IT asset management
IT Asset Management is a generic term that applies to IT systems designed to manage the often bewildering numbers and diversity of software and hardware components that exist in a modern day organisation.
Many companies these days have made a significant investment in the business software and hardware that is essential to their day to day operations, effective management and long term growth. Like any other physical assets, the assets that comprise the IT infrastructure of the company need to be registered and administered centrally so that the company has an overall picture showing:
- what the company’s investment is
- where the IT assets are located
- who is using them
- what their value and depreciation schedule is
- what licences are in place for them
In order to maximize their return on investment many companies are now investing in specific IT asset management (ITAM) systems to track the cost, usage and upgrade paths for all software programs, hardware components, and other technology solutions in their organisation.
Among other benefits to the organisation, an IT asset management system can help realise the following:
- Central logging of all IT assets and discovery of all assets within the organisation
- Best response times to system issues due to a knowledge base of information on common faults and issues
- Standardisation of processes such as internal ordering, deployment, rollout, and acquisition of new IT infrastructure
- Identification of redundant software/hardware and associated costs
- More favourable terms with suppliers based on knowledge of existing IT infrastructure
- HR training and recruitment programmes based on internal IT trends within the organisation
- Financial reporting and accountability on the cost and depreciation of IT assets
- Compliance to government regulations and supplier licence limitations
So What Is An IT asset management System?
Simply put, an IT asset management System is central register or database that is put in place to allow the functions mentioned above to be implemented and managed effectively. The main components are described below.
- IT Asset Inventory
- Allows the organisation to register new components of the software and hardware infrastructure and to keep that information up to date
- Some systems also have the capability to audit the existing infrastructure and discover the current IT assets in place
- Configuration Management Database (CMDB)
- Tracks any changes introduced to IT infrastructure components and their interrelationships so that appropriate levels of authorisation are received before a change is implemented and that an audit log of changes is created for each component
- Problem Logging Tool
- Used to record problems identified by end users of the system so that they can be categorised, prioritised and resolved within agreed service levels
- Administration
- Allows system administrators to create and amend system information and delegate authority and responsibility to different types of contributors to the database
- Reporting
- Allows for multi-level reporting of the data stored within the database. This can be based on new records, changes, trends, service level targets and many other metrics
Which Business Functions Can Benefit From An IT asset management System?
- Help Desk
- Access to a fully functioning IT Asset Management system allows a help desk operative to quickly resolve common problems at the first point of contact. Only if the problem can’t be resolved does the problem need to be referred to a more specialized support person or team.
- Allows the company to implement best practice support methodologies such as ITIL
- Technical Support
- Allows the support analyst to quickly identify the version of software or hardware currently installed for a user, and to identify known faults with that version before digging deeper if required
- Software Deployment
- Allows for a standardised and repeatable software rollout program to be implemented, which can continuously evolve from lessons learned on previous implementations
- Also allows for version planning, where as versions of software/hardware become unsupported by suppliers they can be identified and plans made for their upgrade or replacement
- IT Project Planning
- Any IT project will have an impact on the IT Asset Management system as it will need to register changes to existing components and add new components to the database as appropriate. IT projects also frequently need to understand the existing IT landscape for an area of the organisation as part of the feasibility or requirements gathering phases, and this is where an IT Asset Management system can prove to be invaluable.
- IT Architecture
- Defining and implementing an IT Architecture is often compared to steering a super tanker. The impact on existing infrastructure needs to be carefully assessed, and hence access to up to date information on the existing IT infrastructure provided by the IT Asset Management system is vital.
- Procurement
- Allows for a centralised and standardised approach to the software and hardware acquisition process
- In some cases allows tracking of purchase orders and contracts with suppliers
- Supplier Management
- Having access to up to date information on the organisation’s current IT infrastructure enables the supplier management function to make informed decisions and negotiate the most favourable terms with incumbent or new suppliers
- Legal
- Allows the company to track licence usage within the company and identify areas where they may be approaching the limits of use or in breach of contract with the supplier.
- Also allows the company to monitor and ensure compliance with any applicable government regulations and guidelines, e.g. financial reporting
- Finance
- IT assets are often one of the major investments for an organisation. The Finance department needs visibility of all assets of the organisation and hence will require information from the IT asset management system in order to provide standard reporting and financial forecasts
- Human Resources (HR)
- Knowing the IT infrastructure for a department or area of the business allows the HR department to plan for appropriate training and recruitment
This has been a brief overview of IT Asset Management systems. For more information please see the other articles on www.adcotech.com.