Survey results from Ivanti highlights the challenges faced by IT organizations when it comes to aligning their IT Service Management (ITSM) and IT Asset Management (ITAM) processes. According to data collected from 1,600 IT professionals, 43% reported using spreadsheets as one of their resources to track IT assets. Further, 56% currently do not manage the entire asset lifecycle, risking redundant assets, potentially creating a risk, and causing unnecessary and costly purchases.
Findings from the survey demonstrates the need for greater alignment between ITSM and ITAM processes, especially when looking at the time spent reconciling inventory/assets. Nearly a quarter of respondents reported spending hours per week on this process. Another time-intensive process for IT professionals is dealing with out-of-warranty/out-of-support-policy assets, with 28% of respondents reporting they spend hours per week supporting these assets. And, when asked how often they have spent time fixing devices that were later identified to still be under warranty, 50% of respondents said “sometimes.”
“It’s clear that there is room for improvement when it comes to managing assets,” said Ian Aitchison, senior product director at Ivanti. “While IT teams are starting to better track their assets, collaborating with other teams and understanding the benefits of combining asset and service processes, time and money advantages are being lost as they don’t have the data they need to effectively manage and optimize their assets and services.”
When asked about the benefits of combining ITSM and ITAM processes, the survey found that respondents expected to see:
- Better visibility of their IT estate: 63%
- Increased IT staff productivity: 59%
- Optimized costs: 54%
- Improved service delivery: 53%
Aitchison added, “When ITSM and ITAM are closely aligned and integrated, many activities and processes become more automated, efficient and responsive, with fewer things ‘falling through the cracks.’ IT teams gain more insight and are better positioned to move from reactive activities to more proactive practices, delivering higher service levels and efficiency at lower costs.”
Methodology
The study surveyed more than 1600 IT professionals. Research was generated by Ivanti in the winter of 2019.
The complete survey findings can be found here.
