About the IT Asset Inventory
An IT Asset is company-owned information, system or hardware that is used in the course of its business activities.
There are two "families" of IT assets:
• IT asset (type)
An IT asset type is a specific kind of IT asset regrouping object types (Application, Software technology), as opposed to deployed objects (instances).
• IT asset (instance)
An IT asset instance is a specific kind of IT Asset regrouping the deployment objects (software installation or deployed technology).
Importance of the IT Asset Inventory
The first step in managing IT assets is to identify and define the IT assets of your enterprise. You cannot control and manage these assets efficiently until they have been identified.
IT management is essential both in financial and operational terms. In fact, good management leads to optimization of resources, and limits risks linked to compliance and security.
IT asset types
An asset type is a category of assets containing object types (Applications, Software, Technologies), as opposed to deployed objects that are called instances.
We distinguish between:
• Assets
• Applications
A business application is a set of software tools that make up a consistent whole from a software development viewpoint and with respect to functionalities supplied to users.
• Technology
A software technology is a basic component necessary for operation of business applications.
• Deployed assets:
• Software installation
A software installation is the deployment of an application with a view to using it on a given site.
• Deployed technology