(PRWEB) September 09, 2014
Today, RAPA Consulting http://www.rapaconsulting.com announced a complimentary IT Asset Management (ITAM) and Software Asset Management (SAM) health check for customers to independently assess ROI potential and risks associated with investments in ITAM and SAM software application deployments. The health check was developed to help improve customer business results.
Many ITAM and SAM projects begin in isolation (i.e. software audit, acquisition/divestiture, data center relocation, change in vendors, etc.). However much of the information needed to manage these projects is gathered, referenced, and shared by multiple stakeholders: ITAM and SAM, IT Financial Management (ITFM), IT Service Management (ITSM), IT Configuration Management (ITCM), IT Operations Management (ITOM), Vendor Management and Human Resources. This makes bringing decentralized IT Asset management information under systematic control a large scale task.
The problem, regardless of the size of organization is two-fold:
1) deploying ITAM and SAM tools as a magic pill with no plan to address organizational dependencies
2) failure to link ITAM and SAM tool deployments to measurable business objectives
“These two problems institute significant risk from the outset.” said Susan Odle, Managing Partner and Business Lead at RAPA. “This is entirely avoidable and it’s RAPA’s mission to help customers manage the risk of deploying ITAM and SAM tools and failing to achieve business results. The health check gives customers a tangible first step towards the ROI that leadership is expecting.”
The challenge of operationalizing ITAM and SAM is present regardless of the software platform customers have selected and/or deployed. Vendors like Flexera, BMC, ServiceNow, Microsoft ISV’s for SCSM (Cireson, Provance, Cased Dimensions), HP, SNOW Software, License Dashboard, etc. have developed good tools but contrary to the product centric marketing story that most software vendors tell, technology alone will not answer all requirements. Technology cannot operationalize ITAM and SAM and that is where the majority of risk lies.
ITAM and SAM solutions are mainly centralized repositories with the functionality necessary to manage IT Assets after the information has been entered; however, ITAM and SAM are financial business practices at their core. Equal attention must be paid to non-technical dependencies: clear business objectives, operational goals, organizational commitments as well as policies, processes and procedures. Organizations need to understand how ITAM and SAM operationally support IT governance priorities. Expecting out of the box results without addressing non-technical dependencies will produce limited success.
“In the current market, many customers are deploying ITAM and SAM tools without clear business objectives and operational goals that are communicated, understood and supported across IT. “ said Pierre Paquette, Managing Partner and Technical Lead at RAPA. “Sadly, too many ITAM and SAM projects fail for these reasons. The RAPA ITAM and SAM Health Check helps customers make sense of the complexities to understand what is being managed well and what needs more attention. Software tools may be reasonably easy to install and configure, but operationalizing ITAM and SAM practices is a completely different and more challenging endeavor. The long-term strategic value is well worth the effort if done correctly.”
The Complimentary RAPA ITAM and SAM Health Check has 52 multiple choice questions and 8 open response questions that are completed online via dedicated access for each unique participant. To protect confidentiality, the health check does not require submission of company or individual names. Once complete, RAPA analyzes the response and return results, in the form of a report, within 3 business days.
Interested organizations can learn more about RAPA’s Complimentary ITAM and SAM Health Check here: http://www.rapaconsulting.com/freehealthcheck.
Related links:
A Top Down Approach to IT Projects http://www.rapaconsulting.com/?p=2085
The Vendor Customer Gap http://www.rapaconsulting.com/?p=2049
ITAM and SAM Stakeholders http://www.rapaconsulting.com/?p=2310
“RAPA understands how to operationalize ITAM and SAM so that these practices align with our business objectives. They are practical, focused on measurability and help us get things done.”
Senior IT Executive
Large Insurance Company
About RAPA.
RAPA is an independent company that specializes in helping customers operationalize ITAM and SAM practices to get the most out of technology investments, regardless of the chosen platform. RAPA has 20 years of linear ITAM and SAM experience, delivering more than 100 enterprise ITAM and SAM projects around the world: The United States, Canada, Nigeria, Australia, Germany and France; addressing the unique business requirements of the energy, healthcare, education, financial services, government, retail, property management, real estate, telecommunications, entertainment, food services and consulting services industries.
