aspect you’ll want to consider in your company’s DLM system is IoT devices. These are hardware assets like sensors, gadgets, software, and other technologies that will collect and send data within your business.
Typically, these devices will follow the overall DLM system, where you’ll want to keep data about them in an inventory, manage maintenance protocols, and optimize procurement and disposition.
What Is an Example of IoT Device Management?
Brett, an operations manager at a smart logistics company, relies on IoT device lifecycle management to streamline operations. His fleet of delivery trucks is equipped with IoT sensors that monitor vehicle performance, temperature-sensitive cargo, and GPS tracking. Brett’s team provisioned these devices, ensuring they were integrated into the logistics platform.
Regular updates and maintenance keep the devices running smoothly, optimizing delivery routes and minimizing fuel consumption. When vulnerabilities are detected, immediate security patches are deployed. Over time, older sensors are phased out, and newer, more efficient models are introduced.
Brett uses data analytics from these IoT devices to predict maintenance needs and improve scheduling. This ensures his business remains competitive, cost-efficient, and eco-friendly, thanks to effective IoT device lifecycle management.
What Is the Lifecycle Management Process?
The lifecycle management process is the stages and steps a company would go through to optimize the use and tracking of all devices. This process can typically be broken down into five stages. Let’s look at exactly what those stages entail
What Are the 5 Stages of Life Cycle Management?
The five stages of lifecycle management are:
- Inventory Creation: The process begins with creating a comprehensive inventory of all devices within an organization, including computers, mobile devices, and other hardware.
- Procurement: This stage involves acquiring and provisioning devices, ensuring they meet organizational needs and budget constraints.
- Deployment: Devices are configured, installed, and distributed to end-users, often including software installations and user training.
- Regular Maintenance/Updates: Ongoing maintenance and updates to ensure device performance, security, and compliance.
- Disposition: When devices reach their end of life, they are securely retired, data is wiped, and hardware is either sold or responsibly disposed of to prevent data breaches and environmental impact.
With these five stages in mind, you can effectively manage devices throughout your organization.
What Is the Device Lifecycle Policy?
Within the overall device lifecycle stages, your policy will outline the exact steps every team involved will need to take to ensure it is successful. That includes how errors will be reported, troubleshooting protocols, maintenance schedules, and how to communicate important updates properly.
If you aren’t sure where to start with creating a device lifecycle policy, our team at Multiply can help you each step of the way to set up a system for success.
What Is a Mobile Devices Lifecycle Policy?
The mobile device lifecycle management strategy and policy would be the steps and procedures that apply directly to mobile devices within your organization. That may include how mobile devices are assigned to employees, maintenance protocols, and the steps for retrieval if employees leave.
All of these are essential steps to ensure the security of mobile devices and to optimize their use to get the most value from them.
How Multiply Can Help!
Many companies just getting started with DLM can feel overwhelmed with all the data and steps involved. If you’re feeling stressed or don’t know where to start, our team at Multiply can help.
We’re a team of IT consultants and senior service technicians who have years of experience in the field. We’ll help you make IT asset and data management much easier to manage by conducting audits, helping you create inventories, bridging communications between teams, setting up proper policies and procedures, and more.
Contact us today to learn more about how Multiply can make a difference for you!
