Importance ITIL In Technology, IT Asset Management (ITAM) is one of the more challenging, and frequently overlooked, issues when it comes to IT Services Management (ITSM). A diverse set of assets, constant changes, and frequently, the politics and involvement of multiple groups need to be considered when determining the resources your organization has at its disposal and their status. At some point we have all found that the source of record for some of our organization’s most important and valuable items is an Excel spreadsheet on the desktop of someone’s workstation.
Identifying the Problem when Implementing IT Services Management
One of the fundamental goals of implementing IT Services Management practices such as IT Infrastructure Library or ITIL is to increase the efficiency and value of your environment. Without a solid understanding of what that currently entails, your ability to optimally utilize, plan, and measure your effectiveness is severely challenged.
Your CMDB is Not Your Asset Repository
With the introduction of ITIL V3 in 2007, added emphasis was placed on managing the service life cycle of your assets. While many people view this simply as an extension of the traditional Configuration Management DataBase or CMDB, it is far from the truth. While your CMDB will contain much of what you view as your core assets, its chief focus is on the relationship of those assets to each other. Frequently it will provide little to no information when it comes to important lifecycle information, such as warranty information, capacity or utilization, and cost. A solid asset repository, however, can serve as an excellent basis for developing and maintaining your CMDB.
Why maintaining a Comprehensive ITIL is Important
The service lifecycle of your assets play an important role in nearly all of your ITIL processes. Be it effectively managing the number of licenses for various products, determining what actions your service desk needs to take based on the warranty status or location of a device, or considering the most positive course of action as part of your change management process, a detailed understanding of your asset is necessary to realize true efficiency and value from it.
Linking IT Asset Management to ITIL
Linking your IT Asset Management practice to your ITIL practices will help your organization get the most out of its resources, and reduce waste. While developing a mature ITAM strategy can be a challenge, the rewards of it can quickly pay off in both labor and expenditure.
Over my next several posts we will look at various tools available to help you on the road to effective IT Asset Management.
Identifying the Problem when Implementing IT Services Management
One of the fundamental goals of implementing IT Services Management practices such as IT Infrastructure Library or ITIL is to increase the efficiency and value of your environment. Without a solid understanding of what that currently entails, your ability to optimally utilize, plan, and measure your effectiveness is severely challenged.
Your CMDB is Not Your Asset Repository
With the introduction of ITIL V3 in 2007, added emphasis was placed on managing the service life cycle of your assets. While many people view this simply as an extension of the traditional Configuration Management DataBase or CMDB, it is far from the truth. While your CMDB will contain much of what you view as your core assets, its chief focus is on the relationship of those assets to each other. Frequently it will provide little to no information when it comes to important lifecycle information, such as warranty information, capacity or utilization, and cost. A solid asset repository, however, can serve as an excellent basis for developing and maintaining your CMDB.
Why maintaining a Comprehensive ITIL is Important
The service lifecycle of your assets play an important role in nearly all of your ITIL processes. Be it effectively managing the number of licenses for various products, determining what actions your service desk needs to take based on the warranty status or location of a device, or considering the most positive course of action as part of your change management process, a detailed understanding of your asset is necessary to realize true efficiency and value from it.
Linking IT Asset Management to ITIL
Linking your IT Asset Management practice to your ITIL practices will help your organization get the most out of its resources, and reduce waste. While developing a mature ITAM strategy can be a challenge, the rewards of it can quickly pay off in both labor and expenditure.
Over my next several posts we will look at various tools available to help you on the road to effective IT Asset Management.
