Stakeholder Buy-in: Securing Support For Your ITAM Program
In our last article “Defining the outcomes for your ITAM Program” we explored the many factors to take into consideration when assessing the requirements of an ITAM program. But even the best plans can fall by the wayside without the proper ITAM program support and championing from the people who matter. That’s why stakeholder buy-in is not an afterthought in our design process. It’s a key feature.
ITAM as an internal service
Implementing a tool can be straightforward, but stakeholder management is often the largest challenge for an ITAM team. Demonstrating the value ITAM will bring to execs, procurement, security or vendor management takes time and investment in strong relationships. In our experience, the key is to transform the image of ITAM (both within the team and to the wider organization) to that of an internal service provider. This means you treat your stakeholders like customers. You take the time to learn their requirements and then create a service that will deliver value for their specific needs.
Creating a Target Operating Model that works
Developing a collaborative Target Operating Model that includes trustworthy data, lifecycle management, and optimization is a key tool in securing stakeholder buy-in and continued ITAM program support. The model should align with ISO standards and allow key players to support the deliverables and practical projects needed to sustain an ongoing program.
Your operating model should take all service management requirements into account, starting with your processes and governance to deliver on KPIs and service-level agreements (again, agreed by all). Likewise, the process for communication and reporting must be agreed upon and documented along with time frames and resourcing management. Finally, deliverables and task coordination must be outlined and assigned, taking care to include all business areas involved.
Using data management to your advantage
Data management is crucial to getting buy-in, so it’s important to have a clear understanding of how data will be collected and used. A discovery tool map and gap analysis can help drive results. Data should be consolidated and aligned with stakeholder requirements.
Defining the Target Operating Model may be time-consuming, but it will result in documented processes, policies, KPIs, and reporting plans. Additionally, there may be short-term initiatives, such as a renewal calendar or vendor risk profile, that can quickly deliver value and engage stakeholders.
Writing a business case for ITAM
In some organizations you may need a business case to convince stakeholders of the value of providing ITAM program support, clearly presenting this in relation to business benefits. A good first step to this is asking the executives their aims, and how ITAM can be a tool to help deliver this for them.
To align your ITAM (Information Technology Asset Management) with your business strategies, it’s important to focus on three key areas:
- Spend reduction – By optimizing your spend, you can reduce costs for software and cloud in an organized way instead of haphazardly. Effective commercial management can only lead to cost savings when you have a clear strategy, portfolio, and benchmarked value in place. To make this happen, you need accurate and trustworthy processes to negotiate contracts and save money. It is important to note here that while this will deliver a substantial level of cost savings, Gartner outlined in the 2022 Critical Capabilities for SAM Managed services that “Through 2025, organizations will save more money using proactive SAM than negotiating lower prices with software and cloud providers.”
- Providing the right information to the right people – A single view of all enterprise data is essential to make informed business decisions, comply with regulations, and mitigate risks. This view must include the necessary data for all key stakeholders to make decisions and manage spend. By giving teams and departments the power to make decisions, you can drive value measurement instead of just spending. Investing in trustworthy data will maximize the value you get from your greatest asset – data.
- Automation and marketplaces – Providing exceptional internal service is the key to getting people to use ITAM proactively. The lifecycle processes must manage costs throughout the lifecycle and include validating user requests, reusing purchased software, and managing contracts to minimize renewal costs. These processes need to be supported by accurate data and skilled resources. The effective management of software and cloud through a managed service provider is reported by Gartner in the 2022 Magic Quadrant for SAM Managed services (assessed in the 2022 Magic Quadrant) to have “delivered, realized savings of more than 200% of service costs in 63% of cases.”
Anglepoint delivers a structured methodology for this as part of a four-step ITAM Transformation Program that has been designed for large and complex organizations looking to mature ITAM and deliver on executive requirements. We provide the expertise required to deliver this strategic project.
