IT asset management (ITAM) provides a systematic approach to achieving this goal in an organization. In this comprehensive blog post, we will discuss the various aspects of ITAM, including its types, components and best practices. We will also explore how Kaseya VSA can help you streamline your IT asset management processes and boost their efficiency.

What is IT asset management?

IT asset management is a process (and a set of technologies) that ensures an organization’s assets are deployed, tracked, patched, maintained, upgraded and eventually disposed of. These assets include hardware, software, cloud resources and other technology components that support business operations.

An important aspect of IT asset management is determining how well your IT infrastructure supports your unique business needs. Essentially, the purpose of IT asset management is to maximize the value created by the IT equipment within the organization by monitoring its status throughout its lifecycle.

Why is IT asset management important?

The main goal of IT asset lifecycle management is to determine when an asset is likely to reach its peak performance and how long it can be utilized optimally before it can eventually be disposed of. This data-driven approach helps businesses ensure that they can keep their assets operational for as long as possible.

Here are some other key reasons why ITAM is important for your organization:

• Cost reduction: By keeping track of all IT assets, organizations can avoid unnecessary purchases and make better use of existing resources.
• Compliance: ITAM helps ensure that all software licenses and hardware assets comply with regulatory requirements and vendor agreements.
• Risk management: Proper ITAM practices help identify and mitigate risks associated with asset failures, security breaches and non-compliance.
• Improved and informed decision-making: With accurate and up-to-date information on IT assets, organizations can make informed decisions about upgrades, replacements and retirements.

What should be included in an IT asset management database?

An effective ITAM database should include detailed information about every asset in an organization. This information can be categorized into three main components:

Physical data

Physical data includes details about the hardware assets such as servers, desktops, laptops and networking equipment. Information like serial numbers, model numbers, locations and asset conditions should be documented to facilitate tracking and maintenance.

Financial data

Financial data pertains to the cost, depreciation and total cost of ownership (TCO) of IT assets. This includes purchase prices, lease terms, warranty information and maintenance costs. Tracking financial data helps organizations budget for future expenses and evaluate the financial impact of their IT investments.

Contractual data

Contractual data encompasses the terms and conditions associated with software licenses, service agreements and vendor contracts. This includes renewal dates, usage restrictions and compliance requirements. Managing contractual data ensures that organizations remain compliant with their agreements and avoid penalties.

What are the types of IT asset management?

ITAM encompasses various types, each focusing on different aspects of asset management. Here are some common types:

Software asset management (SAM)

As the name suggests, software asset management involves managing and optimizing processes such as the purchase, installation, utilization, monitoring, maintenance and disposal of software applications in an organization.

• License compliance: SAM helps organizations track and manage software licenses to ensure they are compliant with licensing agreements. This includes monitoring license usage, avoiding under-licensing (which can lead to legal issues) and over-licensing (which results in unnecessary expenses).
• Cost optimization: By understanding software usage patterns, organizations can identify unused or underutilized licenses and reallocate or discontinue them, thus optimizing software spending.
• Security and updates: SAM ensures that all software is up-to-date with the latest patches and updates, reducing vulnerabilities and enhancing security.

Hardware asset management (HAM)

Hardware asset management entails the strategies, processes and tools used to manage the physical components of an organization’s IT infrastructure. These physical components include desktops, laptops, servers and other devices.

• Inventory management: HAM provides a comprehensive inventory of all hardware assets, including their locations, configurations and conditions. This helps in efficient asset tracking and management.
• Lifecycle management: From procurement to disposal, HAM manages the entire lifecycle of hardware assets. This includes regular maintenance, repairs, upgrades and eventual decommissioning.
• Cost control: By monitoring hardware usage and performance, organizations can make informed decisions about upgrades and replacements, optimizing their investment in physical assets.

Cloud asset management (CAM)

The process of controlling and managing the cloud infrastructure of an organization, including the application data stored within the cloud, is known as cloud asset management. In other words, cloud asset management helps with tracking, maintaining and complying with an organization’s cloud inventory.

• Usage tracking: CAM helps organizations track the usage of cloud services, ensuring that they are utilized efficiently and cost-effectively. This includes monitoring resource consumption and identifying underutilized services.
• Cost management: By keeping an eye on cloud spending, organizations can optimize their cloud investments, avoid unnecessary expenses and ensure they are only paying for what they use.
• Security and compliance: Managing cloud assets includes ensuring that they meet security and compliance requirements. This involves monitoring access controls, data security measures and compliance with regulatory standards.

Mobile asset management (MAM)

Mobile asset management focuses on managing mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets and laptops. MAM ensures that these devices are secure, up-to-date and used efficiently.

• Device tracking: MAM tracks the location, usage and status of mobile devices, ensuring that they are accounted for and properly managed.
• Security management: MAM includes security measures such as remote wipes, encryption and access controls to protect sensitive data on mobile devices.
• Application management: MAM manages the deployment, updating and usage of mobile applications, ensuring that they are used efficiently and comply with organizational policies.

