ITAM Tools - Chinese Whispers, Rhetoric and Folklore

ITAM Tools - Chinese Whispers, Rhetoric and Folklore

Having worked at Centennial Software (now FrontRange Solutions) for six years I must admit to having a bit of a soft-spot for their product ‘Discovery’.

However it has been quite an eye-opener to review the technology for the Mid-Market SAM Software Group Test from a completely independent stand point.

As a former software vendor representative, I think we can sometimes start believing our own rhetoric, believing our technology to be the best thing since sliced bread. It’s only when you really lift the hood on some of the tools and do a side by side comparison do you realize the real strengths and weaknesses.

In my experience real competitive information about ITAM tools is a mixture of Chinese whispers, vendor rhetoric and corporate folklore.

It is because of this scarcity of genuinely independent information that drove me to build the ITAM Review.

I believe current sources of ITAM tool intelligence include:

• Glossy PDF Case Studies full of PR Biz Speak
• Snippets of anecdotal evidence gleaned from end users
• Analyst firms or Publications looking to serve their advertisers or sponsors

So what does the word independent mean to the ITAM Review?

• The ITAM Review receives no funding or sponsorship for its publications
• Reports are not written with the view to selling re-print rights to vendors
• The ITAM Review receives no commission or referral fees
• The ITAM Review is not owned, funded or affiliated with any software vendors

Whilst there is no substitute for unbiased feedback and evaluations of technology from end users it is my aim that by providing genuinely independent competitive intelligence IT Asset Management professionals can make more informed purchasing decisions.

We have completed the reviews in a real life (albeit small) mixed environment and completed a full critique and opposed to a brochure comparison.

It is almost a year since I left Centennial, and it is on the 1st anniversary of the ITAM Review that I will be publishing the Mid-Market SAM Software Group Test.

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