Rapidly growing businesses rely on various hardware assets, from laptops and mobile devices to servers and networking equipment. The advance in these tools enables organizations to stay competitive. According to Research Nester , the hardware asset management market was valued at over USD 10 billion in 2023.
However, it also presents a significant challenge: managing and tracking these assets efficiently throughout their lifecycle. Failing to do so can lead to security vulnerabilities, increased costs, and operational inefficiencies.
To tackle these challenges, businesses need a robust hardware asset management (HAM) system that aligns with IT service management (ITSM) goals to drive better outcomes. ServiceNow Hardware Asset Management, when integrated with ITSM modules, offers a powerful solution for optimizing asset performance, reducing costs, and boosting business agility.
Platforms like inMorphis, a ServiceNow-invested partner, simplify this integration, ensuring that businesses harness the full potential of their hardware investments while maintaining security and operational efficiency.
This blog post covers hardware asset management, its advantages, and the need to integrate HAM with IT service management (ITSM) and provide a comprehensive method for formulating an asset management plan.
Understanding Integration Needs of HAM with ITSM
Hardware assets are the physical components of an organization's IT infrastructure that support business productivity. These include desktops, laptops, servers, telecom equipment, and other auxiliary devices. ServiceNow hardware asset management is the systematic tracking and optimization of your organization’s assets' worth across their life cycle.
Through the integration of physical assets with IT services and finance, a complete hardware asset management strategy promotes cost-effectiveness and efficient utilization. IT departments may forecast hardware requirements and cut down expenses by using effective asset management.
Additionally, the assets that are secure, up-to-date, and well-maintained enhance user experience.
Benefits of ServiceNow’s HAM Integration with ITSM
According to a recent Vector Networks analysis, companies can save approximately 30% on each asset during the first year of a ServiceNow hardware asset management program's implementation. This means that an efficient HAM approach enhances agility and overall business performance in multiple ways:
- Enhances visibility:Tracking asset health and performance ensures timely replacements and scheduled maintenance. This proactive approach helps identify issues early, minimizing downtime and increasing productivity.
- Increases adherence: The HAM life cycle's regulatory and legal requirements ensure that all hardware, new and old, complies with standards and stays compliant
- Boosts safety: It protects against illegal behavior and data loss via regular maintenance, monitoring, and well-defined procedures for decommissioning assets
- Augments decision-making: Reporting and analytics enable IT to review performance, compliance, and service variances about any type or given asset. This feature makes it possible to carry out predictive maintenance, identify defects, pinpoint higher-performing assets, and make better user recommendations.
Best Practices for Successful Integration of HAM with ITSM
To simplify and enhance the predictability of life cycle management, we follow ServiceNow hardware asset management’s best practices.
- Unified Data Model: Ensure that documentation for each hardware asset is standardized across the organization. This approach makes asset tracking, accurate reporting, and better decision-making easier as all relevant information is stored in one centralized location
- Workflow Automation: Adopt workflow automation to procurement, maintenance, and decommissioning processes to eliminate manual errors, shorten work processes, and provide the ability to track performance and asset lifecycle stages more effectively.
- Real-Time Visibility: Use technology to track the assets' position, productivity, and status. When IT departments oversee hardware assets, they can effectively track equipment and allocate time efficiently. This reduces delays and ensures that the equipment becomes productive more quickly.
- Change Management Integration: Ensure that your organization's hardware asset management solution is aligned with your change management process. It makes it possible to detect any changes in the IT environment, avoid potential risks, and conform to the present security policies.
- Regular Audits and Updates: Perform periodic checks to be able to compare the identified assets with the current IT environment. By updating your asset database frequently, you can easily pick out non-conforming or outdated hardware, thus avoiding problems in the workplace and non-compliance.
- Continuous Improvement: Evaluate and constantly improve HAM’s life cycle as new areas of inefficiency are observed, and ways of improving the processes are sought. It may involve optimization of the hardware request process or incorporating HAM into the service desk software.
Also, read ServiceNow HAM Solutions: Optimize Your HAM Strategy.
Addressing Common Challenges of ServiceNow HAM with ITSM
Integrating ServiceNow hardware asset management with ITSM modules streamlines processes, enhances control, and boosts productivity. Thoughtful planning ensures a transparent experience, transforming challenges into opportunities for improved efficiency.
Adoption by Users and Resistance to Change
When IT departments manage hardware assets, they can keep track of equipment and use their time better. This helps reduce delays and allows the equipment to become productive faster.
Inaccurate or Ineffective Procedures
Some people do not have any defined procedure at their company. When an end-user reports an event, there is no designated authority to investigate and resolve the problem. Customers may get dissatisfied due to delays in issue response. Furthermore, errors that result in rework and extra expenses are more likely to occur without a transparent process.
Having Trouble Proving ROI (Return On Investment)
Quantifying the value proposition of ServiceNow hardware asset management projects can be challenging. It is not easy to demonstrate the financial, time, or quality gains they produce.
If these challenges are too complex to solve, you can opt for inMorphis, a ServiceNow invested company. They make the process of ITSM integration with ServiceNow HAM easy and efficient with their out-of-the-box, tailored frameworks.
Monitoring and Continuous Improvement
For the best security and performance after deployment, hardware assets must be monitored. Dashboard reporting and analytics to pinpoint hardware use, security issues, and general health can be obtained through monitoring tools and procedures.
Before problems result in downtime or security breaches, these solutions assist IT staff in locating and resolving problems. Additionally, it aids groups in performance optimization so that the most value is derived from the asset.
Also, read ServiceNow Hardware Asset Management: Your Path to Efficiency.
Conclusion
Integrating ServiceNow Hardware Asset Management (HAM) with IT Service Management (ITSM) modules can considerably enhance operational efficiency, security, and cost management. By adopting best practices such as workflow automation, real-time visibility, and change management integration, businesses can optimize their hardware assets throughout their lifecycle. Addressing common challenges like user adoption, process standardization, and demonstrating ROI is essential for ensuring a successful implementation.
Leveraging platforms like inMorphis can further streamline this integration, providing businesses with tailored frameworks that align HAM with their ITSM processes. This integration not only improves asset tracking and compliance but also enables organizations to stay agile and competitive in today’s evolving digital landscape.
To unlock the full potential of ServiceNow HAM, consider integrating it with your ITSM modules today, and future-proof your asset management strategy.
References
1: Nester(https://www.researchnester.com/reports/hardware-asset-management-market/5720/market-size)
2. Vector(https://www.vector-networks.com/blog/it-asset-management-stats)
