Need Impartial Advice on finding the best asset management software
020 3963 5379 Need Impartial Advice on finding the best asset management software
020 3963 5379 IT Asset Management Software (ITAM) provides a holistic overview of your entire IT inventory. The right ITAM solution will supply the tools and features necessary to effectively manage the life cycle of all your IT assets. Including your digital assets, software, hardware and licenses. By implementing ITAM software, your IT managers are able to improve cost control as well as track the most valuable IT assets within the organisation.
As you begin to consider the deployment of IT Asset Management (ITAM) Software within your business, it’s important to understand which ITAM tool is best suited for your IT workflows. Whether that be managing software licenses, tracking IT hardware, or improving network security. In this complete and extensive guide to IT management software, we’ll cover:
In its simplest form, IT Asset Management (ITAM) is the process of creating an IT asset register for all of your hardware and software IT inventory. This is why IT management software is sometimes referred to as IT inventory management.
By tracking and collected data regarding your IT assets, you can build a complete database of your organisation’s entire IT asset inventory. IT assets can consist of:
On-premise software tools
Cloud-based software apps
Computers
Desktops
Monitors
Smartphones/Mobiles/Tablets
Telephones
Routers and servers
By monitoring all IT assets moving in and out of your organisation, you’re able to effectively manage the life cycle of each asset. The management of an IT asset’s life cycle starts at planning and goes through to purchase, deployment, maintaining, and eventually retirement. This detailed monitoring process allows you to make the right financial, tactical, and strategical decisions that are going to benefit the business. Businesses that focus on the life cycle management of their IT assets generally reduce their cost per asset by as much as 30% in the first year.
The understanding of an IT asset management software solution can be broken down into three different standpoints; data, technical, and terminology.
An IT Asset Management software tool will record all of your IT Inventory metadata. This is the core data that identifies and individualises each asset. Examples of metadata include:
Serial number
Software version
User name
Employee ID
Purchase date
Project allocation
Service allocation
Service Instance
Location
IT Management is the technical process of:
Discovering assets using an agent or agent-less discovery options
Mapping end-points and software applications to location and users
Monitoring and safeguarding your LAN/WAN environments
Managing entitlements
Securing your network against unidentified cyber intrusion
IT asset management software can relate to a number of different processes, such as:
Network Management
Systems Management
IT Security
Database Management
Application Management
IT Inventory management
IT asset management is a process that changes and evolves along with your IT needs. IT Asset Management Software helps you to define your ITAM process, standardise it, and then evolve it with your IT needs.
It’s important to note that your definitions of managing your organisation’s IT Inventory can change rapidly. They depend on:
The number of on-premise and cloud-based assets
Hardware (desktops, laptops, mobiles, servers) access to your employees
Projects and services that your business provides
Cyber risk of your company
Without the use of ITAM software, your IT asset management processes become overwhelming and, as a result, begin to suffer. For example, you may be using outdated methods such as pen-and-paper or spreadsheets to organise your IT assets. If you have more than 50 employees, then keeping an accurate record of your IT inventory using spreadsheets often leads to missed renewal and entitlement opportunities. Whereas an IT asset management software tool helps IT teams to quickly know the location, status, usage, and user of each of assets.
As well as replacing the need for spreadsheets, ITAM software can solve many other inventory-related problems in the workplace. Including:
Creating rules to manage IT Inventory that is personalised and configured to your IT needs
Providing clarity on location, status, usage, and users of all your IT Assets
Helping to safeguard your hardware and software inventory, reducing cyber risks
Reducing total cost of ownership of your IT Inventory
Tracking compliance adherence
Providing data for audit management scenarios
Software assets consist of computer programmes and operational information used in IT systems. Using an ITAM tool to manage software can be beneficial in a number of ways, such as:
Automated software updates that improve safety and make sure security standards are met
Allows you to have an accurate record of all software in one system
Correct and accurate licence management of all software
Integration with procurement systems to have the ability to order and request software products
Effective asset life cycle management that can lead to efficient forecast spending to dispose of or replace assets
Along with software, hardware is also an important asset in an IT setting. Hardware assets consist of machines, wiring and other physical components of a computer or electronic system.
Hardware can also fall under traditional asset management solutions that can monitor and track physical items.
