ITAK Volume 5 Issue 1 - Special Edition: ITAM 360 Official publication of International Association of IT Asset Managers, Inc.    Download the complete magazine ITAK Volume 5 Issue 1 (2.8MB) - Special Edition ITAM 360   President's Letter By: Barbara Rembiesa, President of IAITAM March is IAITAM’s 8th anniversary – It’s been 8 years since a group of asset management professionals banded together to form this organization, an industry first.  In support of the organization’s efforts and another first, back in 2002 and growing still each passing year, IAITAM hosted the only annual conference solely dedicated to the needs of the IT asset management field.   Read More... Cover Story ITAM 360 Debriefed  By: IAITAM Executive Summary With the enormous role that Information Technology has in any organization, IT Asset Management (ITAM) programs have great potential that goes beyond achieving operational efficiencies and internal customer satisfaction.  Through best practice usage and the gradual program maturation, IT Asset Management programs enable organizational goal fulfillment and deliver business advantages such as maximum value from an investment, IT as a competitive differentiator, and the reduced risk of unplanned financial events.  Major barriers to ITAM program growth are the limited access to the experience and knowledge necessary to mesh IT asset processes with existing business and IT processes.  Professionals are held back by the complexity of the processes and the comparative youth of the ITAM discipline.  Assessments that should help identify next steps to success are limited to a particular vendor’s perspective or to the narrow scope of software compliance.   Read More... Feature Article Discovery Tools Revealed - Real Inventory Issues in a Virtual World Part II: Are Discovery Tools Keeping Up with the Challenge of Virtualization? By: Jenny Schuchert, Education Specialist for IAITAM Last month’s ITAK magazine featured responses from several discovery tool providers, answering specific questions about performance in specific virtualized environments.  This month, the information on discovery tool providers continue with two more vendors responding to the same scenarios presented last month.   The premise is: Discovery tools are an essential component of inventory management, providing an in-depth snapshot of the hardware and software.  How are discovery tools adapting to the changes brought by the adoption of virtualization strategies?  Can the IT Asset Manager depend on the information that is being provided?  To answer these questions, discovery product providers were invited to address these questions directly.  The four virtualization methods for this article are defined as:   Read More... Why Less is Often More - Hosted Agentless ITAM Solutions May Be All You Need  By: Ed Cartier, Marketing Director for xAssets US, xAssets LTD.       A hosted, agentless IT asset discovery and inventory solution is a great example of the expression “less is more.” The internet offers a great definition of what that less is: “The notion that simplicity and clarity lead to good design.” (http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/226400.html) A hosted, agentless solution is one way to bring clarity to IT asset discovery and inventory.    Read More... Licensing Windows 7 - Proactive Steps that Organizations Should Consider  when Evaluating Upgrade Options By: Paul Degroot, Research VP, Channel & Licensing Strategies and  Michael Cherry, Analyst for Directions of Microsoft By determining which version of Windows 7 they want to standardize on and making tactical purchases of upgrade rights, companies planning upgrades to Windows 7 can reduce upgrade costs  Companies planning upgrades to Windows 7 can take steps immediately to reduce the total cost of upgrading. Major factors that influence the upgrade path they take include which edition of Windows 7 they want, whether they want to standardize on a single OS edition, and whether they have Software Assurance (SA) upgrade rights on their current client PCs. Their volume licensing plan and the number of desktops in their organization also influence their choices.   Read More...  Securing the Source Code - VMS Navigates Mutual Fund Industry Regulations with Technology Escrow   By: Rachel Melary, Intellectual Property Consultant for Iron Mountain  Located in Southern California, Vertical Management Systems, Inc. (VMS) is a 50-person company that provides data services related to mutual fund pricing, and develops accounting software for automation and control of mutual fund portfolio accounts. Founded 17 years ago, the company started with just two employees developing custom software to help a large mutual fund company reconcile and balance its fund positions.  Read More...  Consider Reuse – The Greener Way to Recycle     By: Charles Brennick, Director for InterConnection   Recycling an unwanted computer sounds like a good choice, but it’s really shortsighted when considering the many benefits of computer reuse. Computer reuse extends the life of a used computer.  Reuse is also more green than recycling; it reduces new manufacturing energy and pollution while diverting old computer parts from a landfill.  According to the EPA, reusing just one computer with a standard CRT monitor prevents emission of over 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide.  Global warming is primarily a problem of too much carbon dioxide in earth’s atmosphere.  You can't eliminate all sources of CO2 (after all, you exhale carbon dioxide when you breathe!), but understanding sources of excess CO2 can help you find ways to lower your carbon footprint to protect our environment.  Read More...  5 Capabilities to Consider – Guidelines for Choosing the Right Inventory Management Tool for Your Business     By: Umesh Shah, Senior Manager of Product Marketing for Numara Software  According to the Enterprise Management Associates (EMA) survey, “The Changing Face of Asset Management: Merging Asset, Service, and Financial Management,” 40% of IT organizations still do not have automatic asset discovery and inventory systems in place.1 One of the core components of a comprehensive IT asset management (ITAM) solution, inventory management tools have been gaining popularity as a reliable way to cut costs and rapidly improve efficiency. If you’re one of the organizations still thinking of investing in an inventory management solution, there are some important factors you should consider to find the best fit for your business.  Read More...  Column  ITAM Isn't Sexy, But It Can Be!   By:  Phara McLachlan, CEO of Animus Solutions, Inc.      ITAM isn’t sexy, but it can be! How So You Ask?   Well…Isn’t Intellection Sexy? ITAM brings smart processes to all areas of an organization to interface and bridge the gap between operational and financial divisions, groups, and systems.  A great example within the ITAM 360 is where the library incorporates all aspects of  IT Asset Management into 12 Key Process Areas spanning both the hardware and software business practices.   Read More...  Column Software Licensing in the Next Decade  By:  John Tomeny, IAITAM Fellow,  Convener of the ISO/IEC 19770-3 SAM Standards working group of Software Entitlements, and VP of Business Development for Sassafras Software Inc.    The rapid proliferation of mobile, virtual, and centrally managed computers drives the demand to invent new licensing models.  Software licensing must be set free from the restriction of requiring an entitlement for an executable file simply because the file exists.  There are numerous reasons for this; some of which we will explore in this article.   Read More...   View ITAK Online  Subscribe to ITAK  Advertise in ITAK  Author in ITAK