IT Asset Management (ITAM) is not just about having the right vendor licences in place or maintaining a catalogue of your hardware. It is about ensuring that all your IT assets are being used efficiently, safely and securely, while crucially adding value to your business. ITAM should be an integral part of not only the IT department’s roadmap but the whole organisation’s digital strategy.
In relation to cyber security, effective asset management protects everyone from an admin assistant to the CEO against the growing cyber threat. ITAM can help your organisation to maintain compliance and control at every level.
The emergence of ITAM
With increasing workforce mobility and a shift to cloud-based ways of working, ITAM is a natural progression from what was previously referred to as Software Asset Management (SAM). Asset Management has evolved to cover both software and hardware, but also goes beyond that to look at processes and people planning. Having a solid Asset Management strategy ensures a strong foundation from which an IT enabled organisation can go through large-scale digital transformation.
Lower your risk and increase your productivity
Cybercrimes annually costs business £200bn globally, making cybersecurity more important than ever. For an organisation to protect itself successfully it needs to know exactly what is being used, what security measures are in place and identify any gaps or vulnerabilities it may have.
An effective ITAM strategy will always start with a thorough audit of the existing IT estate. Knowing what IT assets your organisation owns and uses is the foundation for ensuring that your cyber security measures meet your current and future threats.
With an effective audit process in place you can be sure that every single device is accounted for, protecting your organisation against cybercrime, while maintaining an efficient and streamlined IT service for your staff.
Licensing compliance at the core
An effective ITAM strategy will protect an organisation against vendor audits by ensuring you have the correct software licenses in place at all times. Penalties for non-compliance can be devastating – reaching as much as £22,000 per ‘instance’ or device. Being compliant in your software licensing avoids unnecessary and hefty costs, as well as removing needless risk.
Budgeting control
Perhaps the most obvious and compelling benefit of ITAM is the visibility and control it gives you over your entire IT estate and budget forecasting.
Once all of your IT assets have been documented and verified you can begin to identify where efficiencies and savings can be made. Moving forward, your IT roadmap should safeguard your investments by only using the devices and licences your staff members need to do their jobs productively. ITAM can therefore help you to eliminate unnecessary spend.
Trustmarque: A safe pair of hands for your ITAM needs
With 30 years’ experience supporting customers in both public and private sectors with their digital transformation, Trustmarque is ideally placed to provide bespoke ITAM support.
We work with our customers to provide the IT solutions that best fit your organisation’s needs by giving honest, simple and independent advice in an increasingly complex world of IT asset management.
To find out how we can add value and strengthen your cyber security levels with ITAM talk to your Account Manager or arrange a call with one of our experts.
You may also be interested in reading our previous ITAM article; ‘From disruption to connectivity: ITAM in the age of digital transformation’
By Katherine Murphy, content enthusiast