However, using an effective tool to manage hardware assets can be beneficial in a number of ways:
Modern solutions enable you to track and monitor IT hardware
A management system can reduce the number of hardware assets being lost, stolen or misplaced
Lets you manage maintenance and effectively plan for replacements once an asset reaches the end of its life cycle
Offers accurate hardware license management to avoid under-licensing and over-licensing issues
Significantly improve the process of auditing and compliance
Effective asset life cycle management that can lead to efficient forecast spending to dispose of or replace assets
A modern IT Asset Management tool can often be managed on-the-go using a mobile or tablet device. This can be extremely efficient when monitoring physical assets across multiple sites or by different teams.
With an increase in the use of mobile phones and tablets in the workplace, asset management is an effective solution to managing these portable devices:
It can allow you to manage an entire inventory of devices in one centralised system
Asset management can deploy preconfigured WI-FI and email settings, where devices have the capability
You can create, assign and modify device policies
Enforce and manage security settings such as access, data security and passwords
View and manage apps installed across all devices
Cloud asset management is the management of cloud applications, platforms and infrastructure. As opposed to the management of physical or digital assets on a cloud-based system.
It’s predicted that over 80% of IT budgets will be committed to Cloud applications and solutions in the future, so this is now a fundamental group of any ITAM tool.
With this in mind, most asset management systems have standardised the feature of cloud asset management. This feature can offer a vast range of benefits for any business:
Effectively manage digital assets stored on cloud databases
Monitor the condition and uptake of cloud services and coverage
Instant and full access to subscriptions and usage data
Manage the current budget of cloud activity and forecast future spending
Allows for improved security and assurance of cloud assets
Implementing the best ITAM software into any organisation can offer a range of benefits when it comes to enhancing IT asset processes. The top five benefits of IT asset management software, include:
Very few IT teams have an accurate view of their IT Inventory on their Local Area Network (LAN). And, if you have offices in multiple locations, then you have multiple LAN’s. Which compounds this problem.
One way to identify your IT Assets, without the use of ITAM software, is to work with your procurement department and get an export of all assets that have purchased. However, one problem with this approach is that most vendors do not provide network-identifiable details within invoices. So, developing an IT Asset Register using data from procurement can be challenging. If you also have more than 50 IT assets to register, then using a spreadsheet-based method can become an issue.
When building an IT asset register, it’s important to note that metadata regarding your IT Inventory can change frequently. For example:
Software versions change after updates
Patch details change
Employees leave so their data needs to be stored for their replacement
New joiners need to get their IT Inventory on time
Software patches can change metadata
Hardware renewals
Instance Server Changes
But, that’s where IT asset management software can help. Asset discovery capability enables IT managers to continuously and accurately get an insight into their IT Inventory on their LAN network.
Listing an asset on your network is only one part of the equation. But, there are areas for improvement regarding the data you can collect about each asset. With ITAM software, you can build an asset register full of efficient data. This allows your IT teams to know:
Who is using your IT inventory?
When was an IT Asset bought?
What is the renewal date for software licenses?
Are the IT Assets related to a project or a service or a department?
IT Asset Management Software also provides a flexible yet personalised framework for your business. For example:
ITAM tools provide clarity on hardware and software apps by users, location, and department
ITAM software records license renewal dates by location, department, and criticality
It can help you to tag your hardware inventory with barcodes, QR Codes, or NFC’s so that you can keep track of costly hardware assets
The fundamental idea behind using IT asset management software instead of spreadsheets is that ITAM allows you to define and maintain dynamic relationships between your IT Assets, workflows, and employees. This can sometimes be referred to as CMDB (Configuration Management Database).
The word dynamic is important and very deep. It highlights the difference in how you deal with IT inventory for C-level employees, managers, and associates. In fact, you’ll need a different configuration for each of these types of employees.
For example, your support team may require two monitors but your sales team may only require one. Whereas your remote employees may require VPN or Cloud-based access to store data on your server.
Once you know the users and usage time of your software and hardware inventory, it is then easy to optimise the costs of your IT Ecosystem. For example, you can combine renewals of your software licenses and get volume-driven discounts from vendors.
You can also be proactive with your procurement activities, such as reviewing alternative products and services well before your current IT Assets come up for renewal. As well as reducing the number of software licenses you need, just by knowing your usage levels.
Altogether, if your IT asset management software is implemented correctly, you should be able to see a reduction of 10% to 30% of your IT costs.
