Best Practices
We recommend ITAM solutions to organizations that care about Best Practices and want to create an IT environment where there are metrics and controls in place.

For example, if you want to know the real numbers of hardware and software you have running, an ITAM system will provide accuracy. Because of sophisticated auto discovery tools, you won’t have to leave these calculations to the limitations of a homegrown spreadsheet or human error.

Another reason to consider ITAM is for security purposes. For example, virus-scanning software works in a reactive manner, when viruses have been discovered in an environment. With an IT Asset Management program, you can determine which systems do not have current anti-virus software, then initiate a system-wide fix in a matter of minutes.

It wouldn’t be unlikely for an organization to think they’re covered with a homegrown IT Asset Management application. Sometimes companies dedicate their own IT staff to developing spreadsheets to track and maintain IT assets. Industry experience tells us that while a homegrown application may be a common first step in moving toward a true IT Asset Management program, it lacks the discipline of an authentic ITAM application, lacks integration between other important organizational departments, and often includes human error as an obstacle to its success.

Perhaps one of the most important reasons for an IT Asset Management program revolves around quality customer service. Every organization wants its internal customers just as happy as its external customers. When employee users call the helpdesk or desk side support departments and the support staff does not have basic data about the employee’s PC configuration, quality customer service is immediately impaired. The help desk resolution is sluggish, ultimately impacting the employee’s responsiveness to the external customer.

Financial
An IT Asset Management program carries with it numerous financial savings for an organization. One important financial aspect concerns software license reuse. Most companies without an IT Asset Management plan spend more dollars on software licenses, mainly because they’re not sure how many licenses are in use, where the licenses are being used, or have not effectively reclaimed licenses at the end of the useful life of the PC.

Additionally, companies with a handle on the numbers of hardware and software pieces in use will benefit financially from bulk purchases. When a company has an IT Asset Management program, they always know how much equipment to buy, never too much, never too little. It helps organizational buyers negotiate best prices every time they order.

If your company participates in a lease management program instead of buying their equipment outright, you will also benefit from an IT Asset Management program. Leasing companies count on you to be unable to locate equipment at the end of the lease and charge extra at the lease end if you are unable to return the equipment. With an IT Asset Management program, you’ll always be proactive and know where your equipment is before the lease expires.

Time is money in the business world and when your help desk and desk side support employees have to spend their valuable time determining their users’ location and configuration, it’s cutting into their work order change or repair time. Companies with cost accounting budget systems and those who place high value on professional services time, understand that an IT Asset Management program eliminates unnecessary waste.

Organizations of all sizes also understand that charge backs add to overall company profitability. When organizations and their buyers are able to assign the cost of goods and services back to an individual department, they are able to create a strong sense of responsibility to the bottom line by every department manager. With an IT Asset Management program, it’s easy for IT support organizations to charge individual departments for the items purchased on their behalf.

Once a department has exhausted the use of any IT Asset, many companies have plans for cascading the used equipment to other users within the company or to dispose of it to an outside organization. When you have an IT Asset Management program, you always know what’s slated to be reused or removed, and you can make the moves when there’s still useful life in the asset. In many cases you can realize a tax benefit when you purchase software under certain conditions or donate an item to charity. Understanding where your assets are, when they were purchased, and when they are ready to retire is one growing use for an IT Asset Management initiative.

Legal
Many industries today must adhere to customer privacy regulations as part of their everyday business. With so much private information about customers being stored in databases within companies, when the organizations retire their assets, they want to be certain hardware has been cleansed and certified prior to disposal. When you have an IT Asset Management program, you always know what machines store customer information, and will then know how to cleanse the component parts prior to disposal.

Software often carries a specific set of site license requirements concerning numbers of users and methods of use. When you have an IT Asst Management program you can, within minutes, produce important reports regarding your licenses. You’ll have peace of mind knowing you can always avoid litigation against misuse or overuse of software licenses.