How do you know your IT Asset data is complete and correct? Do you need to make assumptions or do you have solid proof?
TIP #12 - September 2019: The value of IT Asset verification for ITAM and other (IT) departments.
How valuable would it be to be able to rely on trustworthy data that can be used for license position reports, security reports, risk analyses, financial budgeting, negotiations, contract renewals and even audits?
Knowing which assets you have, where they are located, when they were purchased, which terms and conditions apply and whether they are still in use is critical information for any organisation. This means different sources need to be investigated, outcomes need to be compared, delta’s need to be registered and corrective measures need to be taken on a regular basis. Both ITAM and other departments will benefit:
The value of IT Asset verification for ITAM
Any blank spots or unknowns pose a serious threat to the trustworthiness of the data and therefore the ITAM team. The quality of any license position report is only as good as the data backing it up.
Without trustworthy data:
- IT Asset Managers will not be taken seriously if they cannot produce an up-to-date view of IT Assets;
- License Position reports will be questioned if underlying data is unreliable;
- Software publishers will push to use their own scripts during audits if the trustworthiness of data is doubted;
- IT Asset Managers will not be absolutely sure that all IT Assets are covered and cannot provide accurate advice to other departments.
The value other departments get out of solid IT Asset verification
All stakeholders within an organisation that somehow relate to ITAM, need to depend on correct data to base their decisions, budgets and actions on. Output of the Asset Verification process itself, together with complimentary data obtained as a result of other ITAM processes, will have huge value for other departments in boosting the success of their own processes:
- Insight in the completeness of a CMDB, where ITAM inventory helps to identify gaps in processes like Change Management or Configuration Management. Responsible departments will get a clearer insight on where to tweak their processes to reach maximum coverage and trustworthy data.
- Insight in the completeness of antivirus- or security related tooling, where verification can point out which devices within the ITAM tool or CMDB are omitted by other software and might pose a possible threat.
- By comparing Active Directory with any other system that contains user-data, it becomes evident which users or accounts are actually active within the organisation. This allows an organisation to define improvements to the process of joiners, movers and leavers, and gain control on utilising user-based (cloud) subscriptions.
- Redundant hard- or software components can be identified more easily, so corresponding measures can be taken. Ultimately leading to cost savings and a reduction of application management activities and security vulnerabilities.