Being an asset manager is not an easy job, but the best practices laid out in IAITAM can make your life much easier – if you can implement them! When I took the CHAMP class 15 years ago, Keith was my instructor. He told us “Purchasing is the center of an asset manager’s world” and stressed the importance of not relying solely on discovery data for asset management. “You can’t manage it all, but you can manage the exceptions” Keith would say. It wasn’t until later in life that I realized how right he was and just how important timely purchasing data is to an asset management program.

The single biggest challenge that organizations face when using an asset management system or tool is the inability to easily locate and consume accurate and timely procurement data for the creation and management of asset records. Legacy ERP systems contain enterprise purchase data such as PO number, invoice, shipping information, approval details, item description, and quantity. Very seldom is the critical information needed to reconcile the assets available in this ERP system such as: serial number, birth record, asset tag, and parts data. This is why most asset management systems or tools don’t achieve their true potential. They are only managing what they can discover and therefore Asset Managers are always struggling to meet the demands of the business.

The solution is to populate the asset repository directly from manufacturer or vendor! Most manufacturers or vendors, such as CDW, Dell, Lenovo, Microsoft, SHI, Insight, and more, have public facing APIs that can be leveraged to fetch purchase data. You can tap directly into these sources of truth for more accurate information of what your organization owns including serial numbers, warranty information, birth records, parts lists, and more. It’s all available and waiting for you to take – for FREE in most cases. All you need is a way to take advantage of all that glorious data.

When you reconcile your discovery tools with the manufacturer or vendor, this results in creating an asset record that is complete with serial number, PO, invoice, and shipment data, along with Current IP address, logged in user information, software inventory, and more. You now can get a handle on what you own, where it is, and who has it. You are ready to shift the looking glass around and ask the questions “What do I own that I can’t find?” and “What have I found that I don’t own”?

Consider a best practice asset management program such as Ivanti Neurons for ITAM. It’s built on IAITAM best practices and can help you manage your environment through exceptions. When linked up to your manufacturer and vendor data you’ll know all the details of what you should have, and with integrated discovery you’ll know what is actually on the network. All that’s left is to track down the exceptions and you’re living an IAITAM way of life that will benefit your role as an Asset Manager and your organization as a whole.