Microsoft, SAP, Oracle, Adobe, and almost all medium-to-large software vendors routinely audit the license conditions of their software usage. By using network-based monitoring tools, software companies can identify how their licenses are being used. IT teams, therefore, need to know who is using their software licenses and how.
The right ITAM solution will allow you to review your software licences by usage and users, which makes IT teams aware of the compliance adherence with their contractual agreements.
Most ITAM solutions have similar software features, though some may be more complex than others. In general, to achieve complete efficiency from an ITAM system, the following features are highly sought-after.
IT asset discovery means to gather a complete inventory of all your IT assets. These can include company computers, printers, photocopiers, mobile devices, software applications, and more.
As IT infrastructures frequently change, asset discovery can still provide a regular up-to-date view of all assets.
So, as far as ITAM features go, this is one of the most crucial ones.
If a business has a range of software applications, this feature will help to store, track, and manage them all in one place.
For example, software management can show how many users there are for each software license. It can also highlight which version of an application has been installed on which employee device.
When licenses are due to expire, this feature will also help to renew or dispose of them easily without incurring penalties.
A CMBD allows a business to keep a complete repository of all Configuration Items (CIs) in an IT environment.
Through a CMBD, businesses can better understand the relationship between CIs and identify the impact that one CI might have on other CIs.
A CMBD is designed to support complex IT infrastructures.
When purchasing IT assets, having an effective order and contract management tool helps to manage the purchase order cycle. While sending notifications out to stakeholders to approve procurement.
Likewise, if a business has contracts with multiple vendors, it can keep everything together. Essential information such as terms and conditions, expiry dates, and renewal information are all stored in one accessible place.
Some software solutions also provide performance monitoring options to help track network, CPU, and memory usage for various workstations.
If a business has sister or parent websites, URL monitoring can alert them if they suddenly become unavailable.
There’s also hardware and software monitoring, which can produce alerts when illegal or unwanted software is installed.
These alerts can be used in similar scenarios too, like when an unknown flash drive, for example, is connected to a workstation.
In an ideal world, an IT help desk tool should go hand in hand with IT asset management.
By having as much information about hardware and software assets as possible, a technician has a better chance of quickly resolving end-user issues.
Remote access is another feature linked to help desk management. With this, a business can take control of IT devices remotely and resolve issues.
Integration with help desk tools also help to improve service quality and satisfaction across the organisation.
Predefined and custom reporting is another essential feature of an ITAM system.
Accurate reporting can help keep control of IT inventory, check how IT assets are performing, and understand where they are in their lifecycle. Additionally, this also helps with compliance and auditing processes too.
IT Asset Management (ITAM) and IT Service Management (ITSM) are both critical for organisation’s that rely on their IT processes. But, both solutions vary in purpose and objectives when it comes to maximising IT resources and achieving optimal IT-business alignment.
Identifying the best IT asset management software for your requirements is a complex and time-consuming process. But, by following our 9-point framework, you’ll have a better picture of what the best ITAM tool looks like for your business:
Sometimes, a spreadsheet is a better solution. This is especially true if you’re a team of fewer than 10 people with less than 75 IT Assets. In this case, a spreadsheet-based IT asset register can be practical and value-effective. But, for IT teams who manage more than 250 IT assets, ITAM software is the right option.
However, implementing the right tool is only part is a part of the solution. There are many other components to consider when wanting to achieve effective management of IT inventory. Such as:
Having clarity on what you mean by IT asset management
Setting targets you want to achieve with your ITAM solution
Managing your IT Inventory management processes and workflows
Correctly deploying a tool that can be used by your IT team and employees
It‘s common for IT managers and businesses to view an ITAM tool as the only solution to their IT problems. But, an IT tool only has the power to automate processes using the data you already have. Meaning, if your data is not optimised for your IT needs, then it will be just another tool that collects data.
So, ask yourself; do you need IT asset management software to automate your correct data and improve processes? Or, are you searching for good data and processes within an ITAM tool?
If the first question is relevant to you, then you’re ready to shortlist and compare IT asset management software. But, if you’re more aligned with the second question, then just choosing an ITAM tool is not the answer.
