Notes from our Chair, ITAM Forum
Jennifer Carr No Comments

Melody Ayeli, Chair, ITAM Forum Board of Trustees.

I’ve worked in the industry for more than 15 years and have seen how hundreds of companies have addressed ITAM. I know the value it can bring to every organization’s bottom line and the significant risks that can materialize if it’s ignored. After decades, many companies still fall short when it comes to implementing and leveraging ITAM properly and by not giving ITAM the attention it deserves.

The ITAM Forum’s mission is to advance and elevate the ITAM industry by focusing on business value and through our programs and awareness campaigns, aid in the growth of the profession. That mission compelled me to join and to accept a leadership role.

We’ve all heard the expression that “every business is an IT business.” This saying has never been truer than it is today. Technology has become king, whether that’s in regard to remote working, new company processes, how people choose to engage, or what consumers choose to buy.

Organizations have been on a digital transformation and cyber security journey for several years. The pandemic has sped up these journeys, and like everything else, there will be some organizations that need to catch up. 

Ron Brill, the ITAM Forum’s Vice Chair, has stated, “If you ask 100 CIOs what their top five priorities are, you’re likely not to see ITAM on the list. But those same CIOs are probably going to list things like information security, which cannot really be effectively achieved without ITAM.”

As these new trends and technologies get much attention and priority, behind the scenes are many individuals working to get the best and most out of them, and these individuals include all of us who work in ITAM. 

The Forum, through its work, will be able to shine a light on our industry and profession and highlight the role ITAM is playing in helping companies to adjust to new ways demanded by the pandemic. 

I’m thrilled by the achievements the Forum has made during the past 12 months and am energized to be part of a new platform where end-user organizations can come together globally to share knowledge and best practices. We have ten countries now interested in establishing and growing ITAM Forum local chapters, with Germany starting the first pilot.  

We’re also making great headway in creating a new ISO 19770 standard certification program so organizations can demonstrate the quality of their ITAM practices. This is a key initiative for the Forum and something our industry needs. The ISO standard is a great resource for building an ITAM practice, but as you know, at the moment, there is no way for an organization to measure conformity against it in a uniform way. 

Creating the certification program will help ITAM professionals benchmark their organization’s processes against others, make improvements, and begin to secure key stakeholders’ attention – stakeholders in IT, outside of IT, and executives up to the C-suite. 

Understanding the benefits demonstrated at their organizations, new senior leaders can begin to champion ITAM programs, recognize cross-functional team efforts to improve asset visibility, and promote efforts to collaborate and share data and information for the benefit of the entire business. 

The goal has always been to fill the gaps in our industry in ways that help both end-user organizations and individual professionals. In our first year, we built the foundation for our programs and established relationships with organizations and professionals that are ready to be part of the global effort to elevate the ITAM practice. During our second year, we will build upon that foundation to develop and expand programs with more visible, measurable impact. 

We have exciting opportunities for ITAM developing in the near future, and I’m very much looking forward to reflecting again, in 12 months’ time, on what our ITAM Forum community has achieved together. 

 

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.