INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Services Give Firms A Better Picture Of Tech Assets.(A)

By J. Bonasia

Investor's Business Daily

As companies look to rein in technology spending, many find they aren't keeping track of the software and equipment they already own.

The average corporate workstation is running at least $405 worth of unlicensed software, says Micropath Inc., a technology asset management firm inBellevue, Wash. And companies typically maintain 22% more workstations than their records indicate.

Mergers and acquisitions, along with tightening budgets, are making information technology asset management more important than ever. But the growing diversity of IT equipment -- including desktop personal computers, laptops, servers, monitors, printers, network devices and cell phones -- complicates the process.

"Companies that are looking to cut IT spending need asset management to tellthem where all the assets are and what state they're in," said Patricia Adams,an analyst at the Gartner Group.

IT asset management involves the tracking of physical inventory and the financial data and contracts related to each piece of equipment and software. All of this information is compiled in a database, which is then continually updated.