Taming the Wild West: IT Procurement Best Practices for Remote and Distributed Teams

Noah Edis
Noah Edis
3 min read

Ever tried to round up a herd of runaway ponies? That’s what IT procurement can feel like in the age of remote and distributed teams. Laptops scattered across continents, software licenses multiplying like rabbits, and vendors who vanish faster than free pizza in the breakroom. It’s enough to make any IT pro reach for the strongest coffee (or something a little stronger!).

In the good ol’ days (remember those?), software and IT hardware procurement was a relatively straightforward affair. You knew where your assets were, who was using what, and how much everything cost. 

But now, with teams spread across the globe, things are a tad more…complicated. Let’s saddle up and explore some of the biggest challenges—and how to conquer them.

Visibility Is King: Knowing What You Have (And Where It Is)

Let’s say one of your department heads needs access to a company laptop, but you have no idea where the last batch went, who has them, or even how many are left. That’s essentially the start of a wild goose chase. This lack of visibility is a common pain point for IT teams managing remote and distributed workforces. Devices, software, and licenses are everywhere!The best solution is to use an IT asset management (ITAM) system. Think of it as your trusty steed in this Wild West of IT. A good ITAM platform integration gives you a clear picture of all your IT assets, their location, and who’s using them. This not only helps with tracking but also with security, compliance, and even cost optimization.

Software Licenses: The Budget Black Hole

Software licenses are like that mysterious expense on your credit card statement—you know you bought something, but you can’t quite remember what. And they can quickly drain your budget if you’re not careful. Overspending, compliance risks, and the struggle to manage renewals across a distributed workforce are all too real.

Centralizing your license management will help you avoid the void of mistracked software. Your IT procurement approach should establish a single source of truth for all your licenses and clear policies for usage and renewal. 

Vendor Relationships Aren’t Just Transactional

We can all agree on one thing: no company is perfect. That’s also the case for the vendors that you source. It’s a headache to negotiate the best deals, manage all your contracts with them, and keep employees happy with the vendor’s product and their support system. Adding up to this is that software and subscriptions belong to Forbes’ list of major culprits for company overspending. 

The key is to build strong vendor relationships with clear communication, well-defined service level agreements (SLAs), and a willingness to collaborate. Remember that a good vendor can save you a lot of trouble in the long run.

Seem like a lot? Dots’ multi-vendor platform gets you the best price without the hassle. We’ll keep the communication clear and the spending in check.

The Total Cost of Ownership: Think Beyond the Price Tag

We all love a good bargain. But when it comes to IT procurement, focusing only on the upfront cost can be a costly mistake. Remember that old printer you bought because it was cheap? The one that guzzles ink like a thirsty cowboy? Factor in things like maintenance, support, and eventual replacement to get a true picture of the total cost of ownership (TCO).

Develop a procurement strategy that considers the entire lifecycle of your IT assets. This will help you make informed decisions and avoid budget-busting surprises down the road.

Data Security and Compliance: Don’t Let Your Guard Down

With remote work, data security is non-negotiable. With employees accessing company data from various locations and devices, the risk of breaches and compliance issues skyrocket.

Make data security and compliance a top priority in your remote IT procurement process. Choose tools and vendors that meet your security standards and help you stay compliant with relevant regulations. After all, you don’t want to end up like a town without a sheriff!

Automation Is Your Friend

Manual procurement processes are slow, inefficient, and prone to human error. Embrace automation to speed things up, reduce mistakes, and allow your team to focus on higher-value strategic tasks.

Automated workflows, approvals, and reporting can save you time and money while also improving accuracy and compliance. It’ll essentially make your procurement process faster and more reliable.

However, the list of pitfalls to avoid and IT procurement best practices is still long. You have to deal with entire product lifecycles, your organization’s evolving demands, stakeholder inputs, employee training, risk management, and continuous improvement. Above all else, you have to start with the right approach to IT asset management (ITAM). 

With robust ITAM, you have a single platform to access all assets, software licenses (soon), vendor relationships, and process automation. Dots provides IT procurement services and an ITAM platform so you can do it worry-free and gain better control of your arsenal. 

Ready to reduce costs and improve efficiency? Book a demo with Dots today. 

Noah Edis
Noah Edis
Noah Edis is a technical content specialist and systems engineer with a wealth of experience in modern software. When he's not working, you can find him playing competitive dodgeball or programming.

Connecting the dots

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