Ivanti was recently named Champion by the Info-Tech Research Group in the IT Asset Management Vendor Landscape Report! Read the full report below.

In light of the good news, we interviewed ITAM expert, Ian Aitchison.

1. Talk about the Info-Tech report. What are the big takeaways for you?

It’s great to see a comparison report in this area. ITAM is an important subject. Lots of organisations are looking to improve their ITAM capabilities, but it can be daunting when faced with many different vendors that have different offerings and areas of specialism.

Reports like this help ITAM professionals more easily understand and choose the right technology–and vendor–to help with future plans.

2. What are hottest ITAM trends at the moment?

Hottest trends in ITAM? Probably the following:

  • The blending of ITAM and ITSM

We call it ITxM, where ITSM services and related processes are very directly integrated with your ITAM assets and their lifecycles and processes, including combining an asset software catalog with an ITSM service catalog.

  • Ongoing software audit pressure

This is especially the case with mega-vendors (Oracle, IBM, Microsoft). Their licensing models are incredibly complex, and–funnily enough–there are substantial cost penalties for being in breach of those opaque and complex models.

  • Automation

Enabling high-speed, automated asset preparation, provision, and recovery automatically, following asset request and change processes. This is particularly relevant to software delivery and recovery.

3. Why should IT departments consider an ITAM solution?

ITAM is the vital key to future IT success. ITAM becomes critical as you approach many now and near-future challenges, including security, Internet of Things, cloud migrations, improving IT, and doing more with less.

All areas of IT require you to understand IT’s estate, and that now needs to be more than just discovery. It’s time to take control.

4. We talk a lot about ITxM. What does that mean?

It means a good experience for the business. It means one self-service for IT that drives both asset and service type requests. It means understanding not only the lifecycle of your services but also of the individual assets themselves. It means not only innovating with business productivity but also ensuring actual, balanced and safe management of the IT assets whether part of an IT service or not.

It means a recognition that you can’t deliver good IT service without asset management and you can’t manage assets without good IT service management.

5. What’s your favorite movie?

Either Withal and I (a classic Brit movie) or Finding Nemo. I’m hoping to one day find the perfect mashup movie: perhaps Finding Withnail or Nemo and I.