and asset managers are unable to present appropriate business cases to support the need for enterprise-wide management of IT assets. Without a solid business case, requisite funding can be illusive!

Since these issues are universal, a closer look at how some organizations have overcome these obstacles may help to ensure success for your own IT compliance and asset management project.

In 2003 Aberdeen Group conducted

I attended ECPweb's Software and Asset Management Summit '04 at The University of Chicago to deliver a workshop on software auditing and compliance. It was a great opportunity for me to talk with other industry professionals as well as to speak with IT and asset managers tasked with implementing asset management (AM) and compliance programs.

As I reflect back on my conversations, I realize that certain hurdles to achieving AM program success are common in just about every company, regardless of size. I spoke with folks from organizations trying to manage 100,000+ IT assets, as well as with those who were trying to manage just a few hundred assets.

The problems are the same everywhere, only the scale changes. I probably said a hundred times, "You are not alone; most companies have the same problems!" To summarize the issues, I've identified the following key problem areas:

· There is inadequate senior-level visibility, involvement and commitment to the project. Ouch! Not good.

· There are no internal subject matter experts, the task is overwhelming, and there are too few external experts, road maps or models for reference. A general lack of understanding of the pertinent regulatory and compliance issues further complicates an already daunting challenge. With an estimated 10,000 regulations and laws surrounding IT, this is certainly understandable.

· Internal silos and conflicts between key departments (finance, IT, purchasing and contract management) primarily surrounding functional and reporting needs can grind a project to a complete standstill. There also may be multiple isolated pockets of asset management already in place at varying levels of maturity.

· Most IT and asset managers are unable to present appropriate business cases to support the need for enterprise-wide management of IT assets. Without a solid business case, requisite funding can be illusive!

Since these issues are universal, a closer look at how some organizations have overcome these obstacles may help to ensure success for your own IT compliance and asset management project.

In 2003 Aberdeen Group conducted a

AM program success are common in just about every company, regardless of size. I spoke with folks from organizations trying to manage 100,000+ IT assets, as well as with those who were trying to manage just a few hundred assets.

The problems are the same everywhere, only the scale changes. I probably said a hundred times, "You are not alone; most companies have the same problems!" To summarize the issues, I've identified the following key problem areas:

· There is inadequate senior-level visibility, involvement and commitment to the project. Ouch! Not good.

· There are no internal subject matter experts, the task is overwhelming, and there are too few external experts, road maps or models for reference. A general lack of understanding of the pertinent regulatory and compliance issues further complicates an already daunting challenge. With an estimated 10,000 regulations and laws surrounding IT, this is certainly understandable.

· Internal silos and conflicts between key departments (finance, IT, purchasing and contract management) primarily surrounding functional and reporting needs can grind a project to a complete standstill. There also may be multiple isolated pockets of asset management already in place at varying levels of maturity.

· Most IT and asset managers are unable to present appropriate business cases to support the need for enterprise-wide management of IT assets. Without a solid business case, requisite funding can be illusive!

Since these issues are universal, a closer look at how some organizations have overcome these obstacles may help to ensure success for your own IT compliance and asset management project.

In 2003 Aberdeen Group conducted

he following key problem areas:

· There is inadequate senior-level visibility, involvement and commitment to the project. Ouch! Not good.

· There are no internal subject matter experts, the task is overwhelming, and there are too few external experts, road maps or models for reference. A general lack of understanding of the pertinent regulatory and compliance issues further complicates an already daunting challenge. With an estimated 10,000 regulations and laws surrounding IT, this is certainly understandable.

· Internal silos and conflicts between key departments (finance, IT, purchasing and contract management) primarily surrounding functional and reporting needs can grind a project to a complete standstill. There also may be multiple isolated pockets of asset management already in place at varying levels of maturity.

· Most IT and asset managers are unable to present appropriate business cases to support the need for enterprise-wide management of IT assets. Without a solid business case, requisite funding can be illusive!

Since these issues are universal, a closer look at how some organizations have overcome these obstacles may help to ensure success for your own IT compliance and asset management project.

In 2003 Aberdeen Group conducted

ith an estimated 10,000 regulations and laws surrounding IT, this is certainly understandable.

· Internal silos and conflicts between key departments (finance, IT, purchasing and contract management) primarily surrounding functional and reporting needs can grind a project to a complete standstill. There also may be multiple isolated pockets of asset management already in place at varying levels of maturity.

· Most IT and asset managers are unable to present appropriate business cases to support the need for enterprise-wide management of IT assets. Without a solid business case, requisite funding can be illusive!

Since these issues are universal, a closer look at how some organizations have overcome these obstacles may help to ensure success for your own IT compliance and asset management project.

In 2003 Aberdeen Group conducted

and asset managers are unable to present appropriate business cases to support the need for enterprise-wide management of IT assets. Without a solid business case, requisite funding can be illusive!

Since these issues are universal, a closer look at how some organizations have overcome these obstacles may help to ensure success for your own IT compliance and asset management project.

In 2003 Aberdeen Group conducted a study of 252 businesses on enterprise asset management (EAM) programs. Results from the study show initiatives that realize the highest return on investments (ROI) include: involvement from senior financial executives, successful breakdown of AM silos, and provisioning to the enterprise ample and strategic AM coverage.

Great, now that and a nickel still won?t buy me a cup of coffee! So, let's break it down further. This first step to initiating an AM project is to define the goals the company hopes to achieve from the project.

A straightforward way to perk up executive ears is to align the goals of the project with the corporate mission statement and overall corporate goals. Use as much of the same language as possible in your pitch and the project goals statement. You may be laughing at this idea, but it's hard to object to a project aimed squarely at achieving goals the Board of Directors has already bought into.

If that doesn't get "C-level" buy-in, a list of cost-avoidance and risk-reduction statements can usually help. Remind management that the austere corporate performance and accountability regulations today require policies, procedures and effective tools to maintain adequate controls for financial reporting. If you need to spell it out more clearly, here are the letters: E-N-R-O-N!

The list of project goals should also include intangibles such as improved IT service levels and reduction in risk factors "often difficult to plug in to traditional ROI models. Don't give up; there are ways to illustrate soft benefits!

Use examples of historical situations to help sell the point. For example: "Last month the company was hit with the 'nasty-code' virus. It took three