Now that spring has sprung, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and tackle those projects you’ve been putting off all winter long. While it may seem like a tedious task, it’s always good to devote some time to reorganise and freshen up your space.
However, your home shouldn’t be the only place where you’re cleaning out the cobwebs; your enterprise could also reap major benefits from a spring cleaning.
Here are a few tips to help you clean up and organise your enterprise:
Clean up enterprise data
It’s easy to live like a packrat during the cold winter months, but springtime calls for a fresh, clutter-free start.
> See also: Is your CRM data the elephant in the room?
Tip: Give your IT department a breath of fresh air by cleaning up enterprise data using an industrial-scale, automated approach to filter out irrelevant data. Information can’t accurately inform IT strategy decisions unless it is clean, consistent and is enriched with relevant context.
Without tidying up data, initiatives that are intended to improve business and reduce costs can end up doing the opposite.
Result: Enterprise IT data – when scrubbed into 'clean data' – can lead to new findings and insights, becoming the C-suite’s best tool for decision making.
Out with the old
From an overly cluttered, hazardous garage to a closet filled with storage items you haven’t looked at in years, everyone has a decluttering project that has been put on the backburner.
Tip: This spring, it’s time to throw away unwanted items that are just sitting around collecting dust. But who says you can’t give your IT department a little overhaul, too?
By taking inventory of software assets, enterprises can see the unused assets they have accumulated that have been slowing down operations, taking up space and sucking up money.
Result: It’s an easy fix – remove duplicative or outdated software and you’re guaranteed to maximise productivity while cutting costs.
Set up a system to stay organised
Now that you’ve cleaned up your enterprise, it’s time to lay the groundwork to keep it organised all year long.
Nearly every day new software products, version and editions are introduced into your IT infrastructure. But with the proper framework in place, you can categorize, identify and manage them effectively as they come in.
> See also: The top 8 trends for big data in 2016
It’s the difference between creating a well-organised pantry where everything has its place, and having to dig through heaps of random belongings to find that one crucial item you’re looking for.
Result: Shining up old IT assets is only half of the job; now that you know what’s in your IT department, you can keep dust bunnies from collecting in the corners by monitoring and updating your infrastructure throughout the entire year.
Sourced from Walker White, President, BDNA
