One of our favorite things to hear from clients are the unexpected ways they apply Softdocs document management and process automation functionality within their organizations. Many clients initially implement the Softdocs platform in those core student service and business areas, such as Admissions, Financial Aid or Human Resources. But once they see the integration possibilities and the system capabilities at work, their creativity gets going … “In what other processes could we solve an ongoing data access or visibility problem with Softdocs?”
Recently, our friends at Pepperdine University sat down to tell us about their creative solution for using Softdocs in their computer asset management process. As one of his many responsibilities within the Information Technology group at Pepperdine, Reyn Oyadomori, Sr. Manager, Client Services, oversees desktop and application support at the university. Of course, to support and protect the campus’ computer assets, it’s important to know where those assets are at all times.
“Computers walk off in many directions, and when you’re looking at up to 4,000 of them, there are a lot of different directions they can go,” said Oyadomori. “Desktop computers don’t move, but others are harder to track. It’s our job to help departments manage their computers more effectively and make it a more centralized effort.”
As every institution knows, spreadsheets only do so much and require ongoing manual updates. But what if you could create a single database where IT can pull reports for any campus department or area of the university and know exactly how many computers are assigned and to whom?
The Simple Power of PeopleSoft & Softdocs Integration
Having integrated Softdocs with PeopleSoft across many Pepperdine campus departments, Oyadomori saw a perfect solution to the computer asset management conundrum right in front of him. “Using a simple eForm, you could select a specific employee, and it populates the form with PeopleSoft data to associate the department information with that employee,” said Oyadomori. “Once the form is completed, the information goes to our computer asset management system, updates the data there so the assigned computer asset is tagged accordingly.”
With this simple step, Pepperdine’s IT team can now query its asset management system using the department ID and know right away the number of devices, their usage type, and more. “You can go up and down the ladder depending on how granular you want to get,” said Oyadomori. “And this is because Softdocs was able to combine that PeopleSoft data with our computer asset management database.”
One Integration. Multiple Benefits.
By bringing computer asset information into one view, many of the university’s IT operations have become more efficient. For example, when devices need replacement or upgrading, staff can run a quick report for budget managers so they know how many devices will need to be purchased. When devices go missing, IT can take quicker action. Aggregated data insights help identify areas where the university can streamline and improve department device management.
The new process also allows Pepperdine to take a more systematic approach when it comes to managing computer software updates. For instance, knowing all the classroom computer locations lets them more easily set automatic update schedules outside of class time. That includes accommodating the university’s several international campuses.
And while it’s easy to see how this Softdocs-enabled process has made life easier for the IT team, it’s just as helpful for individual departments that need to keep tabs on their own computer assets. The IT team can generate reports and notifications however each department chooses or needs. “Because our asset management system can email reports on an automated basis, we can give departments exactly what they need to know. And we’re not having to generate them manually,” said Oyadomori. “And even if we had to pull the reports to send, we could. It’s not that burdensome now.”