ITAM Forum Launches Standard for IT Asset Management • The Register
The ITAM Forum, the professional IT asset management body, is in the final stages of validating an independent, globally recognized standard for understanding enterprise technology assets.
With the aim of strengthening the position of administrators in terms of software license audits, the launch of the ISO/IEC 19770-1 certification system was developed by a hundred volunteer ITAM professionals and the NEN, the Royal Netherlands Institute for Standardization.
A handful of organizations will now participate in the validation phase, which aims to resolve any issues during the full certification process. Brand Compliance, an independent external certification body, performs compliance assessments.
According to Martin Thompson, founder of the ITAM Forum, “It won’t be a steel shield against audits, but it will put you in a much stronger position to negotiate with vendors. That’s the gist here.” He added:
What you’re saying when you’re buying from your software vendors is that you’re going to treat your intellectual property very seriously, like an asset, and manage it properly throughout its lifecycle, and you have someone independently to verify this. It’s an industry effort.
Some vendors have gained a reputation with users for making small changes to software usage or technical transition to new environments – including the cloud – to extract disproportionate license revenue from customers.
Thompson said the move to the cloud is driving demand for better software asset management among users.
“It is even more necessary in the cloud, not only because of the complexity of the cloud itself and the process of transitioning to the cloud, but also in the licensing terms and costs. There is also the added dimension that cloud buyers are increasingly coming from outside of IT.”
“Pick your department and there’s a turnkey SaaS solution. If you want to be an adult about it, you have to manage the risk and manage the cost. And that’s what it’s all about.”
The ITAM Forum was launched in 2020, with the project to create the ISO19770 standard as one of its main objectives in order to help users better defend themselves against software audits. From the outset, it included representatives from global companies such as Toyota, Danske Bank and Procter & Gamble.
“I am very proud of the support we have received from our patrons, administrators and the wider ITAM community as we reach the final stages of bringing the world’s first certification to market. I would like to thank personally everyone who gave their time to help shape and write the plan. Without that help, we wouldn’t be where we are today,” Thompson added. ®