The IT asset management process

The ITAM process, also known as the IT asset management lifecycle, involves several steps to ensure that IT assets are managed efficiently throughout their lifecycle. These steps include:

1. Plan: Planning involves identifying the need for new IT assets and creating a strategy for their acquisition and deployment. This includes assessing current assets, forecasting future needs and budgeting for new purchases.
2. Develop/Acquire: The acquisition phase involves procuring the necessary IT assets based on the planning phase. This includes selecting vendors, negotiating contracts and purchasing or leasing the assets.
3. Integrate/Deploy: Deployment involves installing and configuring the new assets within the organization’s IT environment. This includes integrating the assets with existing systems and ensuring they are ready for use.
4. Maintain/Improve: Maintenance involves regular monitoring and upkeep of IT assets to ensure they remain functional and secure. This includes applying updates, performing repairs and optimizing asset performance.
5. Retire: The retirement phase involves decommissioning and disposing of IT assets that are no longer needed or have reached the end of their useful life. This includes securely wiping data, recycling or disposing of hardware and updating the ITAM database.

IT asset management standards

The ISO/IEC 19770 family of standards provides guidelines for IT asset management. These standards ensure that organizations follow best practices in managing their IT assets. Key standards include:

• ISO/IEC 19770-1: This standard provides an overview of IT asset management processes and requirements, helping organizations establish an ITAM system that aligns with best practices.
• ISO/IEC 19770-2: This standard focuses on software identification tags, which help organizations accurately identify and manage their software assets.
• ISO/IEC 19770-3: This standard provides guidelines for software license entitlements, ensuring organizations comply with licensing agreements and optimize their software usage.
• ISO/IEC 19770-4: This standard covers resource utilization measurement, helping organizations track and optimize the use of their IT resources.
• ISO/IEC 19770-5: This standard provides an overview and vocabulary for IT asset management, helping organizations understand and implement ITAM practices.

Benefits of IT asset management

Some of the major benefits of IT asset management are listed below. IT asset management helps organizations:

• Predict their IT needs more effectively: ITAM provides organizations with comprehensive insights into their current IT infrastructure, including hardware, software and network resources. This enables them to predict future IT needs more accurately and plan for expansions or upgrades well in advance.
• Make smart decisions regarding IT asset purchases: With a clear view of their existing assets and their utilization, organizations can make informed decisions about new IT asset purchases. IT asset management systems provide data on asset performance, lifespan and usage patterns, helping organizations determine when it’s time to invest in new assets or replace outdated ones.
• Proactively replenish resources as required: One critical advantage of ITAM is its ability to enable proactive resource management. By continuously monitoring the status and health of IT assets, organizations can identify when resources are nearing their end-of-life or when their performance is degrading.
• Enhance the quality of their IT services: Quality IT services are essential for maintaining smooth business operations and ensuring customer satisfaction. IT asset management contributes to this by ensuring that all IT assets are well-maintained, up-to-date and functioning at their best.
• Accurately evaluate the TCO of any given asset: Understanding the TCO of IT assets is crucial for effective financial planning and management. IT asset management systems track not only the purchase price of assets but also their ongoing costs, such as maintenance, support and energy consumption.

IT asset management best practices

To ensure successful ITAM, organizations should follow these best practices:

• Audit and track regularly: Regular audits and tracking of IT assets are essential for maintaining an accurate ITAM database. This includes conducting physical inventories, verifying software licenses and updating asset records.
• Document and report: Proper documentation and reporting are critical for effective ITAM. This includes maintaining detailed records of all IT assets, generating reports on asset statuses and performance, and sharing this information with relevant stakeholders.
• Encourage stakeholder feedback: Engaging stakeholders in the ITAM process helps ensure that the system meets the needs of the organization. This includes gathering feedback from IT staff, end-users and management to identify areas for improvement and address any concerns.
• Automate ITAM processes: Automating ITAM processes can significantly improve efficiency and accuracy. This includes using ITAM software to track and manage assets, automate routine tasks and generate reports.

What is IT asset management software?

ITAM software plays a crucial role in automating ITAM processes and improving overall operational efficiency. The software helps organizations track and manage their IT assets, automate routine tasks and generate detailed reports. Key features of ITAM software include asset tracking, software license management and integration with other IT management tools.

How does an RMM or endpoint management solution help with IT asset management?

Many folks consider remote monitoring and management (RMM)/endpoint management to be a solution for troubleshooting and monitoring your assets. These solutions of course are great, but a best-in-class RMM can do so much more to supercharge your IT asset management.

You can’t manage what you can’t see. Here is a list of ways in which an RMM or endpoint management solution can help with IT asset management.

Automated diagramming and topology map

Network monitoring enables deep, continuous network scanning to understand all of your network assets. If your RMM/endpoint management solution integrates with your IT documentation solution, your asset management is even easier. It can then discover all endpoints and assign them to the organization, department or machine groups set up in IT Glue. This synchronization also ensures that, should you off-board a workstation, it will be updated in your IT documents.

Patching

Asset management is all about ensuring your IT assets are safe and performing at their best. Effective patch management is vital to effective IT asset management. Efficient IT asset management helps improve visibility and reduce the risk of ransomware and other cyberattacks.

Automated software deployment, user onboarding and user configuration hardening

An RMM/endpoint management solution can help improve the productivity of end users, expedite new user onboarding with automated software deployment and improve security by hardening user configurations. You can leverage policies to perform all these functions. You can set policies for unique user groups as well. Your finance team likely needs radically different software solutions than your creative/design team would. Ensure you’re effectively delivering the right tools while protecting the respective teams.