Most IT teams and IT managers that consider implementing a new ITAM tool are most likely carrying out their current IT processes using:
Spreadsheets
Basic IT Inventory discovery tools
Free alternatives to existing software
One main reason why organisations begin their search for an ITAM tool is to start the migration from using error-prone spreadsheets. In fact, 87% of the companies (analysed based on 641 leads on Comparesoft) looking for new ITAM software typically migrate from spreadsheets.
But, moving away from spreadsheets is not just a tool change. It requires a change in mindset and perspective too.
The way you record IT Inventory in a spreadsheet is very different from a contemporary IT tool. For example, you no longer have to export data from your network discovery tool or enter data in a spreadsheet. The best IT asset management software tools integrate with an agent or agent-less discovery tools and import the relevant metadata efficiently.
Version and access control on spreadsheets provide significant flexibility. But, when it comes to “standardised information entry” and looking for “one source of truth”, a spreadsheet-based approach can be very challenging.
Your decision to invest in IT asset management software is a decision to invest cash and time. But it should also be an opportunity to focus on improvements, such as:
Better IT inventory management
Building an accurate IT asset register
Having a secure IT Network
Having on-demand visibility of IT usage by users, amongst other qualitative parameters
Below, is a basic example of the targets you should set for your ITAM tool.
| IT Inventory | Quantity | Current IT Spend Per Year | New IT Spend With ITAM Per Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monitors | 500 | £100,000 | £90,000 |
| Desktops | 430 | £301,000 | £270,900 |
| Software Licenses | 350 | £126,000 | £100,800 |
| Servers | 90 | £13,500 | £12,150 |
| Total | 1370 | £540,500 | £473,850 |
You can create a single source of truth if you agree on the details and data you want to collect with your team. But, it is worth noting that your IT Inventory will not have consistent data as every manufacturer records data differently. So, most IT Teams end up relying on Serial Numbers for core identification.
Identifying the data you want to hold by IT Inventory type is a detailed exercise. This may require mapping the fields between your asset discovery tool and your ITAM tool. In some cases, agreeing on the information you want to collect may clarify the issues you are having with your existing ITAM tool.
If you are considering utilising help desk features then agreeing on the incident types, knowledge-base, incident routing, and escalation is highly recommended.
Be sure to carefully review and inspect data from your existing spreadsheet or systems. Quite often, when you are looking to implement IT asset management software, you need major workflow changes but minor changes to the way you capture and label your metadata.
As you are considering a new ITAM tool, you may also want to review the terminologies and labels you have been using within your IT team. Such as:
Inventory or stock
Disk space or storage
Cloud-based or web-based
On-premise or installed
Monitors or screens
Entitlements or allocations
It’s important to keep the terminologies simple so that everybody in the team, from a new starter to an experienced employee, can understand them. Standardised simple terminologies compound IT effectiveness. The time you spend here generally pays multiple dividends in the quality of your ITAM system and also savings during implementation.
Having effective IT asset management software increases the chances of a more secure and less fragile IT network, which reduces cyber risk.
The fundamental concept is that with ITAM software you will know how many IT Assets you have, their status, location, and users. Using this information, you can:
Identify your most valuable and vulnerable assets
Identify users who may require cybersecurity training
Always keep your network patched
Use data to identify patterns between users and usage, which will help you to ring-fence your IT Infrastructure
The IT asset management software tool that you have chosen should be one that’s been adopted in your industry. But, most importantly, it should include the features that are critical for your IT processes. This will ensure your organisation benefits from your chosen tool and sees the best ROI.
The industry fit is more important than most people think, as every industry is different. However, the degree of similarities between the two businesses in the same industry is high. I guess this is a fancy way of saying Audi and BMW are similar, yet different.
Choosing an ITAM tool that is widely adopted in your industry has two main benefits:
The product is already used in your industry so there is market validation that the terminologies of your industry can be easily used in the product.
Every business is different. But within the same industry, the degree of difference is not very high, so the configuration of your IT asset management software will be faster in a tool that is adopted by your industry.
Most tools have similar features and capabilities. It is very difficult to distinguish between tools based solely on features and capabilities without looking at a product demo. The key differentiating factor is the depth of the features. They can be found by knowing how/why a particular tool was built. There are ITAM tools that were built from the ground-up to manage software assets. Some tools were built for hardware inventory management. Some prioritised help desk. And some were built for agent-less or agent-based discovery. It is advantageous to prioritise your requirements first, and then choose a tool based on your priorities. You can use this tool to clarify and outline your requirements.
