The Who, What, When, Where, and Why for Asset Management Training

[Community Alums]

I often get questions requesting more details about the ServiceNow Asset Management course. These questions range from:

• Is the course designed for Asset Managers or System Administrators? (The answer is YES)
• Who in our organization should take the course? (Anyone involved in Asset Management related activities)
• Does the course cover Configuration Management? (As it relates to Asset Management)
• What specifics are covered in the course? (Details below in the course outline)
• Do I need to take the System Administration course first? (No)
• Should I take the course before or after we begin implementing asset? (See When below)

So, in an effort to help you determine if the Asset Management course is right for you, I've put together my thoughts based on how I built the course and over a year of delivering the course in various formats (Instructor Led, Virtual Instructor Led, Onsite (private class)).

Who

The best Asset Management classes I have delivered had a variety of different roles: Hardware Asset Managers, Software Asset Managers, Financial Managers, Configuration Managers, System Admins. The various perspectives with regards to asset management and asset processes. While public classes provide allow customers to interact and share experiences, private courses allow for frank discussions about how to apply the topics discussed in the company environment with many, if not all, of the appropriate people in the room becoming familiar with the asset processes and technology.

If you can only send two people, make one an Asset Manager and the other a System Admin so both become familiar with the needs of a successful Asset Management program and how they can work together to make it work.

If only one person from your organization can attend, send an Asset Manager, but be sure this person is able to work with the System Administrator.

What

Here are some more details on what is covered in the course with labs listed at the end of each chapter:

Asset Management - Eureka

• Introduction
  • What is IT Asset Management (ITAM)
  • Goals of ITAM
  • IT Asset Management Readiness
  • ITAM Skill Sets
  • Asset Responsibilities
  • Implementation Best Practices
  • Lab: Prepare for Asset Management
• Trustworthy Data
  • Understand how to access and manage assets
  • Become familiar with the information in an asset record
  • Track consumable assets
  • Understand how Assets and Configuration Items relate
  • Create a basic hardware asset report
  • Lab: Manually Manage Hardware Assets
  • Lab: Manage Consumables
  • Lab: Asset and CI Relationships
  • Lab: Report on Hardware Assets
• Practical Management
  • Automate asset population
  • Use software counters to determine software compliance
  • Asset Retirement with the ServiceNow platform
  • Manage Contracts
  • Lab: Import Assets from a Spreadsheet
  • Lab: Vendor Software Compliance
  • Lab: Asset Retirement
  • Lab: Contract Management
• Operational Integration
  • Coordinate catalogs with Asset Management
  • Procure assets
  • Manage asset stock and stockrooms
  • Extend Asset and Configuration Management
  • Ensure Data Consistency and Accuracy
  • Lab: Request and Procurement
  • Lab: Automated Stock Management
  • Lab: Extend Asset and Configuration
  • Lab: Normalize Data
  • Lab: Certify Data
• Strategic Conformance
  • Allocate Software
  • Manage Contracts
  • Vendor Performance Management (optional)
  • Understand and calculate asset financials
  • Lab: Software Entitlement
  • Lab: Contract Financials
  • Lab: Vendor Performance Management (optional)
  • Lab: Depreciation and Fixed Assets
  • Lab: IT Cost Management

When

Which came first: the chicken or the egg? When to take the Asset Management course becomes a similar question:

• Is it better to take it before you begin, that way you know how the technology works as you implement? Or...
• Should you start going with the process to get a better sense of your asset management processes so you know how to apply the technology?

I certainly think it is good to form your own processes and identify how you want or need Asset Management to work in your environment, but then take the course before you start your asset management implementation in ServiceNow. Better, if you need assistance identifying your strengths and weaknesses with regards to asset processes, check out or Asset and Configuration Management Best Practice Workshops to get them in place before you take the course.

Still not sure? Take a slightly abbreviated version of the course at Knowledge Pre-Conference Training at a discounted price. The course is normally three days long, but we do our best to get as much in as possible. If Knowledge 14 was any indication, it is a good opportunity to interact with 200 others (don't worry - there are multiple classes) who are interested in Asset Management.

Where

If you can only send a couple people to class, take a look at the public training schedule (note: this shows all courses, so be sure to find Asset Management in the list). The course is offered in person and virtually, so you can decide which best meets your needs. If you want to have five or more people attend and you want to have more discussion specific to your organization, a better option is a private course. These are also offered in person and virtually.

Why

The Asset Management course is designed to not only familiarize you with ServiceNow as an Asset Management solution, but to familiarize you with common asset processes and how you can best leverage the platform to meet your needs. The course identifies areas where the System Administrator needs to perform particular tasks, but helps non-admins understand what is capable with the technology to support company asset processes. If all the appropriate people in your organization are trained, then you should get the best possible outcome from your asset investment.