Ivanti released
survey results highlighting the challenges faced by IT organizations when
it comes to aligning their IT Service Management (ITSM) and IT Asset Management
(ITAM) processes. According to data collected by Ivanti, 43% of IT professionals
surveyed reported using spreadsheets as one of their resources to track IT
assets. Further, 56% currently do not manage the entire asset lifecycle,
risking redundant assets, potentially creating a risk, and causing unnecessary
and costly purchases.
Findings from the survey demonstrate the need for greater
alignment between ITSM and ITAM processes, especially when looking at the time
spent reconciling inventory/assets. Nearly a quarter of respondents reported
spending hours per week on this process. Another time-intensive process for IT
professionals is dealing with out-of-warranty/out-of-support-policy assets,
with 28% of respondents reporting they spend hours per week supporting these
assets. And, when asked how often they have spent time fixing devices that were
later identified to still be under warranty, 50% of respondents said
"sometimes."
"It's clear that there is room for improvement when it
comes to managing assets," said Ian Aitchison, senior product director at
Ivanti. "While IT teams are starting to better track their assets,
collaborating with other teams and understanding the benefits of combining
asset and service processes, time and money advantages are being lost as they
don't have the data they need to effectively manage and optimize their assets
and services."
When asked about the benefits of combining ITSM and ITAM
processes, the survey found that respondents expected to see:
- Better visibility of their IT estate: 63%
- Increased IT staff productivity: 59%
- Improved service delivery: 53%
Aitchison added, "When ITSM and ITAM are closely aligned
and integrated, many activities and processes become more automated, efficient
and responsive, with fewer things ‘falling through the cracks.' IT teams
gain more insight and are better positioned to move from reactive activities to
more proactive practices, delivering higher service levels and efficiency at
lower costs."
According to the survey, IT professionals are also somewhat
dissatisfied with the available asset information, or data, they have access to
within their organizations. When asked if they incorporate and monitor purchase
data, contracts and/or warranty data as part of their IT asset management
program, 39% of respondents said yes, 42% said partially and 19% said no. This
means more than 60% of IT professionals are missing key information in their IT
asset management program to effectively manage their IT assets from cradle to
grave.
The complete survey findings can be found here: https://www.ivanti.com/lp/itsm/assets/s1/pr-itxm-tracking-it-assets-in-spreadsheets.