Get involved. Join the Committee of Experts. Join your peers to help forumulate what the certification scheme will look like and how conformity will be measured.
The ITAM Forum, the new professional body for the advancement of the global IT Asset Management industry, has today passed an important milestone by appointing an independent standardization institute to act as secretariat of the world’s first ITAM certification based on ISO 19770.
1st step to delivering the “kitemark for the ITAM industry”
One of The ITAM Forum’s founding goals was to create the world’s first organizational certification for ISO19770, the global standard for the ITAM industry. While ISO19770 is a very useful resource for ITAM professionals in building out their ITAM practice, there has never been a way for organizations to measure conformity against the standard in a global, consistent, and uniform way. This is despite the first version of the standard being published in 2006. The ITAM Forum, will become the world’s first trade body to deliver this certification process to the industry.
Join the “Committee of Experts” to shape the certification
To ensure the new certification reflects the realities of ITAM in the real world, the ITAM Forum is calling for volunteers who wish to play a role in formulating the scheme and defining how conformity will be measured. This “Committee of Experts” will be a representation of the global ITAM community consisting of software end-users, ITAM tool providers and those who provide consultancy services.
Martin Thompson, founder of the ITAM Forum, encourages the industry to get involved, “Much like the ITAM Forum is guided by its trustees, the process of creating this new certification will be reliant on the goodwill and guidance of volunteers from within the industry. While we will take care of the heavy lifting, we need direction from those at the coalface of ITAM to ensure we deliver a certification that is fit-for-purpose and raises the bar for the industry as a whole. If you would like to play a meaningful role in the future of your industry, please register your interest to join the Committee of Experts.”
Apply to join the Committee of Experts here: https://forms.gle/pURocPpphSdEATAn8
A milestone for the ITAM industry and ITAM Forum
Martin Thompson continues, “Taking this first step in the development of the ITAM certification scheme is an important milestone in the professionalization of ITAM as an industry since ISO19770 was first published in 2006. By providing organizations with a globally-recognized, ISO-compliant certification, ITAM practitioners will be able to better demonstrate their value to stakeholders who don’t necessarily understand ITAM, while also providing a benchmark to drive up standards across the industry.
Establishing a global standard for ITAM compliance was one of the main reasons we started the ITAM Forum in the first place, so I am very proud of the support we have received from our patrons and trustees to reach this important step in this process.”
Dennis Montanje, an ITAM Forum Trustee who is leading the ITAM certification workstream comments on the market need for an ISO certification, “There are many key business disciplines that require certification against an ISO standard, such as information security. ITAM is fundamental to any security initiative, so why wouldn’t you require the same conformity to a standard for ITAM? We’re thrilled to be bringing forward the world’s first ISO 19770 standard certification program. This truly is a first of its kind for our profession. It will significantly raise up the ITAM community and demonstrate in a meaningful way the contributions ITAM professionals make and the value-add ITAM professionals deliver to their organizations.”
Melody Ayeli, ITAM Forum Chair and industry professional, comments, “There is a clear and growing business case for organizations to be certified against the ISO19770 standard for ITAM. It will not only help to raise the profile of ITAM professionals with key stakeholders and leaders within their organization, but it will help to benchmark processes, drive up maturity, and help organizations reach their financial, operational, and risk management goals. Each organization reaching certification status will support our industry’s goal of ensuring ITAM is implemented and practiced effectively, and is gaining the proper attention within the enterprise.”
George Arezina, ITAM Forum Trustee and global ITAM leader for an international business information company, comments on why the ITAM certification is important to him, “ITAM practitioners are fortunate enough to interact with almost every corner of their organization throughout a typical workday. From HR to procurement, security, finance – and of course IT – almost all aspects of the business rely on the intelligence we gather to make informed decisions. Yet, while most of these professions have nationally, or even internationally recognized standards, to demonstrate a degree of professionalism to their peers – we in ITAM aren’t so lucky. It is for this reason that I support the ITAM Forum’s efforts to address this anomaly.”
NEN, the Dutch Standardization Institute, will have the secretariat of this project and will assist with the process of its development. NEN has significant experience in developing both standards and certification schemes, managing over 31,000 standards, including international, European, and national standards accepted in The Netherlands. NEN is impartial and has a mission in developing agreements for safer and more durable products and processes.
* NOTE: All trustees of the ITAM Forum have joined in their personal capacity. Unless stated otherwise, any comments made by the trustees on behalf of the ITAM Forum do not represent the views of their employers, nor does their membership as individuals imply endorsement of the ITAM Forum by their respective employers.