As discussed in
Protecting Business
Interests Through Asset Management, “policy” is an
essential part of every asset management program. By design, these
programs provide the means, methods and solutions used to ensure that
IT assets are properly allocated, preserved and protected. In order
to achieve program and policy success, every related action and
adopted guideline must be based on actual needs and capabilities.
This is the purpose of the “asset management needs assessment�?.
Read on to learn more.

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Start with the Asset Management Basics

At the most basic level, asset management
practices, procedures and policies are used to track technology assets
(hardware and software) by location, ownership, usage, configuration and
maintenance status. While technical and organizational
requirements will determine the actual scope and extent of any asset management
program, related methods often range from the simple to the complex —
i.e. from
manual inventory lists to integrated software solutions for inventory, problem
management, change control and software distribution.

While it is often assumed that institutionalized asset management is only worthwhile
in the large, corporate environment, there is always a way to benefit from practices
designed to make it easier and less costly to acquire, allocate, use and maintain
technology assets (not to mention the need to protect these assets from loss,
theft, destruction and damage).
Once technology assets are put in place, they can be hard to track — mobile
devices, relocations, staff changes, and frequent configuration updates, can all
transform the overall asset landscape. These changes, when left uncontrolled,
can have a major impact on the ability to support and maintain installed
technology.  And these are issues that can impact any business – large or
small.

• Step 1: Asset management needs and capabilities must be defined (specifically stated in actionable terms).
• Step 2: Program options must be selected to
  match these identified needs and capabilities.
• Step 3: Decision making stakeholders must provide acceptance and
  approval for the resulting program (including solutions,
  procedures and policies).

Pinpointing Needs, Problems and Priorities

The first step towards defining actual asset management needs is to take a
serious look at “where asset management stands today�?. This
is known as the “current status assessment�?, used to evaluate current conditions
and pinpoint problem areas as a basis for solution development. This assessment is
performed using the following (10) assessment
questions:

1. Are you currently able to readily identify the status of all your technology
   assets (in service, or out of service)?
2. Do you currently have sufficient, readily assessable knowledge and
   information regarding the location and assignment of all currently allocated
   technology assets?
3. Is your organization fully compliant with all software licensing
   requirements?
4. Do you have sufficient knowledge of all existing “in-place�? technology assets
   to properly plan upcoming upgrade projects?
5. Have IT services, operations and/or projects ever been hindered by a lack of
   asset information?
6. Are the current, “in-place�? technology assets allocated efficiently and
   effectively, considering job function, usage and productivity?
7. Are all current in-place technology assets configured consistently and
   according to defined standards?
8. Do you have sufficient knowledge and records of any and all configuration
   variations?
9. Does the Help Desk (or other responsible support organization) have ready
   access to all the asset information needed to solve technical problems and
   provide quality end-user support?
10. Do you have ready access to all the asset information needed to properly plan
    for disaster recovery and business continuity programs?

The answers to the above listed questions will provide a roadmap for program
development, providing the basis for matching needs to “solutions�?. In all likelihood, every asset management need can be met with one or
more possible solutions. This means further analysis and the need to make tough
choices. This process is greatly simplified when you have a
roadmap for informed decision making. Ultimately, the goal is
to ensure that each solution is properly aligned with needs and capabilities.

• Asset management needs are defined. (Example
  Needs Statement: To protect business interests and ensure
  compliance with software licensing agreements, allocated
  software licenses must be accurately tracked according to user,
  device, purchase date, version and related variables).
• Solutions are identified, evaluated and matched to the
  identified need
  in order to determine the most viable options.  (Example: 
  Compliance solutions are analyzed according to the following
  parameters):
  • Types of potential solutions available (considering
    technical and administrative options).
  • Costs of each potential solution (both initial and long term).
  • Technical requirements of each potential solution.
  • Technical complexities of each potential solution (the
    degree of difficulty of solution considering implementation
    and ongoing maintenance).
  • Extent to which each potential solution fills the
    identified need.
  • Risks associated with each potential solution.
  • Comparative value of each potential solution considering
    the need and related objectives.

At each point, the “need�? is the benchmark by which solutions are analyzed
and decisions can be made. This is the overall purpose and
intended result of the asset management needs assessment.
It’s not about managing assets for the sake of managing assets – it’s about
managing assets to protect business interests, maximize IT value and realize the
IT management vision.

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