Author: Scott Lemm
Asset Management has been around long before the Microsoft's, IBM's, and Adobe's made their name in the software compliance arena. Practically speaking there have been several "Era's" to IT Asset Management. We've experienced the mainframe days referenced humorously as the Dinosaur Era (and not all dinosaurs are extinct). More recently we have had the Software Predator Era of software compliance audits as primary vendor revenue.
At it's core IT Asset Management is a Business Issue concerned with the management of financial, contractual, and usage related data concerning technology components. For over a decade many organizations have been focused solely on inventory management and software compliance as the primary function of IT Asset Management. Cost avoidance was the modus operandi while ITAM activities rarely contributed to an organizations bottom line. Thus IT Asset teams were often more expense than an investment. Asset Managers rarely concerned themselves with value generating concepts as they were bogged down with validating bad data (more on that in a future post) and compliance audits.
Fortunately for most, this "Traditional" Asset Management died approximately 4 years ago at the start of the global economic recession. Gone were the days of just counting widgets and worrying about software compliance. Those traditional IT Asset teams perceived as an expense were also viewed as expendable. Today Asset Managers have to show value in the ITAM processes.
It is estimated that 70% of the Total Cost of an asset occurs AFTER the purchase. From support, to utilities, and contractual maintenance many elements of cost are not fully realized at the time of purchase. Visibility into these costs as well as the ability to manage said costs is the purview of IT Service Management and IT Financial Management. Where these 3 disciplines merge is the New Normal.
The New Normal has been defined as the optimization of Information Technology in a manner that identifies the right components at the right time in support of the right services provided by and/or for the business. Effective demand and capacity management are critical elements of a mature Technology Management capability. While traditional asset activities of inventory management and software compliance live on. They are enhanced with greater value as they relate to Services of the Business and the optimization of their use.
