If you have a limited IT resource, or want to cut down, here’s why you’ll love HP Touchpoint Manager

If you work in IT then it's easy to be sceptical about a service that promises to simplify your life. But hold on to your scepticism for a second, because HP Touchpoint manager is something different. Not only does it come from one of the world's most trusted IT brands, it's also been specifically designed to solve the problems afflicting a modern IT department.

Those problems can be broken down into three key areas: first, a proliferation of devices, often brought in by employees, that offer direct access to your business data but aren't under your control; second, the security nightmare that stems from such devices and cloud-based services; and managing the lifecycle of IT resources so that they're being exploited as efficiently as possible.

We'll tackle those problems one by one.

Managing diverse devices

Tablets, phones, laptops, desktop PCs: it really doesn't matter what your employees use. Likewise whether they're using iOS, Android or Windows. The whole point of HP Touchpoint Manager is that it will work with them all, with an agent-based wizard that enrols them onto the service.

It's a simple process that takes as little as five minutes to set up. From that point on, you'll have one easy location from which to manage all devices. It doesn't even matter where you are: HP Touchpoint Manager is cloud-based, so even if you're in a different location to an employee who needs help you'll have access to the full power of HP's service.

The simplicity extends to the interface too. The intuitive dashboard can be viewed on everything from a huge desktop display to a phone, with shortcuts available for key critical tasks. These lead your IT admins (or external consultants if you don't have in-house staff) through jobs step by step. There are even point-and-click security policies that can be applied if you wish.

Because it's so easy to use, and it brings everything under one roof, it will both save time and stop devices and users slipping through the net. No need to log into five different applications to perform everyday IT management: now there's one interface to rule them all.

Removing the security nightmare

If the worst happens, and a laptop, phone or tablet is stolen along with all the data contained within, you'll have proper, corporate-grade weapons to deal with the problem. First, you can lock the device if you so choose. Second, providing the device is connected to the internet, you can find it (and even fire off an alarm). Should you decide drastic steps are needed, you can also wipe the device clean.

Tracking your inventory

Large companies have long enjoyed the benefits of a proper inventory service. They know how long assets such as PCs, phones and laptops have been used for, they can even monitor the health of key components. So why shouldn't you?

As just one example, what happens now if someone leaves your company? Do you have smooth systems in place to redeploy their laptop, say? Can you know they can't access information behind your firewall since they're still using the same phone?

Pro or Basic?

There are two versions of Touchpoint Manager available: Pro and Basic. With the Basic licensing option covering almost all of the services we mention above find device, firewall policy, hard disk health, lock device, wipe device, remote alarm and more and the Pro option adding advanced features such as mobile app deployment, remote control and phone support.

If this sounds like a service that can save you time and hassle, click here for a 30-day free trial. You won't even need to enter your credit card details.

HP Touchpoint Manager is just one of the services HP provides to simply IT managers' lives. Download our free whitepaper here.