IT ASSET MANAGEMENT SKILLS A PERSON SHOULD

HAVE:

Communication capabilities are the most important skill set for IT asset management teams, but
administrative, legal and financial skills are also key.

Recruiters looking for qualified IT asset managers, or ITAMs, should consider six key skills required
to do a job that is ever increasing in complexity, including augmented financial, commercial and legal
skills, according to IT research firm Gartner. Communication skills, including the ability to negotiate
organizational politics, should be the top priority when recruiting for ITAM, the report said, as the
ITAM discipline is embedded across all aspects of IT and is part of everyday IT activity.
Communication with external contacts, including vendors, auditors and consultants is critical, and
ITAM staff should also be required to communicate effectively with staff and management at all levels
of the organization in writing and verbally, the Gartner report said. IT asset managers also must
advise senior management of potential risks, provide input into decision making processes, and
collaborate with other teams in the organization, such as human resources, IT security, internal audit
and privacy.
"Good communicators are often good negotiators, and effective communication skills will ensure
that ITAM can build the important relationships with the finance, legal, procurement and technical
specialists (such as enterprise architects) required for an effective ITAM team," Victoria Barber,
research director at Gartner, said in a statement regarding the report. "To meet future challenges,
ITAM requires solid skills and experience in these key disciplines, and will need to strengthen its
relationship with specialist teams. Critical to ITAM's ongoing success is effectively leveraging existing
cross-silo expertise (for example, that of finance, legal and procurement) to ensure active
engagement and collaboration with ITAM."
The other five critical skills that should be required for ITAM applicants were ranked in order of
importance and include technical, administrative, financial, negotiation and legal skills. Technical
skills incorporate knowledge of hardware technologies and software licensing models, as well as an
understanding of software delivery models and metrics. Attention to detail, organizational skills and
the ability to follow established processes were all considered key components of administrative
skills important for ITAM teams. Individuals recruited into these roles for their administrative and
organizational ability have the potential to learn ITAM-specific skills, such as license management,
and can be developed into more specialist roles as the ITAM discipline matures, the report stated.
Asset management teams must also understand the basic principles of financial management and
work with finance to carry out financial analysis and develop financial models, as ITAM changes from
an inventory management function to a more strategic financial management role. The art of

negotiation also comes into play for ITAM teams, including competitive bidding and leverage points
and general knowledge of the supplier negotiation process. Finally, legal skills are also important for
ITAM staff, including an understanding of noncompliance risks and work with management to avoid
scenarios that could compromise compliance or cause contract breaches.

"Organizations may have conflicting views on the importance of different skills, so it is vital to clearly
define near- and long-term ITAM objectives, and consider the challenges involved. ITAM role profiles
should take account of current and future needs for skills and experience to manage an everchanging environment," Barbers statement concluded.

Gartner Identifies Top Priority Skills for IT Asset

Management Leaders

Communication
ITAM staff must be able to communicate effectively with staff and management at all levels of the
organization in writing and verbally. ITAM staff must ensure robust internal communication: to
effectively raise end-user awareness of ITAM's importance, to make senior management aware of
potential risks, to provide input into decision-making processes, and to collaborate with teams such as
HR, IT security, internal audit and privacy. Communication includes the ability to negotiate
organizational politics and tailor the message to ensure that it is appropriate to the audience and its
priorities. Communication with external contacts, including vendors, auditors and consultants, will also
be required.
Technical
An understanding of license models, software delivery models and metrics is necessary, as well
as understanding the application of the license entitlements that go along with them. ITAM monitors
and tracks assets over time. Tracking performance by device type and model enables improved
sourcing and a better understanding of total cost of ownership (TCO). ITAM employees need to
understand whether existing tools can deliver the data they need, and to specify any new
requirements. ITAM leaders must develop and maintain technical skills to match the rapidly evolving
IT environment, hardware technologies and software licensing models.
Administrative
Administrative tasks are necessary at all levels of ITAM maturity, and in larger teams are carried out in
entry-level roles. Individuals recruited into these roles for their administrative and organizational
ability have the potential to learn ITAM-specific skills, such as license management, and can be
developed into more specialist roles as the ITAM discipline matures. Too often considered unimportant,

skilled administrative personnel can be a key enabler of effective ITAM. Leaders should ensure that
strong administrative skills, which include attention to detail, organizational skills and the ability to
follow established processes, are included in role profiles.
Financial
As ITAM changes from an inventory management function to a more strategic financial management
role, it must develop financial awareness. The role of ITAM is to assist in determining business value
by providing the cost analysis and asset-related financial data required to support the business in its
decision-making process, and ITAM staff must have the necessary skills to deliver these. They must
understand the basic principles of financial management and work with finance to carry out financial
analysis and develop financial models. They will also need an awareness of accounting standards
where they are relevant to, and impact on, ITAM.
Negotiation
ITAM has had, and continues to have, a close relationship with procurement. Knowledge of the
supplier negotiation process, including competitive bidding and leverage points, as well as related
policies and procedures all supplement communication skills. Organizations with mature procurement
and vendor management will have documented standard procedures for supplier interaction. ITAM
managers should request copies of procurement and vendor management policies and processes, and
ensure they are understood and followed.
Legal
ITAM staff must understand the risks of noncompliance, and be able to quantify and effectively
communicate these to executive management teams with the aim of preventing situations that might
compromise compliance or cause contract breaches. Legal counsel should engage the ITAM team when
dealing with mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, to ensure that the impact on both hardware and
software assets is fully understood.
"Organizations may have conflicting views on the importance of different skills, so it is vital to clearly
define near- and long-term ITAM objectives, and consider the challenges involved. ITAM role profiles
should take account of current and future needs for skills and experience to manage an ever-changing
environment," said Ms. Barber.
Additional information is available in the report: "Core Skills Your ITAM Team Needs Now" which is
available on Gartner's website at http://www.gartner.com/resId=1999917.
About the Gartner IT Financial, Procurement & Asset Management Summit
Additional information on ITAM skills will be discussed at the Gartner IT Financial, Procurement &
Asset Management Summit. The Summit focuses on the importance and value that IT provides to
organizations and is targeted toward communicating economic alignment and challenges within IT and
to all IT customers. Organizations will learn how to illustrate the true value of IT through
understanding how to identify cost drivers and communicating costs both within IT and out to business
units and corporate executives, work with stagnant budgets, manage an increasing number of
software audits, and build better procurement programs.