In the world of IT Asset Management (ITAM), where results are becoming progressively pressurised amid heightened business strains, it’s time for the same old approach & mistakes to stop.

The concept of ‘transformation’ has never been more loaded. Infrastructure is becoming more complex, with the amount and variety of devices and licenses being broader than ever before, and there is less scope to make mistakes than even this time last year. To waste both time and money by tugging at a thread that you don’t have a firm grip of, is to opt for madness amid chaos.

It’s time to recompose and take a guided, strategic approach to ITAM.

What NOT to do

For many years now, Match Performance’s role as a full lifecycle digital solutions provider has looked to introduce clients to the significance of agility; creating long-lasting relationships that are robust, yet flexible, to trends and change requirements.

However, as much as this involves guiding clients with the best steps forward, it’s also vital to break negative or damaging chains, and that’s a core component of the ITAM conversation in particular.

Job one on this front – stop throwing money at the situation!

While innovative tools and devices seem like an easy get-out clause when blinded by the lights of digital transformation, tech for tech’s sake is more ‘hit and hope’ than tactics. All too often, organisations try to fix a wrong investment with further investment, instead of taking a step back to formulate a broader picture of what’s required, in relation to their wider ambitions and objectives.

Data is your friend in this regard. Consistent strategy compounded by clear and transparent data will keep those tantalising technologies at arms length, until you know how best to channel your budget for bespoke requirement.

A second dumping ground for companies’ finances are audits. In search of validation at a ‘point in time’, it’s understandably tempting to get a snapshot of your technology estate without taking into account the expense and manpower needed for such an exercise. What often transpires is this desired snapshot, coming at great cost to the balance sheet and resources, which becomes outdated and obsolete as quickly as it came about.

In contrast, an effective ITAM solution fulfils the role of an audit, continuously, in real time. That aforementioned notion of data transparency becomes part of the fabric of your organisation, rather than a sporadic reference point.

What TO do

In addition to this cultural transition to data appreciation, you must not forget the human element of your organisation. With the transformation dialogue so often dictated by ideas of innovation,digitisation, automation and most other ‘ations’ you care to mention, it’s easy to forget about communication… the ability to articulate why an ITAM solution will be positive for both personnel and the wider business.

People aren’t always fond of change, especially when it’s forced upon them, and even less so in a climate where normality has seemingly been thrown out of the window in their everyday lives. If you’re only beginning to feel your way around new tools and a burgeoning data-led infrastructure, then your employees are likely to be even more sceptical or uneased by notions of automation.

It’s imperative that you spend time with your team to make the transition to ITAM solutions a collaborative experience, explicitly designed to make their lives easier.

This buy-in works the other way too. While the ‘shopfloor’ will want reassurance of usability and job role, the C-suite, shareholders and stakeholders will want reassurance of security, transparency, strategy adherence, and – of course – cost-effectiveness. Make sure that you put forward ITAM as a facilitator of those elements in the long-run, to offset shorter-term concerns about leaving the status quo.

What WE do

As with all strands of Match’s business offering, the emphasis is on bespoke guidance rather than one-size-fits-all solutions.

Our capability model is geared towards understanding your individual strategy so that the resultant roadmap and solutions put forward are tailored appropriately. This revolves around the maturity of services, the budgetary limitations involved, and the overall impacts being sought after.

To this end, the relationship we form is vital, as we’re looking to edit and improve organisations’ ITAM models, rather than introduce them. Most already have such processes in place, and it’s our responsibility to learn your culture and evolve what you already have to maximise impacts, and minimise costs.

Agility in the face of chaos

Asset management is a service, and therefore can only be measured by value. To achieve this, Match takes an asset-centric, risk-based approach across its capability model. This is then conveyed across the IT infrastructure and wider organisation to hit home the significance of this transition being a cultural one, and not a tool-driven one.

This ultimately instils confidence that, when investment is required, it’s considered and with tangible ROI in mind. As the perfect middle ground between a fear of investing, and impulse expenditures, comprehending the roadmap that we help you establish ensures that short term-outgoings result in long-term savings.

Embedding the requisite ITAM solution isn’t an overnight pursuit. But embarking on the journey with the right guidance, and on the right foot, will convert insanity into clarity.

This new-found agility will turn your organisation into one that thrives on real-time data to improve foresight, resilience and financial stability at a time of relative chaos.