ITAM Handbook: ITAM Data

This chapter of the ITAM Handbook describes the data that IT asset management works with: the common data points and where they come from, the business processes that produce and use them, the reports built on them, and the data that software vendors rely on in license audits. Product names given as data sources are examples of where such data typically lives, not recommendations.

Common Data Points

When managing IT assets, organisations collect various data points to optimise resource allocation and maintain compliance. Some of the most common data points include:

Users: user identification, roles, and access rights

Aspect	Details
Collected fields	User ID, first name, last name, email address, job title, department, manager, and access rights
Importance	User data is crucial for ITAM reporting, as some software licenses (e.g., Named User Plus) require organisations to allocate licenses to each user with access to the product. Tracking user data ensures the organization maintains license compliance and optimises software costs.
Data sources	Microsoft Active Directory, LDAP, Azure AD, Okta

Organisational data: business units, departments, cost centres, and locations

Aspect	Details
Collected fields	Business unit name, department name, cost center ID, location name, address, and contact information
Importance	Organisational data is essential for ITAM reporting, as it helps organisations ensure compliance with contractual restrictions enforced by software vendors, such as location-based licenses or department-specific allocations. This data enables the organization to optimise resource allocation while maintaining compliance with vendor agreements.
Data sources	ERP systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle E-Business Suite), HR systems (e.g., Workday, Oracle HCM), custom databases

Servers: physical and virtual server configurations, operating systems, and capacity

Aspect	Details
Collected fields	Server name, server type (physical/virtual), CPU, RAM, storage capacity, operating system, and IP address.
Importance	Server data is vital for ITAM reporting, as it supports organisations in managing processor-based licenses, where the number of licenses required depends on the server’s hardware configuration. This information helps organisations maintain compliance with software licensing requirements while efficiently managing their server infrastructure.
Data sources	Microsoft SCCM, VMware vCenter, AWS Management Console, Microsoft Azure Portal

Desktops: hardware specifications, operating systems, and software installations

Aspect	Details
Collected fields	Desktop name, hardware specifications (CPU, RAM, storage), operating system, and installed software.
Importance	Desktop data is essential for ITAM reporting, as it helps organisations manage device-based licenses, which require a license for each device where the software is installed. Tracking desktop data allows organisations to optimise license usage and identify potential cost savings.
Data sources	Microsoft SCCM, Microsoft Intune, Jamf, Lansweeper

Virtualisation relationships

Aspect	Details
Collected fields	Virtual machine (VM) ID, host server ID, VM-to-host mapping, VM resource allocation
Importance	Crucial for accurately managing per-device and per-processor licensing in virtualised environments, ensuring compliance with vendor-specific requirements.
Data sources	RVTools, VMware vCenter, Hyper-V Management Console, HMC

Installed software: software titles, versions, licenses, and usage metrics

Aspect	Details
Collected fields	Publisher, software title, version, license type, installation date, and usage metrics.
Importance	Installed software data is critical for ITAM reporting, as it helps organisations maintain compliance by tracking software installations and usage. This data enables organisations to identify underutilised licenses, optimise software usage, and reduce costs.
Data sources	Microsoft SCCM, Snow Software, Flexera, Ivanti

Service catalogs: IT services provided, service-level agreements, and support contracts

Aspect	Details
Collected fields	Asset registration, deployment, maintenance, disposal information, change requests, approvals, implementation tracking, incident and problem tickets, resolution details, and root cause analysis.
Importance	Service catalog data is important for ITAM reporting, as it helps organizations track and manage the IT services they provide and the associated contracts. This data ensures organisations can effectively allocate resources, manage costs, and maintain contractual compliance.
Data sources	ServiceNow, BMC Remedy, Jira Service Management

Configuration Management Database (CMDB): relationships between IT assets, configurations, and dependencies

