There are S.L.O.N.a in parts. Implement ITAM and not choke

He spoke at the ITAM & SAMday 2018 conference (IT Asset Management and Software Asset Management). The main vector of discussion is the exchange of experience in building models of IT asset management in companies of various industries.

I will share the theses of the report and touch upon the questions:

• how to start the implementation of IT asset management processes;
• what steps it consists of.

More than once in projects one had to deal with an idealistic approach, when one strives to work on the principle “we introduce everything at once”. Practice shows that with multifunctional IT systems this is a difficult task.

I always suggest eating the "elephant" in parts, in stages.

What statistics say

Interest in ITAM is growing steadily. This is confirmed by global statistics. For example, the results of the study "Management of next-generation IT services" from the analytic company Enterprise Management Associates noted a steady increase in attention to business automation of IT asset management processes.

Let's see how big the “elephant” - ITAM - feels in Russian practice.

What components are included in the ITAM practice

First, I will sort out what the “elephant” looks like, so conditionally I call the set of components that make up the ITAM practice.

I remember an ancient Indian parable about an elephant and six blind men.

The first blind man extended his hand and touched the side of the elephant: “How smooth! The elephant is like a wall. ” The second blind man extended his hand and touched the elephant's trunk: “What a round! The elephant is like a snake. ” The third blind man stretched out his hand and touched the tusk of the elephant: “How sharp! The elephant is like a spear. ” The fourth blind man extended his hand and touched the elephant’s foot: “What a tall! The elephant is like a tree. ” The fifth blind man extended his hand and touched the elephant’s ear: “What a wide! The elephant is like a fan. The sixth blind man extended his hand and touched the elephant's tail: “What a thin one! The elephant is like a rope. ”

In order not to look like blind people, let's take a general look at ITAM- “elephant” and “decompose” it into key components.

What determines the choice of IT asset management model

The practice of IT asset management is multidimensional, and not all companies need to implement absolutely all approaches and areas of management.

It is more important to determine why IT assets are implemented in the company, what goals do you want to achieve? This directly affects the "appearance" of S.L.O.N.a, and therefore the choice of a sequence of steps, and the final picture of the IT asset management model.

Based on my practice of implementing ITAM solutions, I will propose the following set of goals that can be set at the start:

1. Minimize unscheduled purchases of IT assets with the optimal amount of inventory.
2. To reduce the percentage of the budget sequence in the annual planning of the IT budget, as a result - to improve the justification of IT costs.
3. Reduce time to get current information on IT assets.
4. Optimize licensing costs.

Achieving these goals will help automate the functional "parts" of ITAM. Their specificity will be considered further.

What are the parts of IT asset management?

I share S.L.O.N.a into large parts:

• identification and tracking of changes in IT assets;
• procurement planning and write-off of IT assets;
• building a resource-service and resource-financial models for accounting for IT assets;
• license and vendor management.

I will analyze the first two parts through the prism of the goal → steps → results.

Identification and tracking of changes in IT assets

The first basic step in the implementation of ITAM should be the aggregation of information about the company's IT assets.

Set goals:

1. To form a centralized source of current information about hardware, software, etc.
2. Get up to date information about IT assets, including:
   
   • quantity;
   • kinds;
   • accounting parameters;
   • location
   
   
3. To establish the connection of IT assets with Fixed assets as a “bridge” for further development.

To achieve our goals, we move in steps, taking into account ITSM processes:

1. Choose an automation tool.
2. We develop a classifier of IT assets.
3. We make scenarios for updating the IT assets base.
4. We conduct an inventory and fill the base of IT assets.
5. We establish a relationship of assets and fixed assets (intangible assets, low valuation).

It is important to note that I manage IT assets in constant conjunction with the Service Catalog (within which IT assets are maintained within IT) and the processes for operating the services (managing incidents, service requests and changes).

As a result, working with a single source of up-to-date information on IT assets will allow:

1. Increase equipment recycling.
2. Reduce the amount of purchased equipment.
3. Simplify the inventory process.
4. Reduce time searching for the right information.

IT asset procurement and write-off planning

Suppose that we have “accumulated” and formed the base of IT assets and have established the process of updating the information in it. Next comes the stage of managing the life cycle of IT assets and controlling all processes related to their planning, entry and exit.

Set goals:

1. Optimize the process of purchasing IT assets.
2. Increase the controllability of the process of writing off IT assets.

And go in steps:

1. We are standardizing IT assets.
2. We develop procurement planning scenarios.
3. Integrating with procurement systems.
4. Writing scripts write-off of IT assets.

The effect of performing these steps will be:

1. Consolidation of procurement and obtaining favorable prices from contractors.
2. Optimize stock inventory.
3. Consolidation of support contracts.
4. Simplification of mechanisms for controlling the diversity of types of technology.
5. Simplify IT asset operations.

What are the subtotals

The multicomponent nature of ITAM systems predetermines the phased nature of implementation. Before introducing, consider the following:

1. It is extremely important at the beginning of the path to present what you want to achieve and at what stage. Without this, it is necessary to constantly solve some current tasks without an understanding of the further global development of the process.
2. Your goals and their criticality should clearly fall on the sequence of what you are doing.
3. Linking with operational processes is critical for both IT service management processes and IT asset management processes.

At the same time with the introduction of ITAM there is always a point of growth. For example, how to build a resource-service and resource-financial model of accounting for IT assets, how to organize the process of managing licenses and suppliers, how to develop an IT system, I will share my opinion in the next publication.