Want to learn how to get complete real-time visibility into your entire network via a centralized dashboard? Download this whitepaper.

Manage IT assets and your hybrid environment with Kaseya VSA

Kaseya VSA is a next-generation, unified RMM solution that maximizes IT operational efficiency with complete IT asset discovery, monitoring and management. It gives you the visibility and functionality you need to manage all of IT in a single UI. If your endpoint management solution can’t manage your hybrid IT ecosystem, it’s time to upgrade. Get your 14-day free trial today.

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A remote monitoring and management solution (RMM) is a key piece of technology that helps businesses meet their ITSM goals through proactive monitoring, efficient issue resolution and automated management of IT infrastructure. Kaseya VSA is a top-of-the-line solution with features and capabilities built to address the requirements of the modern IT infrastructure.

This blog explores the basic ideas behind ITSM, the process involved in it and its benefits. Dive in for insights to make your IT operations more efficient, resilient and better aligned with your business goals.

What is IT services management (ITSM)?

IT service management is the process of managing, designing, upgrading and delivering IT services so that it meets the needs of an organization efficiently. The heart of ITSM is service lifecycle management, which involves overseeing the seamless delivery of IT services right from the planning stage to its discontinuation. Essentially, ITSM helps ensure that any new IT service or technology integrates into the environment smoothly, effortlessly and with minimal disruptions.

ITSM helps businesses take advantage of the latest tools, get rid of the old ones and harness the power of their IT infrastructure to remain competitive and agile in today’s dynamic and fast-paced environment. It’s a function businesses perform regularly to assess whether they are delivering IT services efficiently and optimally and make strategic decisions to improve it.

The foundation of ITSM is the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) framework, which helps businesses enhance service quality, optimize resource utilization and align IT services with their overall business objectives. The result is the standardization of processes. ITIL 4 is the latest version tailored for modern digital environments and processes like Agile, DevOps and Lean, which emphasize collaboration, flexibility and continuous improvement.

What are ITSM processes?

ITSM processes are a bunch of functions that businesses perform continually to optimize their IT infrastructure and deliver IT services efficiently and reliably. While this list is by no means exhaustive, it covers key ITSM processes to keep in mind.

Incident management

The goal of incident management is to minimize the negative impact of unplanned, disruptive events or situations on IT operations. For example, when a server fails, the incident management process kicks in to identify the root cause, troubleshoot the problem and provide a workaround or resolution as soon as possible.

Problem management

Problem management looks at the root cause of an issue to prevent it from happening again. It takes a more proactive approach to addressing problems and incidents that can disrupt IT operations. For instance, problem management might identify a pattern of outages in a certain part of the network and then take steps to prevent it from happening again.

Change management

The term change management describes a variety of approaches used to prepare, support and prepare employees, teams, departments and organizations for organizational change. As far as IT is concerned, change management involves the implementation of practices that can help minimize the temporary disruption of IT services when any changes are made to critical systems and services.

Service request management

Service request management involves the processes and tools that provide all the departments within an organization (e.g., compliance, IT, marketing, finance and human resources) with a self-service platform to accept, keep track of, respond to and close a variety of service requests from customers, employees and external vendors. The process enables users to submit service requests, assign responsibility for requests and track their status from the time they are submitted to the time they are closed.

Asset management

IT asset management is a process (and a set of technologies) that ensures an organization’s assets are deployed, tracked, patched, maintained, upgraded and eventually discontinued correctly. An important aspect of IT asset management is to maximize the value created by the IT equipment within the organization by monitoring its status throughout its lifecycle.

Configuration management

Configuration management involves tracking and controlling changes to network devices and their configurations. It helps ensure that all devices are configured correctly and consistently and that changes get implemented in a controlled and coordinated environment. For example, configuration management involves tracking the version of software installed on each device as well as the settings and security policies that are in force.

Release management

Release management involves the planning, scheduling and smooth release of new hardware or software into the IT infrastructure. It also involves testing and monitoring to ensure that the new release is stable and secure while also tracking and managing any issues that may arise after the release.

Benefits of ITSM?

Businesses require IT service management to maximize the productivity and efficiency of their IT infrastructure while ensuring that it meets business needs. Some of its key benefits are:

Benefits for business

• Increased agility: ITSM provides businesses with a framework and set of best practices to respond quickly to changes in the business environment.
• Reduced costs: It helps businesses optimize their IT resources and reduce operational costs.
• Fewer IT problems and improved response: It helps businesses quickly rectify issues and address their root causes through processes like incident management and problem management. The goal of ITSM is to minimize downtime while maintaining high levels of uninterrupted IT service delivery.
• Easy compliance: The ITSM framework is drawn with many of the industry standards and requirements in mind, thus helping businesses meet many of their compliance requirements.
• Better service: The goal of ITSM is to ensure the delivery of IT services to end users and stakeholders in a way that meets their needs and expectations. It requires meeting the specified service level agreements (SLAs) and performance metrics consistently and focusing on continuously improving the infrastructure based on feedback and changing requirements.