Aspect	Details
Collected fields	Asset name, asset type, configuration details, relationships, and dependencies.
Importance	CMDB data is crucial for ITAM reporting, as it provides a holistic view of IT assets, their configurations, and dependencies. This information helps organisations identify potential licensing risks, optimise resource allocation, and maintain compliance with software vendor requirements.
Data sources	ServiceNow, BMC Atrium, ManageEngine, Micro Focus Universal CMDB

Procurement data

Aspect	Details
Collected fields	Vendor information, purchase orders, invoices, contract details, and license entitlements.
Importance	Procurement data is important for ITAM reporting as it provides visibility into software purchases, license entitlements, and contractual obligations. This information allows organisations to optimise costs, maintain an accurate record of licenses, and ensure compliance with vendor agreements.
Data sources	ERP systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle E-Business Suite), procurement platforms (e.g., Coupa, Ariba), custom databases

License management data

Aspect	Details
Collected fields	License entitlements, compliance status, and software usage.
Importance	License management data is crucial for ITAM reporting, as it enables organisations to maintain compliance with software vendors’ licensing policies, such as those outlined by Microsoft, IBM, and Oracle. Accurate license management data helps identify areas of non-compliance and optimise software usage, ultimately reducing costs and mitigating risks associated with non-compliance.
Data sources	Flexera, Snow Software, Microsoft License Service Center, IBM License Metric Tool, Oracle License Management Services

Business Processes

Procurement

Aspect	Details
Description	Procurement involves acquiring IT assets, negotiating contracts, and managing vendor relationships.
Related data points	Vendor information, purchase orders, invoices, contract details, and license entitlements.
Collected data relevance	Accurate procurement data allows organisations to track software purchases, maintain up-to-date records of licenses, and negotiate favourable contract terms.
ITAM relevance	Efficient procurement processes are vital for ITAM, as they ensure compliance with vendor agreements, such as the ISO 19770-1 standard for software asset management, and help optimise costs associated with IT assets.

Asset lifecycle management

Aspect	Details
Description	Asset lifecycle management involves tracking IT assets from acquisition through deployment, maintenance, and disposal.
Related data points	Asset registration, deployment, maintenance, and disposal information.
Collected data relevance	Asset lifecycle data enables organisations to maintain accurate asset records and monitor asset utilisation throughout their lifecycle.
ITAM relevance	Effective asset lifecycle management is crucial for ITAM, as it helps organisations optimise resource allocation, manage costs, and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements for asset disposal.

License management

Aspect	Details
Description	License management involves tracking and optimising software licenses to maintain compliance with vendor licensing policies, such as those outlined by Microsoft, IBM, and Oracle.
Related data points	License entitlements, compliance status, and software usage.
Collected data relevance	Accurate license management data helps organisations identify areas of non-compliance, optimise software usage, and maintain up-to-date records of software licenses.
ITAM relevance	License management is essential for ITAM, as it helps organisations maintain compliance with software vendor licensing requirements, optimise software costs, and mitigate risks associated with non-compliance.

Change management

Aspect	Details
Description	Change management involves tracking and managing IT asset changes and configurations.
Related data points	Change requests, approvals, and implementation tracking.
Collected data relevance	Change management data ensures that organisations have accurate and up-to-date asset configuration records and can track changes’ impact on licensing compliance.
ITAM relevance	Efficient change management processes are vital for ITAM, as they help organisations maintain compliance with software vendor licensing requirements, optimise resource allocation, and manage risks associated with IT asset changes.

Incident and problem management

Aspect	Details
Description	Incident and problem management involves addressing IT asset-related issues and identifying root causes to prevent a recurrence.
Related data points	Incident and problem tickets, resolution details, and root cause analysis.
Collected data relevance	Incident and problem management data helps organisations identify patterns of asset-related issues and their impact on software licensing compliance.
ITAM relevance	Effective incident and problem management are crucial for ITAM, as it helps organisations improve asset management practices, reduce risks associated with non-compliance, and maintain a reliable IT environment.

