What this book covers
Chapter 1 , ITAM – It's Not Just IT's Problem or Function, helps you learn how ITAM affects all aspects of the organization: from profits to legal obligations to operational effectiveness. We will cover how managing IT assets is not just about managing hardware and software within the enterprise, but it's also about how it affects risk exposure, operational inefficiencies, legal obligations, compliance standards, and costs.
Chapter 2, ITAM Strategy and Plan, shows how to develop a sound foundation for your ITAM program and explains what ITAM is and isn't. We will also cover the fundamentals and the standard positions of assets at a point in time during the IMACD stages (Install/Move/Add or Change/Disposal), and where in the life cycle process the asset is: control, procure, deploy, manage, or retire.
Chapter 3, The New Risk Management, teaches how to govern your ITAM program through policies, processes, and procedures, as well as details and examples of the various types of ITAM policies that you could have and what types of regulations and standards can affect your ITAM and SAM programs, policies, processes, and procedures.
Chapter 4, What is SAM?, goes over another key component for ITAM success, Software Asset Management (SAM). You will learn what SAM is, what SAM standards are, how to manage your software assets, and gain an understanding of software contracts. We will also cover license types, usage, contract coverage, and contract reconciliation, and reporting.
Chapter 5, Understanding and Surviving Software License Compliance Audits, explains how to survive a software audit and the various steps to take after the traded audit demand letter, email, or phone call arrives.
Chapter 6, ITAM Tools - What Should You Look For?, focuses on IT Asset Management tools, ITAM tools strategy, what you should look for in an ITAM tool, and how to determine what your requirements should be. You will also learn what key questions to ask vendors about the tools they are trying to sell.
Chapter 7, Increasing ITAM Program and Project Success Rates Using Change Management, covers how change management increases ITAM program and project success. We cover the factors that influence why some projects are successful while others fail, and look for common reasons. The chapter also introduces a way of thinking about projects that is still result oriented, but is equally focused on the people aspect of projects and describes how taking a change management approach to ITAM project success "brings the project to life" for many people and moves them from understanding what is happening to being an active participant in the success of the ITAM project.
Chapter 8, Now What?, explains how to approach your ITAM/SAM program responsibilities, what those responsibilities are exactly, and how to figure out what those responsibilities could be, now that you have implemented and deployed your ITAM/SAM program, policies, and tool.