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Difference between revisions of "IT Asset (Information Technology Asset)"

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An '''IT Asset''' is a piece of software or hardware within an information technology environment. IT assets are integral components of the organization’s systems and network infrastructure. Tracking of IT assets within an [[Information Technology Asset Management (ITAM)|IT Asset Management]] system can be crucial to the operational or financial success of an enterprise.
 
An '''IT Asset''' is a piece of software or hardware within an information technology environment. IT assets are integral components of the organization’s systems and network infrastructure. Tracking of IT assets within an [[Information Technology Asset Management (ITAM)|IT Asset Management]] system can be crucial to the operational or financial success of an enterprise.
  
An asset is defined in general dictionaries as something useful or valuable. The task of any IT manager is to ensure that existing IT assets currently meet those criteria. An undeniable fact about any component of the IT environment is that it has a limited life cycle. Hardware breaks down. Software becomes obsolete. And systems lose their effectiveness.
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An asset is defined in general dictionaries as something useful or valuable. The task of any IT manager is to ensure that existing IT assets currently meet those criteria. An undeniable fact about any component of the IT environment is that it has a limited life cycle. [[Hardware]] breaks down. [[Software]] becomes obsolete. And systems lose their effectiveness.
  
 
The [[Information Technology Asset Management (ITAM)|management of IT assets]] requires well-developed processes and clear policies. IT asset management software may track physical devices, software instances and licenses, and even the cabinets that house them. Managers should be able to look up warranty and vendor information and understand how each asset contributes to the environment. Change control procedures are effective ways to manage upgrades and replacements.
 
The [[Information Technology Asset Management (ITAM)|management of IT assets]] requires well-developed processes and clear policies. IT asset management software may track physical devices, software instances and licenses, and even the cabinets that house them. Managers should be able to look up warranty and vendor information and understand how each asset contributes to the environment. Change control procedures are effective ways to manage upgrades and replacements.
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Digital transformation has changed not only the way business works, and the way IT functions. The [[Data Center|datacenter]] (which had often been in the “too difficult” pile for both [[Hardware]] and [[Software Asset Management (SAM)|Software Asset Management]] was sidelined as [[Cloud Computing|Cloud]] and XaaS increased in significance (initially through hype and eventually in reality). Regardless of the debate as to whether something is a hardware asset, software asset, IT asset or technology asset, there is a wide variety of digital technology supporting our businesses that we need to ensure is managed through effective governance. Changes to the way in which technology is delivered mean that traditional asset management taxonomies are no longer fit for purpose. The complexity and limitations of the diagram (below) clearly demonstrate why the traditional taxonomy for classifying ‘IT’ assets no longer work. While this is a good attempt at building a mechanism for defining what assets fall within ITAM’s remit, it still leaves us with the problem of a fixed taxonomy that risks becoming irrelevant as new technologies are developed.
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'''Classifying Types of IT Assets<ref>Why Current IT Asset Classification no longer works [https://www.snowsoftware.com/int/blog/2018/06/16/what-technology-asset Snow Software]</ref>'''<br />
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Digital transformation has changed not only the way business works, and the way IT functions. The [[Data Center|datacenter]] (which had often been in the “too difficult” pile for both [[Hardware]] and [[Software Asset Management (SAM)|Software Asset Management]] was sidelined as [[Cloud Computing|Cloud]] and [[XaaS (Everything as a Service)|XaaS]] increased in significance (initially through hype and eventually in reality). Regardless of the debate as to whether something is a hardware asset, software asset, IT asset or technology asset, there is a wide variety of digital technology supporting our businesses that we need to ensure is managed through effective [[Governance|governance]]. Changes to the way in which technology is delivered mean that traditional asset management taxonomies are no longer fit for purpose. The complexity and limitations of the diagram (below) clearly demonstrate why the traditional taxonomy for classifying ‘IT’ assets no longer work. While this is a good attempt at building a mechanism for defining what assets fall within ITAM’s remit, it still leaves us with the problem of a fixed taxonomy that risks becoming irrelevant as new technologies are developed.
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[[File:IT_Assets.jpg|200px|IT Assets]]
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source: Snow Software
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While this model is a good attempt to update the classification from simply ‘hardware’ and ‘software’ it raises several questions that are not easy o answer, and illustrates that any attempt to fix a taxonomy is going to be problematic. These problems are not unique to this model, but simply an illustration of the issues that all organizations are encountering and that many IT asset managers are struggling to resolve:
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*IT hardware is increasingly difficult to define – once it was [[Server|server]] and [[Desktop|desktop]]. Then additional categories (laptop, mobile) were added. Now we have to take account of [[Internet of Things (IoT)|IoT]] sensors, [[Operational Technology (OT)|operational technology]], [[Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)|BYOD]] and other challenges. The terms ‘platform’ and ‘edge’ as used in the IoT world may offer us more flexibility for a while, but this leads us on to…
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*[[Virtual Machine|Virtual machines]] – while these are technically software, they replace hardware, and have hardware-like attributes. They also run on traditional hardware which needs to be managed as such.
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*Likewise cloud services may be considered as replacements for hardware, and they do indeed run on hardware. Private cloud will include a requirement to manage the supporting hardware, while public cloud is more problematic, and management requirements will vary depending on the service provided ([[Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)|IaaS]], [[Product-as-a-Service (PaaS)|PaaS]], [[Business Process as a Service (BPaaS)|BPaaS], [[Software as a Service (SaaS)|SaaS]]).
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*SaaS may be considered an asset service (or possibly a Service Asset in [[ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library)|ITIL]] terms) but many [[Organization|organizations]] manage it as software under existing [[Software Asset Management (SAM)|SAM]] capabilities.
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*Digital information is often managed by ITAM (particularly where there are subscriptions to be paid for licenses to use the data) but should probably be considered as a data asset and fall under the remit of Information Asset Management. These subscriptions are not software licenses and although the process for approval payment may be shared, the governance is not.
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*IT contracts cover more than just technology assets, and are generally managed by procurement, contract or vendor management. While ITAM needs to know where these are and have access to data needed to manage the assets, the responsibility for managing the contract is beyond the remit of any ITAM function. ITAM systems are not generally suitable for use as contract management systems.
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*A specific concern with the ISO model is that it calls out the ITAM system and tools themselves as a specific category of assets to be managed (and makes it a large part of the diagram). The [[Data|data]] and [[Metadata|metadata]] related to ITAM would normally be considered as data assets, and therefore fall under information asset management, while the technology assets that make up the ITAM solution should be considered as part of their primary asset class and not as something separate.
  
