Avoid the 4 Most Common ITAM Mistakes

Have you ever wondered if your organization is making some of the typical IT asset management mistakes? There’s no need to wonder if you’re willing to take a closer look and do a bit of objective analysis. Here’s a brief look at the most frequent errors.

Undervaluing ITAM

Even in companies where technology is a core part of the overall mission, too many managers and line employees don’t give credit where it is due, namely the asset management solutions that deliver solid ROI and make the entity run smoothly. The best way to avoid this fault is to acknowledge and spread the word to all parties that ITAM delivers solid benefits and delivers them quickly. They include the ability to buy, build, support, and replace key hardware at exactly the right time. Additionally, with a company-wide recognition of the value of asset management, it’s much easier to get everyone onboard so that the organization meets or exceeds relevant compliance requirements.

Not Integrating into ITSM

IT service management teams engage in making sure the entire process of service delivery works to serve every internal customer. That means every process and management component of a process must be attended to. For example, ITAM software should not be the sole concern of a finance or accounting department. That function, along with many others, should be combined with all activities that support, create, design, and deliver IT services throughout the organization. If managers are dedicated to the goal of delivering IT as a service, they’ll prioritize the integration of asset tracking and oversight into ITSM.

Letting Perceived Expense and Difficulty Prevent Action

One thing that slows managers down and prevents them from accessing all the benefits of any process, technique, or system is the fear of incurring large expenses and facing insurmountable implementation challenges. That uniquely human shortfall applies to new software, department restructuring, new production processes, and the decision to begin an ITAM program in earnest. The fact is that in the absence of this vital program, corporations end up spending much more in the long run due to inefficiencies and the inability to track costs across multiple departments and timeframes. In exchange for some temporarily higher costs at startup, a typical company enjoys a number of benefits down the road, including hefty fines, equally pricey audits, complex reconciliations, and high price tags for last-minute software add-ons.

Assuming You Can Survive Without It

Unfortunately, a frequent complaint by company owners and managers is that ITAM just isn’t needed for an organization of their size, type, or in their industry. This kind of shortsightedness is close to ignoring seat belt laws when driving a car. It seems like everyone has an excuse based on their own uniqueness, and all the excuses are equally weak. No matter what a company does, what industry it’s in, how large or small it is, it needs IT-based asset coordination and management. If it ignores this need, then it exposes itself to many risks and all sorts of costs, both long-term and short-term.