IT Asset Management (ITAM) is the underpinning, yet the mostly misunderstood 'building block' of the ICT world. No service or solution can exist without the foundational ICT hardware and software. As such ITAM is the good practice framework for the all-round management of our IT Assets.
This is according to William Robertson, founder and principal consultant at ITAM company Blue Habits, who explains there are a growing number of organisations who see the value of implementing a formal ITAM programme.
These organisations, he adds, have realised the benefits in the form of real cash savings on insurance policies, software rationalisation and support and maintenance costs, as well as cost avoidance benefits.
"The benefits are gained through the appropriate redeployment of hardware, the elimination of redundant hardware and software purchases and compliance to software licensing.
"All assets of a company require adequate management, from desktops and peripherals to mobile devices, networking and server equipment, enterprise and commercial off-the-shelf applications as well as bespoke developed solutions," he explains.
Dr Peter Tobin, consultant for IACT-Africa and CEO of technology solutions company PTC, says where IT assets are not appropriately managed, organisations are likely to expose themselves to additional preventable risks of loss of personal information. This, he continues, should be expected to result in action by the information regulator as well as other stakeholders.
"Asset managers will need to understand the requirements of the POPI Act and develop their own knowledge and skills as well as those of their organisations. ITAM should be clearly seen as part of the whole personal information ecosystem and part of the information lifecycle", he adds.
In almost any organisation, hardware and software expenditure consumes in excess of 50% of the ICT budget, Robertson points out, and this number can grow exponentially in the presence of any shadow IT activities.
"This hardware and software expenditure represents a sizeable chunk that is being invested in the future value of the organisation, yet without the proper supervision, the potential value of this investment can be heavily eroded and end up on the scrap heap," he warns.
Tobin notes organisations still face challenges in balancing security risks and the value of managing assets.
"There needs to be the right level of funding to protect IT assets by using appropriate tools, techniques and technologies, while recognising that there is limited budget to achieve the required level of protection," he asserts.
Hardware management
The starting point for any successful hardware management program is to know with absolute certainty what assets you have as an organisation, and where they are, advises Robertson.
"Through the combination of people, processes and technology, each organisation must find the most practical and cost-appropriate solution that provides this assurance, as without it, the battle will never be won.
"Once we know this, we then focus on tracking the cost of these assets as they move throughout our organisation. This is done firstly to ensure that the intended cost and value is indeed achieved, and secondly to give feedback of any deviation from these measures to the acquisition team so that they may make the necessary adjustments to future purchases," he explains.
Software management
The three biggest mistakes companies make in an effort to manage their software is unknowingly over-purchasing software licences, inadvertently being out of compliance and not negotiating their software license agreements, says Robertson.
"Over-purchase of software licences happens when there is no usage monitoring, no harvesting of software licences from disposed hardware assets and no centralised process for ICT software acquisition.
"Inadvertently being out of compliance means an organisation has either not kept the necessary documentation to prove compliance or its end-users install software and accept onerous licence agreements on behalf of the company," he continues.
In ensuring best software management practices, Robertson advises the software manager must establish an impenetrable "wall of due diligence", to painlessly demonstrate an organisation's compliance with software licensing.
"Once compliance is established, the software manager must set about normalising the software landscape to leverage economies of scale and then establishing the requisite policies and procedures to address matters of software harvesting and re-use from disposed hardware assets," he concludes.
Share