  

Revision as of 22:26, 7 January 2020

An IT Asset is a piece of software or hardware within an information technology environment. IT assets are integral components of the organization’s systems and network infrastructure. Tracking of IT assets within an IT Asset Management system can be crucial to the operational or financial success of an enterprise.

An asset is defined in general dictionaries as something useful or valuable. The task of any IT manager is to ensure that existing IT assets currently meet those criteria. An undeniable fact about any component of the IT environment is that it has a limited life cycle. Hardware breaks down. Software becomes obsolete. And systems lose their effectiveness.

The management of IT assets requires well-developed processes and clear policies. IT asset management software may track physical devices, software instances and licenses, and even the cabinets that house them. Managers should be able to look up warranty and vendor information and understand how each asset contributes to the environment. Change control procedures are effective ways to manage upgrades and replacements.

As company property, IT assets are also important for financial managers. From procurement to operations to disposal, each asset comes with a cost. The decision to remove, replace or upgrade an IT asset must be done with a full understanding of any financial impact to the business.[1]


Classifying Types of IT Assets[2]
Digital transformation has changed not only the way business works, and the way IT functions. The datacenter (which had often been in the “too difficult” pile for both Hardware and Software Asset Management was sidelined as Cloud and XaaS increased in significance (initially through hype and eventually in reality). Regardless of the debate as to whether something is a hardware asset, software asset, IT asset or technology asset, there is a wide variety of digital technology supporting our businesses that we need to ensure is managed through effective governance. Changes to the way in which technology is delivered mean that traditional asset management taxonomies are no longer fit for purpose. The complexity and limitations of the diagram (below) clearly demonstrate why the traditional taxonomy for classifying ‘IT’ assets no longer work. While this is a good attempt at building a mechanism for defining what assets fall within ITAM’s remit, it still leaves us with the problem of a fixed taxonomy that risks becoming irrelevant as new technologies are developed.

IT Assets source: Snow Software


While this model is a good attempt to update the classification from simply ‘hardware’ and ‘software’ it raises several questions that are not easy o answer, and illustrates that any attempt to fix a taxonomy is going to be problematic. These problems are not unique to this model, but simply an illustration of the issues that all organizations are encountering and that many IT asset managers are struggling to resolve:

  • IT hardware is increasingly difficult to define – once it was server and desktop. Then additional categories (laptop, mobile) were added. Now we have to take account of IoT sensors, operational technology, BYOD and other challenges. The terms ‘platform’ and ‘edge’ as used in the IoT world may offer us more flexibility for a while, but this leads us on to…
  • Virtual machines – while these are technically software, they replace hardware, and have hardware-like attributes. They also run on traditional hardware which needs to be managed as such.
  • Likewise cloud services may be considered as replacements for hardware, and they do indeed run on hardware. Private cloud will include a requirement to manage the supporting hardware, while public cloud is more problematic, and management requirements will vary depending on the service provided (IaaS, PaaS, [[Business Process as a Service (BPaaS)|BPaaS], SaaS).
  • SaaS may be considered an asset service (or possibly a Service Asset in ITIL terms) but many organizations manage it as software under existing SAM capabilities.
  • Digital information is often managed by ITAM (particularly where there are subscriptions to be paid for licenses to use the data) but should probably be considered as a data asset and fall under the remit of Information Asset Management. These subscriptions are not software licenses and although the process for approval payment may be shared, the governance is not.
  • IT contracts cover more than just technology assets, and are generally managed by procurement, contract or vendor management. While ITAM needs to know where these are and have access to data needed to manage the assets, the responsibility for managing the contract is beyond the remit of any ITAM function. ITAM systems are not generally suitable for use as contract management systems.
  • A specific concern with the ISO model is that it calls out the ITAM system and tools themselves as a specific category of assets to be managed (and makes it a large part of the diagram). The data and metadata related to ITAM would normally be considered as data assets, and therefore fall under information asset management, while the technology assets that make up the ITAM solution should be considered as part of their primary asset class and not as something separate.


See Also

Information Technology (IT)
Information Technology Architecture
Information Technology Asset Management (ITAM)
Information Technology Controls (IT Controls)
IT Operations (Information Technology Operations)
IT Strategy (Information Technology Strategy)
IT Governance
Enterprise Architecture
IT Sourcing (Information Technology Sourcing)
IT Infrastructure
IT Management (Information Technology Management)
IT Portfolio


References

  1. Definition - What Does IT Asset or Information Technology Asset Mean? Techopedia
  2. Why Current IT Asset Classification no longer works Snow Software