December 09, 2008, 11:29 AM — IT Asset Management ("ITAM") is an important business discipline that provides insight into a company’s information infrastructure and enhances the ability to control the performance of IT assets.
With ITAM, organizations leverage a combination of processes and technologies to gain a greater understanding of what assets exist, where these assets are located, and how they are being used. With these capabilities, ITAM enables organizations to more effectively manage IT assets throughout their lifecycle and simplify related maintenance and administrative tasks.
Through better management of IT assets, companies can ensure that each and every piece of hardware and software is fully utilized. As a result, they can:
- Enhance infrastructure performance
- Improve service levels to IT users
- Minimize related costs
- Eliminate regulatory and compliance risks
“ITAM is a proven mean to manage costs and improve the quality of services provisioned by IT, not to mention better risk management by avoiding potential software fines. In fact, the vast majority of organizations see true ROI within a year's time and then on-going savings from there.†- Pepperweed Consulting
Building the Business Case for IT Asset Management
It is no secret that the key to the success of any corporate ITAM project is support from the upper ranks within the organization. Yet, according to the International Association of IT Asset Managers, a large percentage of initiatives fail to obtain the needed sponsorship. Why? Because today’s cost-conscious executives are looking for tangible and measurable benefits in order to justify a purchase.
To convince senior management of the value that ITAM can deliver, project leaders must provide hard numbers, proving that the dollar savings from an ITAM solution will be significant. In other words, anticipated return on investment (ROI) must be clearly and definitively quantified.
This white paper outlines the steps needed to create a compelling business case for an ITAM solution. It will discuss the various costs involved with an ITAM implementation project, and highlight the key areas where ITAM solutions can deliver the greatest impact to bottom line results. Finally, it will highlight ways to present this data to corporate executives and win their support (and funding) for an enterprise-wide ITAM project.
Continue reading - The need for IT Asset Management