Reporting

Inventory reports

Aspect	Details
Description	These reports provide a comprehensive overview of all IT assets in an organization.
KPIs	Total number of assets, asset types, asset status (active, retired, etc.)
Required data points	Asset ID, asset type, asset status, location, associated software installations, assigned users
Examples	1. A report showing all active servers, their locations, and associated software installations. 2. A report listing all desktop devices, their assigned users, and installed applications.

Compliance reports

Aspect	Details
Description	These reports help organisations assess and maintain compliance with software vendor licensing policies.
KPIs	License compliance status, potential compliance risks, underutilised licenses
Required data points	License entitlements, software usage, licensing metrics, compliance status
Examples	1. A report showing Microsoft SQL Server license compliance based on core licensing metrics. 2. A report analysing IBM WebSphere Application Server licensing compliance using Processor Value Unit (PVU) metrics.

Financial reports

Aspect	Details
Description	Financial reports provide insights into IT asset costs, helping organisations optimise spending and identify potential savings opportunities.
KPIs	Total IT asset costs, cost breakdown by asset type, cost trends over time
Required data points	Asset costs, asset types, department allocations, maintenance costs, acquisition costs
Examples	1. A report showing software costs per department, highlighting potential areas for cost optimisation. 2. A report detailing hardware acquisition and maintenance costs for the past year, identifying the most expensive asset types.

Lifecycle reports

Aspect	Details
Description	Lifecycle reports help organisations track and manage IT assets throughout their lifecycle, from procurement to disposal.
KPIs	Asset age, time since last maintenance, asset disposal status
Required data points	Asset ID, asset type, procurement date, maintenance history, disposal date, end-of-life status
Examples	1. A report listing all assets nearing end-of-life, along with their scheduled replacement dates. 2. A report displaying the maintenance history of critical servers, identifying those overdue for maintenance.

Vendor Audit Data

Understanding how software vendors define and enforce license metrics is crucial for ITAM. Data engineers must know the collected data points and how they map to these metrics. This section discusses some standard license metrics and the data sources specifically required for some software vendors.

License metrics

Per-user licensing (e.g., Named User, Named User Plus)

Aspect	Details
Description	Licenses are allocated based on the number of individual users who have access to the software.
Collected data points	Usernames, user roles, access rights, software usage
Relevance	Ensures that every user accessing the software is licensed, avoiding potential compliance issues.

Per-device licensing (e.g., Device CALs)

Aspect	Details
Description	Licenses are allocated based on the number of devices accessing the software, regardless of the number of users.
Collected data points	Device IDs, device types, device locations, software usage, virtualisation relationships
Relevance	Allows organisations to license devices rather than individual users, which can be advantageous when multiple users share devices. Virtualisation relationships play a crucial role in accurately counting the number of devices and ensuring compliance.

Per-core or per-processor licensing (e.g., Microsoft SQL Server Core-based licensing, Oracle Processor-based licensing)

Aspect	Details
Description	Licenses are allocated based on the number of physical or virtual cores or processors in the server running the software.
Collected data points	Server hardware specifications, number of cores/processors, software installations, virtualisation relationships
Relevance	Ensures that organisations accurately license their software based on hardware capacity, which is often related to software performance. Virtualisation relationships must be considered when calculating the total number of cores or processors for licensing purposes.

Vendor-specific data sources

Vendor	Product	Description
IBM	IBM License Metric Tool (ILMT)	A tool for tracking and managing IBM licenses, ILMT provides data on software installations, usage, and license compliance.
IBM	IBM Passport Advantage (PA)	A portal for managing IBM licenses, Passport Advantage provides data on license entitlements, allocations, and compliance status.
Oracle	Oracle License Management Services (LMS)	A service that helps organisations track and manage their Oracle licenses, LMS provides data on software installations, usage, and license compliance.
Oracle	Oracle LMS Collection tools	A collection of scripts developed by Oracle that provide specific data required for in-depth Oracle software usage analysis.
Microsoft	Microsoft License Service Center	A centralised portal for managing Microsoft licenses, this source provides data on license entitlements, allocations, and compliance status.