Benefits for IT

• Improved productivity: IT professionals are more efficient and productive when they follow standard processes. ITSM minimizes bottlenecks and streamlines workflows so that tasks can be completed on time and efficiently.
• Increased user satisfaction: ITSM emphasizes the importance of meeting the needs and requirements of the end customer and user, which leads to increased user satisfaction. It also enables users to have clarity and transparency on the issues they raise or the status of their requests, which further boosts user satisfaction.
• Better process scaling: Flexibility, agility and scalability are inherent features of ITSM. With the goal of meeting evolving business requirements and increasing workload, the ITSM framework is designed to be scalable.
• Faster incident detection and response: An ITSM process also includes proactive monitoring of the network to allow for early detection and prevention of cybersecurity threats.

Benefits for employees

• Improved IT support: ITSM ensures round-the-clock delivery of quality IT service to employees, customers and all end users, enabling them to work without experiencing interruptions in service or having to deal with slow and broken IT infrastructure.
• Omni-channel experience: ITSM ensures that, regardless of the channel users use to access IT services, they receive a consistent and cohesive experience. Consistency, integration, flexibility, personalization and unified data are some of the key features of an omni-channel experience.

What are ITSM efficiencies?

ITSM efficiencies aren’t just about managing and delivering IT services in an effective and streamlined way but rather ensuring that the processes used result in fewer errors, improved communication and enhanced service delivery. It helps keep businesses flexible and adaptable in the face of change.

Some key ITSM efficiencies are:

Process automation

Automation unlocks a range of efficiencies for IT professionals, helping them deliver higher-quality IT services. Automating routine tasks, like patching and service request fulfillment, frees IT professionals to focus on complex and strategic activities. This helps them improve service availability, minimize downtime and enhance user experience.

Incident response time reduction

One of the advantages of automation is a fast incident response time. By auto-remediating common everyday tickets, IT professionals can quickly address critical tickets and ensure consistent uptime for end users. Moreover, tasks like problem management proactively try to nip potential issues in the bud that can disrupt service and hurt productivity.

Optimized service request handling

Through streamlining and optimizing the service request function, end users can get a quick resolution to their problem, while IT professionals can provide a solution quickly. Processes enable technicians to triage and address the most critical service requests first that can otherwise impact IT service operations.

Effective change management

Once you have decided to implement a change, you must determine the best steps you need to take in order to execute it successfully. Regardless of whether you are resolving problems in the code, managing existing services or rolling out new ones, change management helps minimize risk, avoid bottlenecks, provide context, maintain transparency and break down silos.

Resource utilization optimization

The efficient allocation of IT resources, both technology and personnel, maximizes productivity, minimizes waste and ensures cost-effective usage. This helps organizations make the most of their resources and better manage and plan for future IT investments.

Improved communication and collaboration

ITSM ensures that communication between teams and with the end users is informed and aligned. For instance, having clearly defined roles and responsibilities can help ensure that user inquiries are addressed in a timely manner and that problems are resolved quickly. ITSM encourages frequently updating documentation on roles, responsibilities and processes so that nobody is caught off guard during a crisis. Having proper processes in place enhances teamwork, reduces miscommunication and facilitates better decision-making, leading to improved overall efficiency.

Enhanced user experience

When IT services consistently meet user expectations, it enhances user experience. It builds trust in the services and encourages users to engage with the IT service more confidently.

Real-time monitoring and reporting

IT professionals use a bunch of tools, like remote monitoring and management (RMM), PSA, and IT documentation, to manage, deliver and automate IT services. A top-end RMM not only provides real-time and remote monitoring of endpoints but can also generate automated reports, which help IT professionals identify trends and quickly identify any issues. Technicians can leverage these reports to showcase the value of their work to stakeholders and make use of the insights to provide better customer service and build trust with the users.

For information, check out our IT Service Management and IT Maturity Best Practices blog.

Kaseya VSA is a unified RMM solution that is designed to help organizations run their IT operations efficiently. With in-built patch management, remote monitoring of endpoints, automation and ransomware detection, VSA helps organizations enhance the security and performance of their IT infrastructure. It integrates seamlessly with a whole lot of solutions under the Kaseya IT Complete platform, empowering businesses to achieve greater control and optimization across their entire IT environment.

What to look for in an IT services management (ITSM) solution?

There are several ITSM solutions available in the market, but one with the following features will help you meet your business requirements comfortably:

Comprehensive service management

The solution should provide end-to-end management of IT services like change management, incident management and all the other functions to ensure a comprehensive and systematic approach to improving IT services.

User-friendly interface

The user interface should be intuitive and easy to learn. A complex solution makes it difficult for users to utilize all the features fully and hinders their productivity.

Customization capabilities

Each business has unique needs that change with time. Customization allows businesses to adapt the solution to their operations seamlessly and tailor workflows, forms and configurations to align with unique processes and specific requirements.

Automation

Automation provides the dual benefits of speed and accuracy. Manually managing IT is slow and prone to human error. Automating common processes speeds up their execution, enabling organizations to achieve higher operational efficiency, reduce manual errors and allocate resources more strategically.

Scalability and flexibility

A solution should be future-ready. That means it should be able to meet both current and future needs. It should be able to scale to meet growing demand and adapt to changing technological, business and end-user requirements.