The big differentiating factor is the user interface and how easy it is to use, but this aspect is very subjective. Some people like a clean, modern and minimalist approach to user interfaces. Others prefer all information on one page with minimum clicks. Some prefer long interfaces and others prefer short A4-page-type interfaces. The only way to understand this attribute is to take a look at the product images and product videos. This also links back to the industry adoption point. Users in the same industry tend to have a similar user interface and product experience preferences.
When searching for the best IT asset management software product, it can be tempting to start with a free trial. In fact, we see a lot of buyers jump at free trials of ITAM products even before they are clear about their requirements. Free trials at the start of your consideration cycle should be used to gauge user experience and product experience.
After you have shortlisted the best ITAM tools, free trials should be carried using your data. This helps you to get a better perspective of the tool and minimises the risk of choosing the wrong one.
We also recommend that you ask your colleagues and users to take free trials of the product, too. So that you can gauge how well the system can be adopted throughout the organisation.
66% cost overrun, 33% schedule overrun, and 13% shortfall on benefits. These are the average stats for a typical IT implementation, as per a study administered by McKinsey and Oxford.
Most IT Asset Management tools deliver about 10-to-15% in cost and efficiency savings. If the average shortfall is 17%, then there’s a real risk that your chosen ITAM solution can actually do more harm than good.
The implementation and adoption of IT asset management software needs a clear road-map before you buy the tool. Your implementation and adoption roadmap should be clear. It should have buy-in from your peers and senior management, as well as your chosen software vendor. Lack of clarity and focus remains the number one reason for project failures. So, we highly recommend that you drive clarity on your implementation and adoption process.
Whilst a decision to buy a tool will be based on emotion, as it is largely based on the people who represent the vendors, we suggest scoring the logic used to make your decision and the competency of your product in a quantitative way. For example:
| 1st product | 2nd product | 3rd product | |
|---|---|---|---|
| User Interface | 8/10 | 7/10 | 9/10 |
| Product Experience With Your Data | 6/10 | 5/10 | 6/10 |
| Industry Fit | 20 customers | 27 customers | 16 customers |
| Discovery Capabilities | 7/10 | 5/10 | 6/10 |
| Total Cost | £100 per user | £120 per user | £180 per user |
In 2016, 50% of UK businesses experienced a form of a cyber attack. What most of us don’t know is that IT asset management software can actually play a critical role in enhancing security to protect against this. In this article, discover what measures ITAM software can take to keep your data secure.
Visibility, transparency, awareness, clarity, and forecasting. These are all the characteristics of an IT manager who successfully manages IT inventory with ITAM software. In this guide, discover the best practices to effectively track and manage your own business’s IT equipment.
ITAM and ITSM are two IT management disciplines that help to maximise IT resources and achieve optimal IT-business alignment. But, while their acronyms may only differ by two letters, they do have significant differences.
In this article, learn the various new ways of creating a network map based on your IT hardware with IT asset management software. In addition, we’ll discuss its importance in data governance and its usage by your employees.
An IT asset manager is responsible for a number of key things in the workplace including the strategic management of hardware and software. As well as the implementation of IT management software. Get to know why they are so crucial in an IT-centric organisation and how ITAM can help to improve efficiency and increase productivity.
Discover the best practices and skill for assigning your IT hardware and software to employees. Including understanding the basic principles of assigning assets, automating the asset assignment process, and Integrating between ITAM and HR systems.
Learn the key differences between spreadsheets and IT Asset Management software. As well as understanding why ITAM is the best option to manage your Inventory of IT Assets.
Understand the key differences between Proprietary and Open Source IT Management Software while covering areas such as support, deployment, costs, and daily usage.
Gain an insightful view, backed by commercial examples, on why ITAM and ITSM are vital for building the digital culture of your organisation.
What is IT Asset Management? By answering this you can begin to understand the many benefits of an effective ITAM solution for your business.
A technical view on what is a CMDB (Configuration Management Database) and the importance of CMDB for effective management of IT assets.
Deploying IT asset management software is essential to understanding the life cycle stages of your digital assets. But what other benefits can ITAM software provide when it comes to your asset’s life cycle?
