Convergence is Coming to Asset Management

ITAM News & Analysis

Convergence is Coming to Asset Management

You know that feeling. Someone comes towards you with that look. It’s so slight but clearly there. You’re about to get a whole bunch of work you weren’t planning for. We all know that feeling. We’ve all been there. There are usually two ways to deal with it – fight it or embrace it.

This is an increasingly common position for Asset Management. As we do our work, day to day, to build a strong ITAM program, we build connections and credibility within the organisation. This is a very good thing. The information and processes we establish and improve not only benefits our team but has clear use cases and implications for other parts of IT and beyond.

So where does convergence come into this? Let’s remember that for a long time, we’ve realised IT Asset Management is a business problem disguised as an IT problem. 

Technology runs across business environments

Today, technology is present across all business environments. Examples include:

• monitoring systems like security cameras or sensors that check room temperature or the open/close status of a door
• industrial systems like robotic arms, electromechanical arms, or production equipment
• IoT controlled equipment across the gamut
• medical floor systems. 

Almost all current generation models of IT assets are networked. As a result, those devices – along with their interconnected components – must now be secured. Outside bad actors – hackers, foreign nations, criminal organisations, etc. – are constantly probing most company networks. With the massive increase in networked devices – many of which can be remotely controllable – the security team’s job continues to grow. 

Any successful security team relies on a comprehensive asset management repository. ‘You can’t secure what you don’t know you have’ is a close cousin to ITAM’s own, ‘You can’t manage what you don’t know you have’. The IT Asset Repository starts to become the Corporate Asset Repository. 

Executive leaders need a clear understanding of what the company owns to make good security decisions and important business decisions like expansion planning. This makes good business sense – wise business leaders look to get the most out of existing investments while, at the same time, protecting the company and moving it forward.

The expanding ITAM scope

‘Convergence’ as I put forward is an expansion of ITAM into Enterprise Asset Management. The scope starts to widen because the business realises it can capture a more holistic inventory and usage data set beyond traditional IT. In fact, the fastest way forward for organisations is to copy many of the best practices, policies, and data systems ITAM teams have built. Many ITAM practices remain the most reliable, consistent methods for supporting the IT organisation, so why not use those as a starting point for expansion?

Convergence opens up lots of opportunities and responsibilities. For most organisations, it’s not an overnight transformation. Our friends in IT Security have been on a similar journey. Planning is crucial, and this should include:

• systems more capable and comprehensive than current IT ones.
• more staff to help provide the appropriate engagement and care for these new areas of responsibility. 
• more departmental budget to support this expansion. 
• new ways of thinking and related education to adopt these practices to fit some of the newer divisions within the business. 

You also need to think about what the expanded roadmaps look like. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither was your ITAM practice. Your new Enterprise Asset Management team won’t be either.

Where to start

Now, this sounds like a lot of work. There’s no doubt it is more work. Not every organisation will move at the same speed or with the exact same goals. However, I’m confident this is real, so I want to encourage you all. 

Volunteering for more work is always a slippery slope – nobody wants to take on more work.  Start by talking to your direct manager as you’ll need this person’s support to be successful.

Next, start your research. Ask questions. Find out it other divisions, departments, teams struggle to manage tech devices, especially those that fall outside of the IT team’s remit. Plan ahead, and come ready to discuss how you can help. How can you make things easier – or more reliable – for them?

Not everyone will positively respond, and not every bailiwick is worth your time. Carefully pick your targets. You’re not here to take over the world but to bring skills to a problem others struggle with.

This will get you started, and remember, you’re not alone. Talk to your peers to find out how their ITAM team has expanded into Enterprise Asset Management. I’ve spent many years doing asset management for non-IT-owned technology devices. In doing so, I’ve used ITAM methodologies very successfully, and this has showed dividends for my organisation. I know this can work for you!  

By James Burson, Senior Director – ServiceNow Practice Lead, Jade Global

Can’t find what you’re looking for?