Maintaining a core part of inventory management in the ITSM solution offers our organization significant operational advantages, especially in embezzlement management, license management, spare parts and hardware tracking, CI management and associated asset tracking. Even with a simple inventory management application, it both facilitates daily operations and helps more efficient use of resources, especially in processes such as embezzlement, CI (Configuration Item) tracking, change management and CMDB (Configuration Management Database).
1. Embezzlement Tracking and Security
Use Case: Keeping an inventory of employees’ embezzled equipment enables tracking of physical devices and licenses. This system is useful, for example, to identify what equipment an employee receives when they join the company and what equipment they need to return when they leave.
Benefits: Embezzlement tracking allows reducing lost or missing equipment, ensuring security and efficient use of assets. It also reduces manual tracking workload on the IT department and improves operational security.
2. Configuration Item (CI) Management and Relationship Mapping
Use Case: CI monitoring allows all components in the IT infrastructure (servers, software, network devices, etc.) to be managed through one centralized system. For example, it is possible to see on which server an application is running, in which data center this server is located and over which network devices it communicates.
Benefits: CI management reduces problem resolution time by visualizing all assets in the IT infrastructure. It also helps predict the potential impact of changes to systems, reducing the risk of errors.
3. Change Management and Integration
Use Case: Integrating devices and software in inventory with change management allows analyzing which CI’s are affected by changes to a system. For example, when a software update is made, it is easy to track which devices it should be applied to, what the risks are and what impact it will have.
Benefit: Monitoring changes and assessing their potential impact minimizes downtime and negative effects on the system. This improves service quality and user satisfaction.
4. Visualization of the Whole Inventory and Link Analysis with CMDB
Use Case: CMDB allows managing the entire inventory in a centralized database and stores the relationships between CI’s. For example, you can see which database an application on a server uses or which backup servers that database is associated with.
Benefit: Having all relationships visible in a centralized system enables faster action in the event of a failure or outage. CMDB also allows for more strategic improvements to be made to the corporate infrastructure and reduces maintenance costs.
5. Ease in Audit and Compliance Processes
Use Case: By tracking IT assets and relationships, organizations provide the data transparency needed for audit and compliance processes. For example, in a security audit, it becomes easier to determine which devices are on the current software version or which devices are missing patches.
Benefit: Accelerated audit processes and increased data accuracy enable compliance requirements to be met more effectively and protect the organization from potential penalties.
6. Cost Savings and Efficiency in Asset Management
Use Case: Proper inventory management, especially in areas such as software licenses and hardware usage, prevents unnecessary purchases. For example, unused devices or licenses can be identified and canceled or used in a different unit.
Benefit: By preventing unnecessary expenditures, IT budget is saved. In addition, thanks to the correct management of assets, the organization can use the resources it needs in a more planned manner.
To Summarize
Even basic inventory management is highly beneficial for an organization. Improvements in processes such as embezzlement tracking, CI management, change management integration, relationship mapping with CMDB and cost management increase operational efficiency, reduce risks and streamline compliance processes.