Integration

Solutions that integrate seamlessly with other IT tools allow for more automation and seamless delivery of service. Integration also allows businesses to manage their resources better and maximize their return on investment, improving productivity and customer satisfaction, leading to greater success and profits. VSA provides all this and more, making it the perfect tool for businesses looking to make the most of their IT services.

Robust reporting and analytics

More and more IT tools are coming with in-built reporting and analytics capabilities that provide better visibility on IT usage and trends. This helps businesses make informed decisions and allocate resources more efficiently.

Security and compliance

Look for a solution that provides solid protection for sensitive data, ensures IT processes adhere to compliance requirements and helps maintain a secure IT environment. It should also be able to address security concerns and ensure compliance with industry regulations and organizational policies.

IT departments, especially in midsized companies, face increasing pressure to get more IT done every day with the same resources. ITSM solutions promise to deliver increased efficiencies and performance to enable IT teams to meet these new challenges. Watch this webinar recording for more information on how to determine the most important functionality and select the right solution for your business and your IT team.

How can Kaseya help you with IT services management (ITSM)

With the right tool, IT service management can become a breeze.

Kaseya VSA is a remote endpoint management and network monitoring solution that empowers your business with all the functionality required for success. It provides your business with a complete solution stack to maximize technician efficiency. VSA, combined with our service desk and IT documentation solutions, enables you to manage all essential IT functions from a single pane of glass.

Kaseya VSA facilitates IT services like:

• Desktops, laptops and server remote monitoring and management
• Deployment, patching and updating for Windows, Mac and third-party applications
• Security services management (antivirus, antimalware and ransomware protection)
• Cloud and on-site backup and recovery management
• Auto-remediation of IT incidents and process automation
• Audit and compliance reporting
• On- and off-boarding of devices

VSA has a modern, intuitive user interface (UI) that provides a streamlined user experience. It gives you the visibility and functionality you need to manage all of IT efficiently. Unlike other RMM solutions, VSA gives you the freedom to seamlessly switch between applications and not be forced to follow a specific product path. All necessary information is readily available, leading to greater operational efficiency and a higher endpoint-to-technician ratio. To truly experience the power of VSA in your IT environment, book a free demo today.

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This integration benefits managed service providers (MSPs) and small to midsize businesses (SMBs) by providing them with a more streamlined and effective approach to network management. Users can seamlessly oversee both the hardware and software aspects of Datto networking solutions from VSA, allowing for greater control over their environments.

Technicians can swiftly pinpoint and address issues from within VSA, saving valuable time and resources. Manually managing networks and switching between solutions to do so are now a thing of the past.

The synergy between VSA and Datto networking products

Datto’s networking solutions, like routers, switches and access points, are synonymous with reliability, performance, ease of use and efficiency. Users get access to capabilities and customer service that are typically associated with enterprise-grade networking solutions at a price that is easy on the wallet.

When integrated with VSA, a unified RMM that is consistently pushing the envelope on what an RMM can do, the possibilities are endless. We call VSA unified because it is a four-in-one tool that combines powerful remote control, software/patch management, executive reporting and endpoint monitoring into a single, easy-to-use solution.

The integration between VSA and Datto’s networking solutions, which are considered the best in the industry, promises to make discovering, deploying and managing networks effortless and cost-effective for technicians. While SMBs can impress their end users with consistent uptime and exceptional performance, MSPs can deliver high-quality managed networking services in a way that will give them a competitive edge and boost profitability.

Your one-stop network console

Managing networks is a colossal task for which technicians conventionally use a network management tool. Syncing these solutions with an RMM is frustrating and time-consuming, to say the least. The integration is poor, and juggling two solutions to solve a simple network problem is almost always counterproductive. Since inefficiency abounds, the risk of errors increases as well.

The critical integration between VSA and Datto networking tools allows technicians to monitor and manage all their Datto networking devices from one single, centralized console, eliminating the need to juggle multiple tools. Additionally, technicians get a comprehensive view of their entire IT infrastructure, allowing them to identify and troubleshoot any issue in their managed environment quickly.

Let’s say, for example, suppose a technician or support staff member receives an alert for a slow network on VSA. Right from VSA, they can then zoom into the device associated with the RMM agent that triggered the alert and get a full readout on the device. Again, without leaving VSA, technicians can also examine the switchboard or router the device in question is connected to to determine if it’s a larger issue. The entire process takes only a few clicks, and issues are resolved within minutes. Technicians can utilize the power of automation in VSA to begin auto-remediating everyday network problems that distract them from completing important tasks.

Once integrated, technicians can even unlock management functions for Datto networking devices in VSA to resolve issues like remotely resetting an access point, unblocking a wireless client or resetting a switch port faster.

What are the benefits?

Here are the top benefits of VSA’s integration with Datto’s networking solutions.

