Professionals who are looking to get into the IT industry or business leaders who are hiring asset management pros often wonder about the essential certifications for IT asset management (ITAM). After all, it’s essential to have qualified professionals to ensure the core processes of ITAM are implemented successfully so you can accurately conduct risk management and create an asset management plan.
In this article, we’ll dive into which IT asset management certifications may be essential for certain positions and what their role in the learning process will be. Read on to get all the information.
What Is an Asset Management Certificate?
An IT asset manager certification is a credential that shows an ITAM professional has achieved a certain level of knowledge and training in core processes like managing asset lifecycles, data security, or cost control, to name a few. Asset management certifications cover a range of asset management concepts. As such, you can better predict the skill set and asset management experience of a certified asset management professional when considering your ITAM needs.
There are many certifications ITAM an asset management specialist may try to obtain as they grow their career, so the right one for professional needs can vary depending on a variety of factors.
When hiring IT pros for a business, it’s also essential to consider which asset manager certifications are most important to help you achieve company goals, and understanding the differences between them.
What Qualifications Do You Need to Work in Asset Management?
There are several common proficiencies that a certified software asset manager and ITAM professionals should have to be qualified for a position in this field. Some of the primary ones include:
- Cost control of IT assets: Controlling costs involves managing budgets, negotiating with vendors for the best prices, and choosing the right equipment to provide the most value for a company’s needs.
- Compliance: There are several business regulations that affect asset management, like maintaining environmentally friendly procedures during asset disposition and properly tracking financial data in case the company is ever audited. Professionals should be well-versed in all these aspects to ensure the best results.
- Information security: Cybersecurity is always a prime area of focus for businesses. You must maintain data compliance to prevent leaks or attacks from outside threats, so professionals who understand aspects like access and data management are very valuable in the IT space.
- Asset lifecycles: When you purchase IT assets, it’s important to understand that they all have a unique lifecycle of usefulness since technology is always evolving. That means managing assets from procurement to disposition through the right processes and procedures is essential to success.
As you can see, there are plenty of aspects that ITAM professionals should know. Let’s take a look at some of the top industry certifications that will be valuable in the learning process.
Best Certifications for Asset Management
Some of the best IT asset management courses and certifications are:
- IAITAM Certifications: IAITAM is one of the top certifying organizations. Starting with their CAMP certification can be a great place for beginners to learn about ITAM. Otherwise, you could go with equipment-specific certifications like their CHAMP hardware asset management certification.
- ITAMF Certification: The ITAMF is another popular certification choice for those who are just getting into ITAM. This is a great option for those who want a well-rounded overview of how asset lifecycles are managed, compliance, and an understanding of the business value of ITAM.
- CAMA Certification: For more advanced professionals, becoming a certified asset management assessor may be a good option. This can be a great one for pros who want to help assess asset management systems and employees within a business and take a leadership role in the process.
While there are several certifications available, looking into these can be a great starting point for many different career needs. Our team at Multiply is certified in various areas across ITAM.
What Is the Best Qualification for Asset Management?
While asset management certifications can certainly help, the two best qualifications for asset management possess a bachelor’s degree in information technology, computer science, or other related areas, and real work experience in the IT field.
Asset Managers: How To Learn Asset Management
It’s often best practice for professionals to get a degree and start working in the IT field before looking to specialize with various certifications. However, if you want a basic overview to see if ITAM may be a good career choice, going with a basic beginner certification like ITAMF can also provide you with a nice overview.
Suppose you’re an IT leader or business owner and looking to integrate hardware assets or software asset management into your processes. In that case, bringing on partners like Multiply can also help you successfully integrate ITAM systems without having to go through detailed learning processes on your own. Our team has systems we can put in place to help you manage this process much easier to take the confusion and stress out of it.
How Do I Become an Asset Management Professional or Asset Manager?
Those who are just starting their career and looking to get into asset management can benefit from obtaining one of the abovementioned degrees and then applying for entry-level IT asset management positions. Then you can start gaining real on-the-job experience and learn what certifications will be best to level up your career.
How Multiply Can Help With Strategic Asset Management Thinking
For business leaders that don’t have time to learn and implement every aspect of ITAM, Multiply can be the solution to your problems. We’re a team of highly experienced IT consultants and senior service technicians who specialize in IT asset and data management.
When you partner with our team, we can create simplified systems for success by performing audits, creating inventories, and bridging communications between all the teams involved in the process. That way, you can rest assured your ITAM needs are handled correctly so you can focus on other essential business needs.
Contact us today to learn more about how Multiply can help!
