Computer Imaging for SMBs: How it Works, Benefits, & More

IT departments understand that employees expect their devices to work reliably and immediately. To prevent workflow interruptions and staff frustration, you want to give them machines with proper configurations and software already pre-installed.

Since companies work with hundreds of device endpoints, manually setting up every laptop, desktop workstation, and mobile device takes too much time. Many are looking for a more efficient way to set up machines with a clean slate, and computer imaging is the solution.

Imaging allows businesses of all sizes to initialize new computers quickly and reset used devices to a like-new state, saving on costs and streamlining IT management. In a world where operating systems and applications are leading contributors to surprisingly high IT deployment costs, imaging is a must-have for modern IT groups.

How Does Computer Imaging Work?

A computer image records and saves the exact state of a software system. An IT department might take an image of an operating system to use as a template when setting up new computers or to reset current devices back to a “clean” state.

In a corporate setting, a company maintains several OS images that match the configurations needed by various staff members. If new employees arrive and require new computers, IT teams can get a new machine started on the right foot through the master image. Imaging can also reset a PC to its initial working state if it suffers from significant software bugs or problems.

What Are the Types of Computer Imaging?

Two versions of computer imaging are available to IT teams: sector-based and file-based.

Sector-based images replicate the entire storage drive onto another identical storage device. They include everything from the installed software to the drivers and operating system. For this reason, sector-based imaging is better known as “cloning.”

While you do get an exact copy of the original drive, the primary issue with sector-based images is that you need another identical hardware model to transfer the image. Even smaller businesses would have to resort to dozens of reference machines to keep up with so many clones, straining time and resources.

File-based images instead allow you to pick and choose the necessary files to become part of the image instead of replicating the whole system. This way, you have complete control over whether to snapshot the operating system, individual software installations, or any drivers.

This level of control not only reduces the cost of storing all those images but also gives you flexibility when designing custom images that work with various device models.

What Are Some Features of Computer Imaging Applications?

Software that creates disk images often contains key features:

• Flexible partitioning: The software may change the size of the disk partitions to minimize disk usage. It can image drives with only a single partition or multiple if desired.
• Storage optimization: Some software packages come with compression algorithms to lower the file size of the image. Others also allow you to customize memory usage during the imaging process.
• Automatic drivers: An imaging application may also automatically detect drivers within an operating system image and save them independently in a repository for easy reference.

What Are Some Ways to Deliver System Images?

Creating system images is only part of the job. Deploying them for use across the organization with a variety of devices can go one of 3 ways.

• Offline image deployment applies an image to a machine without using the local network or the Internet. USB drives and optical media may be necessary to transfer the data. Offline deployment makes sense in areas with unreliable network connections or specialized use cases with high security needs, like government organizations.
• LAN deployments connect the machine to a local network to retrieve the appropriate image file. This approach is more scalable and can facilitate deploying hardware en masse while still maintaining excellent security standards.
• Cloud image deployments can distribute operating system files, applications, and driver packs through cloud storage solutions. While the most accessible and cost-effective, cloud deployments depend on the reliability of your cloud service provider.

What Are the Advantages to Using Computer Images?

Imaging is a vital component of PC lifecycle administration. Images enable a more versatile IT asset management workflow because they provide:

• Digitization: Images save your software states as digital files, so saving images is considerably cheaper than keeping around reference machines. Through imaging, an IT department can make better use of its hardware.
• Consistency: Companies can set up template images that meet organizational standards. Once these images deploy to all devices throughout the business, employees enjoy a more consistent experience across the board.
• Faster deployments: One image can deploy to multiple machines, so deploying many computers from scratch is much more efficient through imaging.
• Secure deployments: Even brand-new machines don’t come with the configurations your business might need. An image deployment process gets every computer started on the same page, including any necessary software updates, security updates, and configurations.
• Updates: When you configure your master image to the latest version of your operating system, you will receive continued support for longer. For example, having all the updates on the latest version of Windows ensures that Microsoft will continue to provide official support for your employees.
• Helpdesk support: Because all your machines come from the same image, you minimize variances among them. Technical support teams can then identify issues and roll out repeatable bug fixes more quickly.

How Does Imaging Fit into an Overall IT Asset Management Initiative?

IT asset management is an umbrella term for all the policies, procedures, and tools businesses use to manage their hardware and software. OS images play a significant role throughout this procedure.

Imagine you’re providing your employees with laptops to help them work. During mass deployment of those PCs, you would use imaging to set up each device to a workable state by pre-installing all the updates and software needed.

The needs of your employees will vary depending on where they are in the company. As an example, the accounting team will require different software packages and network privileges compared to the sales team. Create different master images for both groups to deploy new PCs tailored for specific use cases.

If an employee leaves the company, you can either wipe the data from the machine or use computer imaging to reset it to an initial workable state. This way, it becomes available for a new employee to start using.

How Do You Work with System Images?

IT managers are responsible for designing and setting up system images and deploying them whenever necessary.

Designing the Master Image

To design the master image, start by deciding what operating system configurations to use. Look at what your employees do with their devices and find the appropriate applications and updates to add to the image.

Multiple master images may be necessary to cover different use cases within the company. Take time to identify the programs and permissions each department and team may need and provide a tailored image for each. For instance, the IT department may keep an image containing the essentials, such as the core operating system installation, in addition to more specialized copies with basic office applications pre-installed.

Ensure you’re working with the latest version of the operating system before deployment to minimize the chance of compatibility errors. Remember that machines often have different specifications, such as drive capacity, processing power, and RAM. You may want to audit your master images regularly to check for potential issues too, especially as the operating system receives updates.

Working with Imaging Deployment Services

While creating images isn’t difficult, managing and deploying them properly takes plenty of time and an organized approach. These services help you handle multiple types of images and devices and scale your efforts across hundreds of endpoints. Other benefits of working with an imaging service include:

• Remote management of system images and pre-set configurations.
• Security features to prevent cybersecurity incidents.
• Assistance with deployments.

Companies looking to streamline this essential component of IT asset management will want to look for an imaging solution.

Take Advantage of Software Imaging with CNB Computers

Software images save the current state of a computer system into a digital file. IT administrators can then restore hardware devices back to that state whenever necessary, such as during new deployments or when refreshing older devices.

Are you looking for a service provider that can not only help you create images but also manage and deploy them efficiently? Contact CNB Computers and see how our IT asset management expertise can streamline your deployments.