• Boost productivity: By tackling networking issues right within VSA, technicians do not have to switch between solutions. They can address issues faster and save valuable time.
• Get complete visibility: VSA gives technicians a comprehensive view of the IT environment, including details of all the networking devices. It allows them to address not only the issues for which a ticket is raised but also identify and address any underlying problem.
• Seamless integration: Since both products are from the same Kaseya family, the integration is seamless. You won’t have to worry about a glitchy integration that hinders network maintenance or impacts performance.
• Troubleshoot issues faster: Accessing network devices from within VSA and auto-remediating common issues reduces manual labor, resulting in faster problem resolution. Additionally, automated network monitoring can help identify security threats faster and more accurately than manual monitoring. This, in turn, can prevent costly data breaches and other network-related issues.
• More uptime: Seamless integration empowers you to manage networks more efficiently and address issues before they snowball into bigger problems. A well-maintained network leads to fewer glitches, higher performance and provides more uptime.
• Superior customer service: The integration is especially beneficial to MSPs who can differentiate their managed network services by providing clients with more uptime and quick issue resolution. By adding managed network services to the roster, MSPs can even explore unlocking a new revenue stream.
• Cost savings: The integration also helps to reduce the cost of network management, as technicians no longer need to monitor the network manually.

Experience the power of VSA and Datto Networking integration

The integration between VSA and Datto networking solutions will make building and managing your networks unbelievably easy. You no longer have to juggle multiple tools or fret over making tools from different vendors grudgingly integrate. With centralized access to all your on-premise and remote devices on a single console, you can start focusing on strengthening, securing and improving your network performance rather than spending time on putting out little fires.

Since you don’t have to invest in additional hardware, the burden on your wallet will also get lighter. To see how VSA and Datto networking can ease the pain of managing your network, get a free, personalized demo of VSA today.

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ITIL or Information Technology Infrastructure Library can be described as a library or a repository of volumes that describe a standard framework of best practices for delivering IT services. It includes a set of detailed practices for IT-related activities such as IT asset management and IT service management (ITSM) with the focus on aligning IT services with the business strategy and customer needs. The main goal of ITIL is to gain optimal value from IT services through better efficient and predictable service delivery.

What Is ITIL Used For?

ITIL is basically a set of practices that are used as a guide by groups to enhance the value of their services by solving business problems and adding business value instead of just focusing on improving IT capabilities. ITIL is a framework that is used by organizations of all sizes and missions. By equipping the service provider with a clear capability model, it helps align their efforts to changing business strategies and customer needs.

What Is the Main Goal of ITIL?

The ITIL framework typically consists of detailed methodologies, activities and standards. Digital-based enterprises have high expectations from their IT departments. By adopting ITIL procedures and practices across their service value chain, businesses can efficiently meet the unique needs of a digital-first workplace.

Where Did ITIL Come From?

The inception of ITIL dates back to the end of the 1980s when a government agency in Great Britain called Central Computing and Telecommunications Agency (CCTA) introduced the framework. CCTA was commissioned to combat the problem of poor-quality IT services being procured by the British Government. There was a need to find a methodology that could help achieve better quality at a lower cost.

As such, the CCTA developed a set of recommendations to ensure effective and efficient provisioning of IT services for a fraction of the cost. These recommendations transformed into a catalog of best practices (which is known today as ITIL) that IT organizations started making efficient use of.

Before the advent of ITIL, IT organizations were mostly driven by a focus on hardware, software and other technologies, rather than by the needs of their customers. That said, the major premise behind ITIL is that a company should align its IT services with the needs of the clients and that the company should have explicit agreement on the services being delivered to their customers. There should be clearly defined responsibilities and effective processes to ensure service provision within the organization.

While doing its research on the subject, the CCTA discovered that the primary requirements of all businesses, regardless of their industry sector or size, were mostly similar to one another. As such, the recommendations in the ITIL are applicable to organizations of all sizes and types.

How Many Versions of ITIL Are There?

Now that we know when ITIL came into existence, let’s take a look at the various stages it underwent and how it evolved through the decades to what it is today.

ITIL – As noted above, the first version of ITIL came into being at the end of the 1980s. It was then referred to as the GITIM or Government Information Technology Infrastructure Management. With the focus of offering better delivery and support, ITIL was widely adopted across both government and private sector organizations across Europe. ITIL comprised a catalog of 30 volumes aimed at providing IT best practices. By the early 1990s, ITIL was already on its way to transform the face of IT in the UK, Europe and across countries around the world.

ITIL v2 – In 2000, the first major change occurred in ITIL and Microsoft adopted ITIL as the foundation for their Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF). ITIL was now ITIL v2, which was more driven towards making ITIL more accessible to the masses. The 30-volume catalog was now segregated into nine categories. Over the next couple of years, ITIL graduated into the most widely used ITSM tool in the world.

ITIL v3 – To make ITIL more user-friendly, the ITIL Glossary was introduced in 2006. The third version of ITIL, called ITIL v3, was published in 2007. This version emphasized IT business integration around the concept of service lifestyle structure. In the third version of ITIL, 26 processes/functions were condensed into five volumes. In 2011, a revised version of the ITIL 2007 version was again released by AXELOS Ltd. with the aim to resolve the inconsistencies and errors with v3.

ITIL 4 – Finally, the version that is widely used today, ITIL 4, launched in 2019. This version is more focused on providing practical guidance on the usage of ITIL, specifically in collaborative environments. As such, it is easier for companies to align ITIL 4 with Agile, DevOps and Lean work methods. The ITIL 4 is more inclusive for modern digital environments.

Who Uses ITIL?

