COBUS Systems has improved its IT asset data accuracy by integrating Lansweeper and Timly
Goals:
- Eliminate error-prone Excel spreadsheets for managing IT asset inventories
- Improve response times to addressing vulnerabilities and non-compliance issues
- Boost efficiency and ensure business continuity for COBUS internal and external clients
Results:
- Reduced operational overhead by eliminating manual, error-prone Excel spreadsheets
- Streamlined workflows and processes while enhancing IT inventory accuracy
- Automated IT asset discovery, gaining access to detailed asset data within Timly
- Simplified network resource management while enhancing security and compliance
“If detecting rogue devices, vulnerabilities and non-compliance issues before they become a problem can help you manage risk, you first have to eliminate the blind spots. The Lansweeper + Timly integration is the first step to delivering these outcomes.”
Based in Germany, The COBUS Group is a collection of companies specializing in different business services and IT solutions. COBUS Industries is known for manufacturing airport buses and other transportation vehicles, and COBUS ConCept offers ERP solutions, IT consulting, and software development services tailored to various industries including construction, real estate, and manufacturing.
Another integral part of the COBUS Group, COBUS Systems, specializes in the development and provision of IT and software solutions. They offer a range of software products and services designed to optimize business processes across various industries, such as custom software development, ERP implementation, and other scalable solutions that address specific business needs.
“We contribute to the overall technological and digital capabilities offered to COBUS clients, ensuring they receive comprehensive and effective IT support and solutions”
COBUS Systems had been using Excel spreadsheets to keep track of its internal and external clients’ corporate assets – IT equipment, furniture, tools, and machinery. However, due to the sheer number of assets, this process was inevitably becoming error-prone and susceptible to human bottlenecks. When they learned about the integration between Lansweeper and Zürich-based asset tracking software provider Timly, they knew they had found the perfect solution.
Timly + Lansweeper: Better Together
Timly helps businesses centralize and automate the tracking and management of all their assets, including IT equipment, furniture, tools, and machinery. This capability that’s especially critical in hybrid workplaces, where assets are distributed across multiple locations. Using Timly, organizations can have a comprehensive 360° view of all their valuable assets, enabling them to improve asset utilization, comply with regulations, and optimize the lifecycle management of their assets.
Late in 2023, Timly partnered with Lansweeper, the market’s leading IT asset discovery and inventory platform. Through a seamless integration, customers can combine Lansweeper’s detailed IT infrastructure data with Timly’s asset management features, such as stock control, maintenance scheduling, and usage trackingn. The integration provides a unified platform where IT and other physical and digital assets are tracked and managed, from procurement to disposal.
Here’s how the integration works: Lansweeper automatically scans the network, identifying and cataloging all network-connected technology assets – IT, OT and IoT. With a single click, this comprehensive asset data flows seamlessly into Timly, enriching the inventory with detailed metadata. This eliminates the duplicate work of maintaining asset tracking data separately and manually. What’s more, it prevents errors and inconsistencies, saves time, and reduces overhead, allowing staff to focus on more strategic tasks.
A Game Changer for Cobus
This synergy between Lansweeper and Timly not only improves operational efficiencies, it helps to ensure compliance, enhance security, and optimize asset utilization. For COBUS Systems, implementing the integration was a game-changer, since they had traditionally relied on Excel spreadsheets to keep track of all their IT assets – a process that was error-prone and tedious, resulting in out-of-date, inaccurate inventory data.
“We frequently encountered issues such as inaccurately recorded data, like the wrong serial numbers or software versions installed on devices,” Werner said. “To tackle these challenges, we implemented Lansweeper both for our customers and internally, which allowed us to categorize and record their entire inventory systematically.”
By integrating Lansweeper with Timly, COBUS now has a centralized repository for all asset data, from IT assets to physical assets like furniture, tools and machinery. The two platforms automatically synchronize, ensuring the IT asset data remains current and consistent, which saves significant time and resources for the team.
“Everything Is Seamless”
With rapid access to up to date and accurate data from Lansweeper within Timly, Werner and his team can act quickly if there’s an issue that requires attention. They can detect immediately if a device is no longer in use, and ensure that their IT asset inventory is always up to date, whether a device breaks down, an employee leaves the company, or any other change occurs.
“The previous process involved updating Excel spreadsheets by emailing employees and asking if they still had the devices we showed were assigned to them,” Werner said. “Then someone would have to do the tedious job of reconciling all of the data. As soon as an employee was unreachable, the data would become inconsistent or inaccurate. With Lansweeper and Timly, all of that can be avoided.”
The Lansweeper + Timly integration also helps Werner’s team optimize resource allocation and costs. With full visibility across the IT estate, they can ensure the right people have the right types of devices to be productive and successful. Using Lansweeper’s vulnerability reports, they can also ensure those devices are protected and secured with the latest patches and software updates.
“Through the integration, we have a reference from the asset within Timly that links out to Lansweeper, where we can find additional information about the asset, when needed,” Werner said. For example, they can check the current memory available on a device to troubleshoot why the user is experiencing slow performance. “We can simply look in Timly, locate a free memory slot, and execute the upgrade.”
Accurate Data Is the Baseline
Werner sees the role of IT asset management and networking management evolving. AI, he predicts, will help to solve many of the long-standing challenges – and the baseline for the value that AI can deliver is data. “If data is poor to start with, the results will be poor, as well,” he said. “Lansweeper is the single source of record to feed the tools and processes that allow
teams to act with confidence.”
Werner said the Lansweeper + Timly integration is ideal for solving IT estate visibility challenges and improving efficiency. “If detecting rogue devices, vulnerabilities and non-compliance issues before they become a problem can help you manage risk, you first have to eliminate the blind spots,” he said. “The Lansweeper + Timly integration is the first step to delivering these outcomes.”
Learn more about the integration and get started today.