It depends on what you mean by best ITAM Software. The term ‘best it asset management software’ is subjective and is defined by your own requirements. For instance, what might be the best ITAM software for one business may not be the right choice for your IT processes.
We recommend to define your IT Asset Management software requirements and then find the best tool that matches your requirements. Rather than finding the best ITAM tool based on other people’s reviews.
Typically, an ITAM tool stays in the business for 3 to 5 years so taking the time to define your requirements and buying a tool which is right for you generally pays more dividends than buying a tool based on what other people think.
ITAM software prices can vary and typically start from £0.23 per month per device (or $0.30 per month per device) to £900 per user per month.
There are some really good tools available at £75 to £100 per user per month. Use our search assistant to define your requirements and find the tools that match your budget.
The implementation and support costs vary based on the type of the product (On-Premise or Cloud-based), your requirements and configuration needs of the system.
The top three reasons for using IT asset management software are:
Know the location, status, user, and condition of your IT Assets
To optimise costs by tracking use of IT Assets
To be compliant and cyber-safe by effectively guarding enterprise IT Assets
Most businesses manage typical IT hardware assets such as computers, monitors, desktops, phones, routers, and switches. If you are a data centre, an MSP, or a deep-tech hardware company then specialist IT Asset Management software can be used to manage servers, routers, virtual environments, cloud databases, server instances, elastic load balancers and other technical hardware.
IT Asset Tracking is used to track the location of physical IT hardware such as desktops, workstations, monitors, and phones. Quite often barcode and RFID technology is used for IT Asset Tracking.
Whereas, ITAM is the management of both hardware and software assets. This includes the usage of software applications, license renewals of software contracts, IT inventory management, and employee onboarding.
Yes, spreadsheets can help significantly to manage your IT Assets if the information about your IT Assets is static or does not change often. Spreadsheets are also useful if there is just one person entering the information on it.
If the information about your IT Assets is dynamic. And if you have more than one person entering the data. Then the likelihood of errors and hence the mismanagement of your IT Assets due to spreadsheets is significantly higher.
An effective ITAM solution can monitor a variety of IT assets in the workplace, including business software. Software assets in an IT environment can include selected computer programmes and operational information used in IT systems.
Implementing an ITAM solution to monitor business software can be very advantageous for a company. Firstly, it can continuously check for automated software updates to improve the safety of data. An application can also store and keep the data and information of all IT assets in one centralised system, that can be accessed by anyone at any time.
Managing assets in the form of software are just one group that ITAM can be responsible for. Other asset groups include hardware, mobile and tablet devices, and cloud services.
Choosing whether or not to invest in cloud ITAM can generally come down to the size of the company. For example, if you have a business of more than 50 employees and an IT infrastructure spread across multiple sites and location, managing IT assets without a cloud-based application can be very ineffective.
Not only can data be easily accessed by employees across the workplace, but a cloud-based ITAM application can also offer the same data and information to employees in the field. This is possible with a mobile device, such as a tablet/mobile or laptop, and a network connection. It’s also predicted that over 80% of IT budgets will be committed to cloud applications and solutions in the future.
There are many benefits and various to consider between a cloud and on-premise solution, so it is key to fully understand which one best suits your business type. For example, If you’re part of a growing business that constantly increases data capacity, then a cloud solution would be best. This is because it offers more freedom and flexibility than a static on-premise system, which could also be an expensive upfront cost for increasing data capacity.
IT Inventory Management is quite often related to management of hardware assets. The term inventory is related with items that are held in a warehouse for sales or consumption. Also the term inventory is closely related to stock. Hence IT Inventory Management is the management of IT Hardware which is scheduled for sales or consumption.
For example; Management of Laptops, Desktops, PC’s, Monitors, Switches and Routers held in a company or used by employees of a company are examples of IT Inventory Management.
IT Inventory moving around or in and out of an office (or a warehouse) is also an example of IT Inventory management.
ITAM is related to management of hardware assets, software assets and the processes between IT and Employees. So, IT Inventory Management is a subset of IT Asset Management.
Understanding software usage by users, Onboarding and offboarding employees, managing license renewals, tagging IT Inventory are some of the examples of IT Asset Management.
From a database standpoint, IT Inventory Management mainly creates an IT Asset Register of hardware assets whereas ITAM creates an IT Asset Register of hardware assets, software assets and users.