ITIL is designed in such as way that it can benefit any organization that provides ITSM services or products irrespective of its size and industry. More and more organizations will be adopting ITIL 4 in 2021. ITIL finds widespread application across various industries and sectors across the globe including:

• Small, medium and large companies
• Educational institutions and universities
• Local, state and national governments
• Non-governmental organizations

Why Is ITIL Popular?

For more than three decades, ITIL has grown in popularity and has been widely adopted by organizations worldwide. Here are some of the reasons why companies of all sizes follow the ITIL framework:

• Because ITIL processes and procedures form a proven and established framework, businesses find it reliable and less risky while applying it to their IT processes. This widely accepted approach helps businesses mitigate and manage risks while driving growth and innovation.
• Following the ITIL framework helps businesses attain IT stability. This results in fewer business disruptions for the team and also the company. In the event of the IT team facing any hurdles, the procedures and processes outlined in the ITIL framework can be very useful in resolving issues. In addition, the ITIL framework helps IT professionals plan better and maintain a healthy level of accountability and transparency in their day-to-day activities.
• Hiring ITIL-certified professionals can be a lucrative prospect for businesses in the long run. A specialized professional can guarantee a sustainable fix to your IT problems and help reduce the probability of potential downtime owing to recurring IT issues.

What Percentage of Companies Use ITIL?

A study by ITSM Tools reveals that nearly 53% of companies have either already adopted or are adopting parts of ITIL, or are planning to adopt parts of it in the near future.

What Is ITIL Certification?

ITIL certification typically comprises a series of qualifications that are aimed to provide an individual with an understanding of the different ITIL best practices to various degrees of detail and depth of knowledge. ITIL certification offers a tiered qualification structure with optimum flexibility to learn the various disciplines of ITIL depending on areas of interest. Professionals with ITIL certifications are deemed to be well-versed in ITSM best practices and can help businesses optimize IT, save time, avoid re-work and reduce waste.

Who Needs ITIL Certification?

Over the years, ITIL has emerged as the leading framework for ITSM. That said, IT practitioners around the world continue to enroll for ITIL certification programs in a bid to improve their career prospects through an in-depth understanding of driving business value with IT best practices. ITIL certification helps professionals not only develop a comprehensive understanding of the ITIL framework and global ITSM standards but also acquire a strong skill set that makes them more desirable in the employment market.

Do ITIL Certifications Expire?

ITIL certifications do not expire. This implies that once acquired, the ITIL certification stays valid throughout the lifetime of the certificate holder.

ITIL v3 vs. ITIL 4

Over time ITIL has evolved and added facets to its framework, but these days it’s all about ITIL v3 and the new ITIL 4 standard. In order to better understand the two versions, let’s discuss some of the key differences between ITIL v3 and ITIL 4.

Service Lifecycle vs. Service Value System

A fundamental difference between ITIL v3 and ITIL 4 is that while the former is characterized by the service lifecycle, the latter is based on the service value system. The processes included in ITIL v3 are dispersed across the five stages of the service lifecycle, namely:

• Service Design
• Service Strategy
• Service Operation
• Service Transition
• Continual Service Improvement

On the other hand, ITIL 4 is based on the service value system that makes it more geared towards practical value and productivity as compared to the third version’s service-centered approach.

Processes vs. Practices

ITIL v3 was built around 26 documented processes that fell within the five stages of the service lifecycle listed above. ITIL 4 is built around 34 practices that fall under 3 categories of ITIL Management Practices (listed below).

ITIL v3 processes are basically a set of activities that flow along with information regarding metrics, suggested roles and other process-related information. Here is a table to outline the 26 documented processes of ITIL v3.

On the other hand, ITIL 4 comprises of practices that refer to something that you can perform with the right resources at hand.

As opposed to ITIL v3 processes that were focused only on managing IT services, the management practices of ITIL 4 are more expansive in their focus and include other aspects such as data management, technology and culture as well. The ITIL 4 practices stem from the understanding that today’s organizations are more diverse and dynamic in nature. The practices of ITIL 4 are categorized as:

• General management practices
• Service management practices
• Technical management practices

This table highlights the various ITIL 4 practices.

4Ps vs. 4 Dimensions

The four provisions or 4Ps of service design in ITIL v3 are:

• People
• Process
• Product
• Partners

In ITIL 4, these four provisions were upgraded to four dimensions that outlined a more practical approach toward service management. The four dimensions of ITIL 4 are:

• Organizations and people
• Information and technology
• Partners and suppliers
• Value streams and processes

Certification Levels

There are five certification levels for ITIL v3.

• ITIL v3 Foundation
• ITIL Practitioner
• ITIL Intermediate (Service Lifecycle and Service Capability categories)
• ITIL Expert
• ITIL Master

On the other hand, there are only four certification levels for ITIL 4.

• ITIL Foundation
• ITIL Managing Professional
• ITIL Strategic Leader
• ITIL Master

What Makes ITIL 4 More Viable?

As mentioned, ITIL 4 is an upgraded version of ITIL v3. As such, it comprises more enhanced strategic elements that are better aligned with the unique ITSM requirements of modern businesses. ITIL 4 helps in establishing more effective ITSM processes by providing an end-to-end operating model for the development, delivery and continuous improvement of technology-enabled services and products.

