IT Asset Management Certifications

IT professionals or organizations that are hiring IT teams for IT asset management (ITAM) often wonder about asset management certifications and what role they play. We will break it all down to provide some guidance on the role of ITAM certifications, which ones are the best options, and what organizations should look for when hiring employees or teams to help with ITAM. Keep reading for all the details.

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IT professionals will wonder if they should have a certification to get hired for positions like IT asset manager or IT asset coordinator. Additionally, hiring managers for companies also wonder what credentials they should be looking for in the hiring process when they’re bringing team members on board.

What Is IT Asset Management?

IT asset management is a system of tracking data and optimizing the performance and usage of the computer equipment a business owns. The ultimate goal of this process is to help companies get the most value from the equipment they invest in.

With so many hardware, software, and cloud-based solutions throughout companies, these systems can quickly get disorganized. Much worse, it can cause near chaos when technological malfunctions occur if you don’t have the right processes in place to diagnose issues, gather data, and find solutions.

That’s why you must have an ITAM system in place. It’ll help you optimize spending, plan for maintenance and upgrades, organize your information, and put some core technical processes in place to help your employees do their jobs better.

What Is Hardware Asset Management?

Every business operation will have hardware assets throughout its operations. In fact, they’re consistently the backbone of your core daily processes. These are key physical pieces of equipment like personal computers, servers, switches, and hard drives. If these assets aren’t managed correctly, they can have problems that disrupt everything else within your core business functions.

Essentially, hardware asset management is the process of tracking information and optimizing the usage of these physical pieces of equipment. Typically, the systems for discovery, audits, maintenance, and more are more physical processes that require significant time to perform effectively.

Due to the importance and constraints that hardware asset management can have for companies, it’s why our team at Multiply saw a need for help with this aspect in many organizations.

We’ve made it our primary focus to provide companies with the best hardware asset management solutions through implementing inventory systems, performing audits, assisting with physical asset storage, and bridging communications between all teams involved.

What Is Software Asset Management?

Once you have your hardware assets properly managed, it can be a good idea to focus on software asset management as the next step. A certified software asset manager will do tasks that involves tracking data and optimizing any software you use in daily operations, like time-tracking, bookkeeping and cybersecurity software.

The processes to manage software assets are typically composed of digital systems to manage data, store them appropriately, and keep tabs on any licensing or associated documentation.

Is Software Asset Management Part of ITIL?

When you’re looking into resources about ITAM, the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) has tons of helpful information about how to implement ITAM’s core processes successfully.

Software asset management is part of ITIL asset management. There are sections within their guidelines that discuss the specific processes of managing software, such as tracking expenses, managing updates, and ensuring licenses are renewed on time. It’s a helpful resource for anyone who is just getting started in the process.

Is IT Asset Management Part of ITSM?

IT asset management is part of ITSM. The IT service management (ITSM) guidelines typically cover how services like maintenance and updates of equipment are performed. So the sections of ITSM that entail ITAM are primarily focused on those aspects of the asset lifecycle.

This can be a good resource to help you discover how to correctly implement ITAM with other daily IT services. However, resources like the ITIL are much better suited to get a well-rounded overview of the entire asset lifecycle from procurement to disposition and everything in between.

Additionally, if you don’t have time to review all the fine details about ITAM and simply want a team to help that’s well-versed in all these processes, our team at Multiply can be your partner every step of the way. We’ll do the hard stuff for you and set you up with systems that are easy to manage.

What Is an Asset Management Certificate?

IT professionals or organizations looking for resources may also find that there are several different types of IT asset management certificates you can get. While hiring someone who’s a certified asset management professional sounds like a good bet, you may still be wondering what these certificates are and if they’re worthwhile credentials.

Essentially IT asset management certificates are courses that professionals can take to learn the ins and outs of running a complete ITAM system. Some certificates focus on specific areas of ITAM, like hardware or software, while others provide a more general overview.

An IT Asset Manager Should Have More Than Just Certificates

Certificates can be great educational resources, but it is important to know that serious IT or asset management professionals will usually have more education than just certifications.

You should also look for them to have degrees in information technology, computer science, finance, or other related fields. It simply shows that they have well-versed knowledge in all the core aspects of computer systems or the financial aspects involved.

That said, certificates do still have value and a place in the process since degrees don’t always focus specifically on ITAM. That’s why a combination of the two can work well together.

Let’s take a look at some of the best certifications for asset management to help you decide which ones may be the best fit.

Which Certification Is Best for Software Asset Management?

When looking for the best asset management certifications, the International Association of Information Technology Asset Managers (IAITAM) has some excellent options available. Specifically, their CSAM software asset management certification, which focuses on the need to optimize software usage in company operations, is the best in this category.

This certificate covers many of the core processes of managing software, like licensing, data management, core updates, lifecycles, and much more. It should help you learn the core principles to apply them on the job.

What Is the Best Hardware Asset Management Certification?

When looking for physical asset management courses to manage company hardware asset management, the IAITAM’s CHAMP certification stands out as a great option. It’ll help you learn about budgeting for hardware assets, managing storage, and optimizing performance.

Best Fixed Asset Management Course

Companies that want to optimize their IT asset management systems also need to pay attention to fixed assets that impact workflows and the storage capacity available. That’s where property asset management courses can come in handy.

Some of the best options are the CCIM (Certified Commercial Investment Manager) and CPM (Certified Property Manager) certifications. These certificates provide tons of information about managing properties, leases, and optimizing commercial spaces you invest in for success.

Best General IT Asset Management Certification Course

Some professionals may also look for IT asset management courses that cover a general spectrum of all the aspects involved in ITAM. For that, the IT Asset Management Foundation Certification is one of the best. It provides a thorough overview of everything involved in asset lifecycles for different types of assets like hardware and software.

What Does it Mean to be a Certified Asset Management Assessor?

Becoming a Certified Asset Management Assessor (CAMA) shows that someone has a high level of knowledge about asset management and how it’s deployed within businesses. Typically, the goal of someone who obtains this certification is to be able to assess the knowledge and competencies for asset management for employees in a business.

Having a certified asset management assessor can be a good idea in hiring or training processes or in evaluating how current employees in an organization are operating within ITAM systems during audits.

What Is an IT Asset Management Program?

An IT asset management program essentially outlines the core processes involved in the ITAM system, usually revolving around the asset management lifecycle. Programs will typically outline processes for:

Setting up inventories
Asset procurement
Asset deployment
Performing maintenance and audits
Asset disposition

When your employees have a working knowledge of the core processes involved in these steps of asset lifecycles, it helps everything else within your business run much smoother.

If you’re looking for help getting an ITAM system up and running, our team at Multiply can assist with all your needs.

How Multiply Can Help

Multiply can be your partner for success when you’re getting started with ITAM or trying to improve your core processes.

We’re a well-educated and experienced team of IT consultants and senior service technicians. We’ve helped several companies perform successful audits, set up inventories, streamline processes, and bridge communications to create more organized working environments. We’re certain we can assist with all of your needs too.