Quite often an asset tracking software is used in place of IT Inventory Management software. Particularly if the requirements involve tagging and scanning IT Hardware.
IT Asset Discovery is identifying assets on a Local Area Network (LAN) or a Wide Area Network (WAN). IT or Network managers need to continuously know hardware and software assets that are connected to their network. The fundamental reason to know assets on a network is to maintain an accurate IT asset register. And to understand if each end-point (asset) on the network is compliant with the network conditions.
Interlinked with IT Asset Discovery is IT Network Monitoring, there are two ways to monitor a network – agent and agentless.
So in effect, IT Asset Discovery relates to knowing what assets a company has on its own network. There are specialist discovery tools which are designed to scan local and virtual networks to fully understand the scope of assets on a network.
IT Asset Management is a wider enterprise IT practises involving Asset Discovery, Network Security, IT Asset Register and Employee-IT Workflows.
Definitely, yes. Snipe IT is one of the most popular open-source tool available in the market. There are a few other tools too but Snipe IT seems to be the most widely used tool.
Whilst open source is definitely a good option, you may want to be aware that working with open-source software quite often requires more technical knowledge than working with a proprietary license software. The question of technical knowledge has two components:
The technical knowledge of the person who is going to use open-source IT management software
The technical knowledge of the team which is responsible for enterprise IT inventory. The support, customisations and configurations required to manage enterprise IT assets quite often require team level technical knowledge
Given that ITAM is heavily interlinked with employee productivity, employee onboarding, network security and IT cost optimisation. It is best to choose a license type that suits your team.
Open source IT asset management software can be one of the most cost-effective ways to move from spreadsheet-based IT asset tracking. Having said that, there are licensed and fully supported proprietary tools available from £16 per month.
A primary feature of modern ITAM software is to be able to track both your hardware and software IT (Information Technology) assets. Eventually leading to the accurate creation of a centralised IT asset register. In fact, there are a number of benefits to being able to track your most valuable IT assets, including:
Reduce the risk of loss and theft of costly IT equipment
To track the usage and efficiency of assets throughout the workplace
Reduce downtime of hardware through scheduled maintenance and services
Improve the accuracy of your IT inventory
Reduce downtime of software through patch and security updates
Reduce the risk of non-compliance and license expiration
An ITAM tool will not only monitor the physical form of your equipment, but it will also track the complete lifecycle of all IT assets; software, digital and hardware. This includes collecting data from planing for and acquiring an asset, to maintaining it, to eventually disposing of it.
The data received throughout this process, usually in the form of IoT devices such as Barcodes and RFID tags, will help towards the procurement and maintenance of future assets. In a bid to cut costs from your bottom line and ensure the reliability of your IT equipment. This data includes:
Total equipment usage
Maintenance and repairs
Current condition
Estimated total ROI
The use of barcodes, GPS trackers, RFID tags and Bluetooth receivers are great for tracking your physical IT hardware. But there are also other tools, alongside an ITAMS, that help to manage the usage of both software and digital assets, too.
Once you’ve shortlisted the right ITAM for your operations, now is the time to deploy it. But, keep in mind, deployment of software throughout the entire workplace can vary in length based on a number of factors.
Here are four factors that you should consider when thinking about deploying your new ITAM tool:
If you’ve chosen an ITAM tool that is a SaaS, cloud-based, or web-based model – like 78% of small businesses will have by 2020 – you’ll usually be able to access the tool as soon as the purchase has gone through. But, if you’ve opted for an on-premise solution, be aware that the setup and deployment will take much longer. On average, the time it takes to get all the infrastructure in place can take anywhere from six months to two years.
Once you’re able to log into your new system, you’ll want to migrate over all of your existing IT asset data. Depending on the amount of data stored between you and your team, this could be a lengthy process. Some vendors provide help with this to speed up the process. But, be aware that this could incur hidden fees.
In order for you and your team to achieve an efficient and smooth workflow, all systems need to be aligned. Whether that be programs such as email, calendars, file-hosting or data storage, you’ll need them all connected to your company’s new ITAMS.
Although you’ve purchased a tool that will eventually improve your IT asset management process, everyone who has access to the tool will need to be trained. Training could be offered by your vendor in forms of on-site training, webinars or online videos. If you’ve chosen a tool that is easy-to-use and has a familiar UI, then training may only take a few weeks.