risk management<\/a>. These systems highlight areas where productivity could be improved via upgrades or where costs could be reduced due to unutilized resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\nHow to Choose the Best ITAM Software for Your Business<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
As your IT team is evaluating IT asset management solutions, consider the following points while your team narrows down a list of tools to select the best fit for your business overall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Systems supported<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Ensure that the solution you use supports the operating systems and devices your business uses. If your team has Mac and Windows machines, the right ITAM solution should support both systems. Having to purchase multiple solutions or having incompatible devices will be a waste in the long run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Single solution or suite<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
While some ITAM products are available as standalone solutions, others belong to a larger suite, like Pulseway. Consider whether your team is looking for multiple IT management solutions in one. This will affect cost, too, but it might save your team money in the long run if you need multiple tools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Security tools<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Security-focused IT teams have plenty of options: many ITAM products offer security add-ons like patch management or belong to a suite of security products already. Keep security integrations in mind if your team is looking for that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Scalability<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Does the ITAM solution you’re considering have the ability to increase the number of assets or technicians on a plan? This is particularly important if you have a small business that’s growing rapidly. You may only have five technicians now, but if you have twenty in a couple of years, you’ll need a product designed for businesses of multiple sizes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Budget<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Last but certainly not least, take your organization’s budget into consideration. Avoiding overspending while still choosing the best solution is a balancing act; you want to make sure the ITAM tool you choose is effective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How We Evaluated ITAM Software<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
eSecurity Planet<\/em> chose a selection of ITAM products to evaluate using a product scoring rubric. We also look at vendors’ product pages and data sheets, as well as comprehensive user reviews, as we analyze products to determine which are best for our audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIn our product scoring rubric, the following criteria are weighted according to the percentages listed for each, and that weight affects the total score for each product accordingly. The top scored products made it onto our list, but some that were scored lower did not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Features \u2013 30%<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
We evaluated ITAM tools’ core capabilities, including hardware and software discovery, license tracking, and custom rules management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Price \u2013 20%<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
We not only evaluated available pricing information but also scored vendors based on their pricing transparency, availability of free trials, and whether they offered an annual pricing discount.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Deployment and administration \u2013 25%<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
These subcriteria include knowledge bases, technical skill requirements to set up the product, and SaaS versus on-premises deployments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Customer support \u2013 15%<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
We scored customer support based on the frequency of availability, live chat and email support, and whether the vendor offered demos or training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Additional capabilities \u2013 10%<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Other features that our research team scored included financial and risk analysis, third-party asset vendor management, and configuration management databases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
People frequently ask the following questions about IT asset management software. We highlight benefits and considerations of using ITAM tools, among other details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What are some key benefits of using IT asset management software?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
IT asset management software is a central tool that IT teams can use to handle multiple parts of hardware and software lifecycles. IT assets like laptops, servers, and tablets need to be carefully managed, and that includes keeping licenses up to date but also making appropriate security upgrades. ITAM software simplifies the many jobs that IT teams have when they manage the business’s assets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What security features should I consider when evaluating IT asset management software?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Patch management features can be a big help with the overwhelming process of addressing security vulnerabilities. Integration with endpoint security tools can simplify patch delivery, security monitoring and asset management. And discovering forgotten IT assets can protect your organization from security risks you were previously unaware of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What is the difference between ITAM and ITSM?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
ITAM and IT service management are similar, and it can be even more confusing when a vendor offers both in one product or suite of products. Broadly speaking, IT asset management focuses on IT assets like business devices and applications, while IT service management focuses on IT services (like help desk tickets and incident resolution) that often affect those assets. They overlap in some ITAM and ITSM products, though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What are types of IT assets?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Along with company-issued laptops and desktops, tablets, mobile phones, and servers, other examples of IT assets include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- Routers, switches, and other networking equipment<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Printers<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Storage arrays<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Databases<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Antivirus and other security software installations<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Software and applications<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Note that not all solutions will support every networking or IoT device. If your business wants to cover those in an ITAM deployment, look for solutions like Quest KACE that inventory them, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bottom Line: Empowering IT Teams with ITAM Software<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
IT asset management software simplifies IT teams’ jobs, centralizing many of the tasks they already have to do. It gives them tools to automate time-consuming tasks like taking asset inventory and searching for outdated licenses and unknown devices. ITAM products don’t automatically solve all of an IT team’s problems \u2014 they take time to learn and implement. But they’re a worthwhile investment, especially if you choose a tool that can scale with your business as it grows. If your IT team customizes ITAM software to fit your specific business needs, it can become a powerful tool that supports not only your technology department but also, behind the scenes, your entire organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Article written by Drew Robb<\/a> on Dec. 1, 2021 and updated by Jenna Phipps on Aug. 23, 2023<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nRead next:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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