Q&A With ITAM Expert Patricia Adams (Pt. 2 of 2)
Jared Richardson
This blog is second in a two-part series where Ivanti ITAM Evangelist and former Gartner analyst, Patricia Adams answers questions about ITAM/SAM strategy and Ivanti’s ITAM/SAM Attainment Model. The model is designed for medium to large-sized companies in order to properly assess where they’re at in their ITAM/SAM process.
In the first installment of this blog series, Patricia answered questions about where most organizations fit within the IT Asset Management / Software Asset Management Attainment Model, what smaller organizations can do to put themselves on the right path towards asset management, the far-reaching benefits of an ITAM/SAM strategy. In part two of this interview, Patricia gives her expertise on the biggest blunders companies are making with their ITAM strategy, how organizations can succeed in ITAM/SAM, and the opportunities available for IT professionals working in this space.
Q: What are some of the biggest mistakes companies make when implementing ITAM/SAM?
A: After more than 20 years speaking with hundreds of organizations a year about their ITAM/SAM program there were a few trends that stood out. ?It is noteworthy that when ITAM programs fail, it’s because they haven’t addressed the basics or fundamentals that are needed to get started. If governance, process and policy are addressed early on, the implementations have a higher likelihood of long-term success and are able to maintain ongoing support.
In 2016, during the ITAM/SAM attainment model webinar, we asked attendees, “How many have corporate policies enforced by IT or senior management?”? Only 35% had support for policies. Without adherence to policies, it makes the job of managing IT assets infinitely more difficult because everyone is doing what they want. Asset Managers are placed in the role of being detectives, looking for clues and guessing when new assets are on the network. Not only does this create security risks, but purchase costs are likely to be higher as well.
Q: Your IT Asset Management/Software Asset Management Attainment Model has five levels. Is there a secret when it comes to advancing up the model and what area(s) should organizations be focusing on?
A: Focusing on the foundations will ensure that the ITAM/SAM program will be lasting, return value and become self-funding. This point about being self-funding is important because IT budgets are always under pressure to deliver services faster, cheaper, and at higher service quality.
I don’t think there are any secrets to moving from level to level, however success is dependent upon accomplishing all of the areas at that level in order for the next level to be successful. For example, if the policies aren’t fully deployed to all regions, chances are the centralized data isn’t going to be accurate and that will make it difficult to pursue other goals at the higher levels.
Q: Does an ITAM/SAM strategy have other benefits outside hardware and software?
A: In the ITAM/SAM attainment model webinar last year, we asked attendees, “Does the ITAM/SAM team meet regularly with the business to ascertain their asset related needs and direction?” In response, 26% of attendees answered affirmatively. That leaves an opportunity for ITAM/SAM programs to help IT solve many challenges rather than just responding to software audits. Asset managers can use the attainment model to communicate with and demonstrate to other IT domains, such as security, disaster recovery and enterprise architecture, what type of data they have and how they can support some of the bigger initiatives that IT is facing.
Click below to download the IT Asset Management/Software Asset Management Attainment Model. It’s a great resource for those looking to optimize their hardware and software assets, survive software audits, and further secure their IT environment.
Posts in this series:
