Back to Basics?

I’ve heard this expression used several times recently. In many cases the context was a need to drive down the costs of IT, and in particular the cost of operating and maintaining networked PCs. Another context heard recently was that of information security; in this instance the ‘back to basics’ referred to a need to discover and inventory an organization’s assets to create a foundation on which to base an information security project.  It appears that fresh scrutiny of costs, driven by the current economic climate, is revealing just how often there are holes in the basic asset management information and tools. Whether it was simply overlooked in the first place, or has been allowed to fall into disrepair, now is the time to ensure you know what assets your organization has, and to seek out opportunities to reduce the cost of ownership.