The Importance of Device Lifecycle Management Solutions
There’s more to managing IoT technology than device deployment. Learn how good device lifecycle management practices lead to successful tech initiatives in healthcare.
The Internet of Things (IoT) market has taken off in recent years. With more than 25 billion connected devices in use, the industry is expected to reach revenues of approximately $1.1 trillion by 2025.
This rapid market expansion presents a significant growth opportunity for IT service providers, particularly those in healthcare who are now adopting more solutions than ever before. As hospital networks grow larger and more complex, they require greater security measures and proactive management to ensure that all IoT medical devices continue to provide reliable service for employees and customers. That’s why device lifecycle management (DLM) is essential for successful implementation and patient experience.
What Is Device Lifecycle Management?
Device lifecycle management refers to the tasks involved in monitoring, managing, and maintaining wireless devices within a given environment. In many companies, these tasks are the responsibility of IT managers, whose role it is to ensure that all company devices are functioning properly and not hogging network bandwidth or causing performance slowdowns.
Because of the accessibility and efficiency they offer, mobile and wireless devices are essential to the modern workplace, especially for enterprises. Having robust DLM processes in place — and ensuring these processes receive adequate resources and support — is key for any company seeking to provide customers and employees with efficient and adaptable mobile technology.
What Does Device Lifecycle Management Entail?
Standard DLM practices include four primary responsibilities:
1. Provisioning and Authentication
Provisioning refers to the process of registering a device within a system and ensuring that it has adequate resources, while authentication is a step within the provisioning process that gives network access to verified and properly credentialed devices. Every IoT device should be authorized by an IT manager before it’s allowed to join the network. This helps clamp down on the use of unauthorized or insecure software, as well as the use of devices or networks for operations beyond their intended purpose.
2. Configuration and Control
After a device or set of devices has been rolled out, it may require fine-tuning or adjustments to optimize efficiency. For IoT devices, this could mean adjusting the frequency at which devices take readings to add to a larger data set or taking steps to increase devices’ battery life. The ability to configure devices post-deployment is a vital part of making sure that each device functions well and is protected from security issues. Further, the ability to reset a device to its factory defaults when decommissioning it builds another layer of security into the DLM process.
3. Monitoring and Management
Once devices have been deployed and configured, they should be monitored for technical issues and anomalous behavior. However, addressing technical issues first requires an established baseline of optimum performance metrics. With IoT devices, tracking analytics like CPU usage is key to identifying when a device might be in need of attention. Using device management software to capture, analyze, and archive log files can streamline the monitoring process.
4. Software Updates
If erroneous device behavior is in fact a sign of a bug or flaw, IT managers need to be able to address the issue. Gaining physical access to each IoT device might be impractical — if not impossible — so the ability to push updates and patches remotely is important to the longevity of IoT initiatives.
How DLM Improves Healthcare Outcomes and Patient Satisfaction
Deploying devices as part of tech rollouts is a substantial undertaking, but it’s only half the battle. DLM practices provide their own important advantages to companies.
In monitoring the health of mobile devices from a centralized platform — and thereby ensuring that they’re operating properly and adequately supported — DLM solutions prevent devices from slipping through the cracks. And when all devices are operating efficiently and effectively, employees are able to shift their focus from the functionality of their devices toward value-driving better healthcare outcomes. This goes a long way toward ensuring successful patient experiences.
Epiphany is a leader in the device lifecycle management space in healthcare. We are proud to be a HIPAA-compliant remote support partner that offers 24/7/365 services in device logistics, user training, and call support. From rollout and provisioning to device management and optimization, we provide a comprehensive range of support services to help make all your healthcare device plans a reality. Contact us today to learn more.
