How to build my ITAM team - choices for internal and external expertise (part 2)

Determining the most effective and efficient construction of an ITAM team, based on internal capabilities & capacities, and pros & cons of engaging external expertise

2021 and 2022 ITAM surveys by Deloitte show that 37% of organisations do not yet have permanent, dedicated ITAM team members. Add to that the expected shift in ITAM tasks towards more strategic ones, while the amount of day-to-day tasks to have a basis for the necessary advice remains the same. This makes it very clear that when making choices in building an ITAM team, an organisation needs to take into account exactly who should be doing what, and more importantly, what is realistic!

Consider to what extent your team can perform all tasks properly, acquire or maintain the right knowledge and also respond to current events. Does your organisation have the clearly defined processes necessary for consistent ITAM policies or not (yet)? Do your people actually have the right knowledge to act and anticipate properly?

Take a very critical look at your own situation and give your management the solid background information that helps them understand what is required to properly carry out the ITAM tasks and what the current ITAM team is capable of.

If you feel your team is not able to meet the actual ITAM needs, then it may be interesting to look at the option of having external consultants become part of your ITAM team. On average, between 20% and 30% of organisations seek help from external specialists to:

• use ITAM tooling properly;
• provide specific licensing expertise;
• manage the ITAM tool itself;
• provide strategic support for ITAM transformation towards maturity.

If you look at the option of outsourcing tasks, be aware of the fact that you need to pay even more attention to the internal work processes, to ensure an efficient way of working. After all, you need to know which things can and can’t be handled by an external expert and what is needed to make that run smoothly. We often see that organisations that decide to outsource, forget that certain tasks and processes still require people from within the organisation to provide insights and to actually work on the findings later.

Whatever your findings and the decisions are that you and your organisations make on internal or external resourcing to get the activities done in a way that fits your ITAM strategy, make sure that the consequences of these choices are reflected in your processes, ITAM year plan and overall ambition level. And review every year whether the set-up of the team still fits the strategy and ITAM maturity. New requirements from the organisation may change the overall playing field and thus the skills, experience and amount of hours required to keep up with the organisational demands!

Or, read more in our eBook: There is no I in ITAM - Building a future-proof ITAM-team