Technology Magazine December 2021 | Page 73

In order to build resilience and futureproof organisations , an ITAM strategy is fast becoming essential to business objectives
ENTERPRISE IT

In order to build resilience and futureproof organisations , an ITAM strategy is fast becoming essential to business objectives

WRITTEN BY : ALEX TUCK

IT

Asset Management ( ITAM ) ensures valuable items , both tangible and intangible , are being tracked and used within an organisation . These include such assets as hardware , software , and critical information that holds value to a business . In an IT department , some of the most important assets are the computers , software licenses and hosting servers .
IT assets have a finite period in that they can be used , so the lifecycle must be proactively managed at all stages . According to Atlassian , who develop software and collaboration tools , these stages usually include : planning , procurement , deployment , maintenance , and retirement . Having an overlying ITAM strategy is vital to understanding the total cost of ownership and optimising the use of assets .
IT departments must also be agile to deal with subscription-based software and employees ' expectation to customise the tools they work with , which are typically accessed through app stores or marketplaces .
According to Pamela Wheelwright , Senior Director Analyst at Gartner , “ Most organisations do not have a formal IT asset management ( ITAM ) programme but recognise the need to implement one in support of their digital business objectives .” Awareness seems to be one thing , but implementation is quite another
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