Retailers Achieving Excellence in Hardware Estate Management with Physical Site Surveys
Creating an omnichannel experience has led to a diverse hardware estate that ends up fragmented and difficult to track and manage.
Even with the array of software management tools, keeping visibility of your existing technologies across your stores and data center is challenging. Whether due to equipment being shut down or inaccessible to your network, software tools fall short of providing a complete and accurate view of your physical hardware estate. To close the gap between what software tools can identify versus what hardware assets truly reside at your sites, physical site surveys, often combined with wireless surveys, are finding their way back into popularity.
Through a logically documented and executed survey, you can ascertain the gaps in your company and prepare a durable action plan. If your company leaves nothing to chance, then well-executed and periodic site surveys are essential. Most importantly, your stores must be able to prevent bottlenecks or interferences within your wireless network that degrade performance or customer experience.
Surveys remain an effective way to capture details on your technology landscape. They can assess a number of elements from the datacenter to the store or branch locations, such as:
- Wireless Site Surveys (Predictive, Active, and Passive)
- Cable Infrastructure and Design
- Spectrum Analysis and Interferences
- Network and IOT Devices
- Server Infrastructure (Virtual and Physical)
- Rack Layout and Design
- Power and Cooling
A comprehensive physical site survey will provide Store Operation Teams with documentation, pictures, and a diagram of each store or branch location. Ultimately, there are strategic reasons why a retail organization should plan for periodic site surveys, including:
Ensuring Compliance: Adhering to industry standards and regulations, such as PCI DSS for safeguarding payment card data, is crucial.
Risk Assessment and Management: Evaluating the IT infrastructure aids in identifying potential risks like system failures, data breaches, or cyber threats.
Enhancing Efficiency and Performance: Surveys often reveal inefficiencies in IT systems, like sluggish network speeds or outdated technology.
Cost Optimization: IT infrastructure surveys help identify unnecessary costs such as unused software licenses or redundant hardware.
Aligning Technology with Business Goals: Reviewing IT infrastructure ensures technology investments align with your company’s strategic objectives.
Improving Customer Experience: Providing a seamless and secure customer experience is paramount to every retailer. An IT infrastructure survey identifies areas where technology enhancements can boost customer satisfaction, such as optimizing online shopping platforms or enhancing in-store digital experiences.
If this topic is high on your list for 2024, then we encourage you to visit our website and explore our recommended practices and tips focused on enhancing your approach to hardware estate management.
Achieving Excellence in IT Asset Management
Retail Use Case:
