With this post, we would like to show you a proven way that supports you with creating your own IT documentation. These instructions use the premium Docusnap documentation tool made by itelio GmbH.
Why should you spend money for software while it is very well possible to do cobble something together in Word or Excel, backed by a database? Of course, this might be an option. But do not forget that the documents you create that way must always be up-to-date. However, they will probably be obsolete the next day or even at the moment when you save them. For this reason, you should build a future-proof IT documentation right from the start.
I would like to advise you to use software that will really support you in this process. Only this way, you can be sure that the information is always up-to-date. I know, this will be a major project which requires a lot of work. But you will see that it is worth the effort. Documentation is no work for an intern that can be done “on the fly”. IT documentation requires input from specialists who know the exact configurations and interrelations.
To obtain the necessary data basis, use software that will automate this process. This ongoing job is quite big and cannot be performed manually. It will be up to the administrator to convert this data into usable information by relating the hardware and software items to each other. But these are basically one-off tasks that only need to be repeated if there are changes in the IT systems. Otherwise, a yearly update service will be sufficient in order to check if the information is up-to-date.
Ideally, only a single tool is required in order to create and maintain the entire IT documentation. You should no longer have to switch between different applications and tools. It is our objective to make sure that Docusnap meets all your requirements.
As soon as more than just a handful of devices are in use at your organisation, you will never again want to do without this software tool because it supports you in the automated acquisition of inventory data that provide the data basis for your IT documentation. These task are hardly manageable when carried out manually, given the vast quantity of data accumulated in the network. Right from the beginning, you should therefore keep in mind that IT documentation must be kept up-to-date at all times. Consequently, the update service is very important as it is a time-consuming task to keep your documentation up-to-date. Here, Docusnap can provide optimum support.
To proceed in a structured manner, perform the following 5 steps when creating your IT documentation:
Step 1 – Preparations
Step 2 – Install the software
Step 3 – Obtain the required data
Step 4 – Acquire the data
Step 5 – Present the data
Do not back off when you see how much work will be to do! Consider these five steps as your project schedule. Periodically repeat the steps “Obtain the required data”, “Acquire the data”, and “Present the data”, and thus refine your data inventory with each cycle. This will allow you to obtain a first result quite quickly.
