There is a lot of uncertainty in the world right now. So where does the field of ITAM sit amongst the shuffling and moving pieces of the world? As an ITAM professional, we certainly have a vested interest in the health of the profession, along with our perception of its prospects in the future. It can be uncomfortable to analyze one’s self and potential future, but if we don’t do this, who will?

We each have our own story of how we joined the world of IT Asset Management. We may have not set out to become a Software Asset Manager or Hardware Asset Manager when we were selecting classes in high school or college. Something happened along the way that afforded us the opportunity to give ITAM a shot. We may have taken this opportunity with open arms, or possibly went kicking and screaming. In either case, here we are. Dare I ask the question, “Should we stay?”

We don’t want to put all our eggs in one basket. A tired saying to be sure. Like many tired sayings, it’s meaning can become more concrete as we gain experiential evidence. Maybe you have a co-worker, friend, or family member who went all in on a technology that did not pan out. As neat as self-balancing, two-wheeled, scooters are, I am not sure I would have wanted to hinge my children’s future on it as a profession. Seeing others make the mistake of going all in on something can provide evidence that we ourselves should be managing our risk, managing our eggs.

If only there was a way to approach this analysis. Fortunately, being an ITAM professional, we already have strong frameworks for assessing and solving problems. There is beauty in the science of identifying risks, probabilities, and remediation plans. Not only is the outcome of an assessment valuable, the process itself can create insights. Insights that can improve our decisions or strategy, further equipping us to handle both known and unknown future challenges.

ITAM is by its nature, a highly analytical AND creative field. We see the blending of complex strategies, communication, optimization, technologies, and just about everything but the kitchen sink. This is exactly the type of thinking that is required to be successful with rapid changes, and potential uncertainty. Having the ability to see challenges holistically, and to be able to approach them with the ability to scientifically assess, and creatively solve.

ITAM has immense flexibility in experiences and opportunities for individual growth. This flexibility exists within a “classic” ITAM team, as well as external to an ITAM team. Within an ITAM team we may find ourselves developing many skills that are foundational to ITAM, as well as business as whole. This list could be extended further. There really are a lot of dimensions we can grow within ITAM.

• Negotiation – Internal negotiations with business partners, internal audit, external negotiations with vendors or auditors
• Communication – written, spoken, videos, e-mails, surveys, etc.
• Data Analysis – Large scale optimization, automation, forecasting, data scrubbing, visualization
• Process – Developing, monitoring, updating

When we look tertiarily, we find that ITAM professionals are working with Finance, Legal, HR, Procurement, Sourcing, Enterprise Architecture, Infosec, to name a few. Working with these areas can further strengthen not just our relationships, but our strategic mindset. Seeing how we fit within a broader context, can help us to make the best decisions possible.

Most things become what we make of them, but some soil is better than others.
What a relief it is to know that ITAM is truly fertile soil.

So long as we live a technology enabled world, we will need to manage that technology and maximize its usefulness (and manage risk). Perhaps certain aspects of technology will either grow or shrink. It could be clouds, subscriptions, platforms, networks, solar panels, or SECURITY (in all caps for a reason!) We have seen for years now that when a technology evolves, or a new one comes along, as if by magic, the business turns to ITAM. Let’s be ready for the next challenges by not sleeping on the opportunities to fortify our value. Use our strategic position within ITAM to grow our knowledge deep and wide, and we will find ourselves to be truly valuable and trusted by others. That is a level of insurance you just can’t buy.