Software and hardware management can be difficult and burdensome due to the variety of licensing agreements and applications most organizations need to keep business running. Managing these assets needs to be an ongoing task outside of a yearly audit. IT asset management (ITAM) also known as the process of ensuring your organization’s assets are accounted for, maintained, upgraded and replaced, can help maximize the value of your IT asset lifecycle and better support your IT department planning, procurement and deployment. But there are some challenges that can negatively impact your asset management system. Take a look at the top challenges below.
Lack of IT asset inventory
Without a doubt, the biggest challenge in IT asset management is a lack of a good and ongoing IT asset inventory. There may be assets tracked in different places, by different people. Without a proper inventory tracking system, there are going to be inaccuracies as your team is missing vital information about what assets are being currently used, what’s underused or broken, and where those assets are in their lifecycle.
Budget Inaccuracies
Budgets play a big role in IT asset management. When your IT team don’t know what exists in your IT infrastructure, it becomes increasingly difficult to determine what to buy for your organization, when and how many. Procuring new equipment and software without the proper information makes it more likely your team will end up spending money on purchases that aren’t actually a legitimate need or completely miss outdated, expired or broken assets.
Increased Cybersecurity Risks
Without ITAM, there is an increased risk that there is no active monitoring of software license and hardware management. Expired software, forgotten updates and outdated hardware can all lead to vulnerabilities and an increased risk of your data and information falling into the wrong hands.
Lack of Training Staff in IT Resources
If your staff is unaware of how the software and systems work that are directly correlated to their job needs, they may be underusing their assets. Reducing the number of unused assets can decrease data and security risks, recapture previous budgetary spend, leading to a healthier IT asset inventory. Consistent training and routine reviews of what resources are needed can ensure your ITAM is successful.
Every organization is different and may require a specific way of tracking and managing IT assets from licenses and compliance documents to hardware like laptops and Whether you require a simple IT asset management system or something more complex, Computer Solutions can help. Our strategic process will realign your IT landscape to help make the most out of your assets, giving you better insight into digital asset management. Ready to get started? Check out the benefits of IT asset management and contact us today.
