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Doing business in the 21st century
requires a set of tools different than anything
the world has ever seen before -- computers for
many employees, task-specific servers, multiple
types of networking devices, data storage equipment,
and a wide array of software -- all to support
your company's ability to acquire, analyze, understand,
and protect the information that has become its
lifeblood. For even the largest organizations,
putting all these technologies and capabilities
together in a cost-effective and productive way
presents a serious challenge.
But it is, for companies of all sizes, a challenge
made much easier with the right combination of
data storage, software, desktop management, and
business modeling tools, which together can save
your business plenty by protecting your data and
applications, reducing your IT costs, easing upgrade
hassles, and helping you streamline your entire
business operations. |
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To
figure out what's best for your business, you'll
need to ask |
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ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS |
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| * Is the data critical
for continued business operations getting backed
up in a timely and reliable fashion? If your overnight
backups can't be completed overnight, it's time
to rethink your whole process. |
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| * How much care and feeding do data
backups take? If they consume more and more administrator
resources, it may be time to centralize and automate
your backup activities. |
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| * Do you have some storage devices
that are overloaded while others are mostly empty?
This signals a need for network storage. |
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| * What kind of data performance do
you need? If your data can't be accessed quickly
enough by the staff who need it, you may require
highly-available storage. |
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| * Can your business afford to lose
all its systems and data? Doubtful, so you need
a disaster recovery system that replicates essential
data and applications off-site. |
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| * How much data storage will your
company require over the next few years? Probably
much more than you thought you'd ever need. |
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| * Conduct an annual, company-wide
software inventory/audit using an asset management
tool so you know what you've got -- how many licenses?
what for? where are there gaps? what is not properly
licensed? where can you take advantage of volume
licensing programs? what should be removed? |
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| * Create company-wide software standards,
including a list of supported/acceptable software,
and a policy stating that all software on your systems
is company owned and that illegal or potentially
dangerous software is forbidden. |
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| * Educate employees
about the dangers and penalties of software piracy
and have them sign a software usage agreement to
ensure they accept your policy. |
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| * Centralize
software procurement processes and buy only from
reputable software vendors. If possible, establish
a software controller function with responsibility
for your firm's software inventory and license agreements. |
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| * Monitor your
software assets and uninstall anything that's outside
of company standards. |
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| * Develop a software purchase plan
that anticipates future needs and budgets for them. |
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| * Maintain a software library that
includes agreements, licenses, and software media. |
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| * Develop software disposal processes
that meet software license requirements -- and don't
forget to remove software from storage media before
it's surplussed. |
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| * Do selective ad hock audits -- especially
if your company is experiencing something unusual,
such as large-scale development projects, high employee
turnover, etc. |
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| * Document everything, notably your
company's software standards, purchasing processes,
and its asset and license tracking systems. |
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| * Talk to your company's lawyer if
you have software licensing questions or issues
you can't answer. |
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| * The benefits of implementing software
licensing management will pay off. Using the right
tools to manage your software assets means you'll
be able to: |
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| * Know what software you have, who's
using it, and whether the applications supported
are being used effectively; |
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| * Develop and implement software procurement
policies that keep your business more secure; and |
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| * Reduce software maintenance costs. |
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| You'll spend less on software; you'll
be able to track its usage and intervene when it's
misused; and you'll be able to plan more effectively
for future needs. |
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