The 34 practices of ITIL 4 render it more straightforward and practical for businesses to adopt a flexible environment. Providing a holistic approach to service management, ITIL 4 is designed to fit the needs of modern businesses by supporting a slew of next-gen technologies such as automation, AI, biotechnology, and IoT.

Implement the ITIL Framework With Kaseya

Kaseya provides the logic and tools necessary to guide a company into ITIL – the most widely used standard for the efficient operation of an IT organization. Contact us to learn more.

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How often do you evaluate your organizational culture? Not often, right? Organizational culture is one of those amorphous concepts – you know it when you see it, but it’s just so difficult to pin down, and even more difficult to change. Yet, changing your culture is often necessary, especially when the entire MSP industry is transforming itself around you. If the constant flow of new tech and new business opportunities wasn’t chaotic enough, there’s also the fact that MSPs are becoming more operationally mature every day. If your company culture is static, you risk being left behind.

Take documentation for example. In our experience, most MSP leaders are fully aware of the value of great documentation. The problem is getting their teams to do it. But how? After working with 1000s of MSPs to implement IT Glue, we have a pretty good understanding of what it takes to build a documentation culture in your team. So we’re going to share some of the wisdom we’ve gained.

It Starts at the Top

Leaders lead. There’s no other way to say it. If your executive leadership is not engaged in documentation, nobody else will be either. But when the CEO declares documentation to be a priority, that sets the tone. But it can’t be just talk. Management needs to create incentives to get the team to document, make investments in automation to make it easier, and make sure techs have enough time to document properly. Documentation must be built into your processes.

Automate

Your techs don’t want to do a bunch of routine tasks any more than you do. They’ll do it if you ask, but that’s not building a documentation culture. Automate as much documentation as you can. Where native integrations don’t exist, they can be built. The more routine work is automated, the more engaged your team will be with the work that’s left.

Gamify

Create incentives to complete documentation. Have rewards for the top documenter of the week. Tie a small bonus into team documentation completion so that it’s a team effort. If you want to bring people in over the weekend for a heroic blast of documenting, definitely make that a fun weekend. But gamification provides intrinsic motivation to document, especially when coupled with small rewards.

Positive Feedback Loop

The more you document, the more your techs will see the benefits of documentation. We hear this all the time from our partners – even skeptical techs are won over when they see how much easier their work is with a beautifully documented environment. There should come a point when they hold each other accountable, too, for making sure that documentation is complete.

Each of these four steps can help build a documentation culture. It starts at the top, no question, and ends with everybody on your team being all-in on documentation. Responses from our partners vary as to how long this takes, but we know that the more of these elements you have in place, the stronger your documentation culture will become.

Learn more about IT Glue.

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• A single, web-based interface to deploy all hardware and software inventory and IT asset management  processes
• Asset data audit, tracking
• Tracking of all hardware and software assets within a single database
• Asset tracking throughout the lifecycle including move, add, change and delete (MACD) activities
• Online, always accessible vendor, service and maintenance contracts ensuring accurate tracking of financial and service impacts of asset changes
• Details on discovered software applications including software category and threat level

This IT asset management software solution would deliver a comprehensive up-to-date network inventory whenever you desired. You could view and manage the network efficiently from anywhere at any time. You could gain access to any computer or server, and troubleshoot any issue from your office. You’d know, at any time, exactly what software was running on the system, when the system was installed, when the license expires, its OS version, the latest security update installed, how much memory or capacity it had and so forth… down to the smallest detail.

Learn more about how IT asset management software can help save your IT organization time, money and headaches. Download the free whitepaper “IT Systems Management Automation: Why to Embrace It” to learn more.

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If you’re an IT administrator in an educational organization, you have to manage an ever growing plethora of IT stuff without enough IT staff.  Budget constraints and board requirements impede your ability to grow your staff. The expansion of 1:1 computing in education is a noble initiative, but it guarantees a continued expansion of your IT asset management base.

To respond in a timely manner and effectively manage this growing environment, you need comprehensive IT asset management software and hardware inventories of servers, workstations, mobile devices and applications on the network. This task increases in difficulty as the network expands beyond the walls of your educational organization to multiple remote locations. This environment is virtually impossible to administer without IT asset management and reporting automation.

Here are the capabilities your asset management solution should provide:

• A single, web-based asset management interface to deploy all hardware and software inventory and processes.
• Asset data audit, tracking, compliance and reconciliation.
• Tracking of all hardware and software assets within a single database.
• Once inventoried, asset data should be audited automatically on a continual basis.
• IT asset management tracking throughout the lifecycle including move, add, change and delete (MACD) activities.
• Vendor, service and maintenance contracts should be stored online, ensuring accurate tracking of financial and service impacts of asset management changes.
• Software metering functionality providing accurate monitoring of application usage and facilitating license harvesting and compliance.
• Details on discovered software applications including software category and threat level.

The above IT asset management solution would deliver a comprehensive network inventory right to your fingertips whenever you desired. You could view and manage the network efficiently from anywhere at any time. You could gain access to any computer or server and troubleshoot any issue from your office. You’d know, at any time, exactly what software was running on the system, when the system was installed, when the license expires, its OS version, the latest security update installed, how much memory or capacity it had and so forth… down to the smallest detail.

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