The most flexible no-code ITSM solution
12 IT Asset Management Best Practices For 2025
IT Asset Management (ITAM) is the comprehensive process of tracking, managing, and optimizing an organization's IT assets — from hardware and software to digital resources — throughout their lifecycle.
By ensuring assets are efficiently utilized, secure, and compliant with policies and regulations, ITAM plays a crucial role in streamlining operations. When implemented effectively, it also drives cost savings, strengthens security, and supports long-term business growth.
In this post, we’ll explore the 12 key best practices that organizations should adopt to maximize the value of their IT assets in 2025.
1. Assess and define objectives
Before diving into ITAM tools or strategies, clearly assess the pain points you're addressing. Identify the specific challenges you're facing — whether it’s tracking, License Management, or lifecycle visibility — and set clear objectives.
Defining your priorities upfront ensures you implement a solution that truly addresses your needs, improving efficiency and return on investment (ROI).
Each corporation, each enterprise has a different DNA when it comes to what worked for them for Asset Management... A lot of that comes with experience.
Aaron Davenport, Software Asset Manager at HCA
2. Adopt a lifecycle approach
Emphasize a flexible, end-to-end approach to managing IT assets, from IT procurement through to disposal. Shift away from arbitrary replacement cycles and aim to extend asset lifespans as long as they remain effective.
By assessing asset performance and repurposing equipment where possible, organizations can reduce waste and costs while maintaining long-term sustainability.
3. Implement dedicated ITAM tools
Move away from manual methods like Excel spreadsheets for ITAM in favor of specialized software. Dedicated ITAM tools, such as InvGate Asset Management, offer automation, accuracy, and scalability that manual methods can’t match.
These tools provide instant insights into asset status, ensure compliance, optimize costs, and integrate seamlessly with other IT Service Management (ITSM) tools.
4. Ensure governance and accountability
Establish clear IT governance and assign roles such as asset owners, custodians, and license managers to ensure compliance, effective asset usage, and value extraction.
Regular monitoring, audits, and evaluations allow you to track asset performance and adjust as necessary, aligning ITAM processes with business goals and ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements.
5. Automate and integrate ITAM processes
Automation is key to efficient IT Asset Management. By implementing automated tracking, data collection, and updates, you reduce manual workload and improve decision-making.
Tools like InvGate Asset Management offer automated asset discovery, updates, and compliance checks, allowing IT teams to focus on strategic priorities rather than time-consuming manual processes.
6. Prioritize business-critical assets
Not all assets are created equal. Prioritize critical assets that directly impact your organization's operations, ensuring they are well-managed, maintained, and protected.
By focusing on the most valuable assets, IT teams can avoid wasting resources on low-impact items and make better decisions regarding maintenance, upgrades, and replacements.
7. Equip your IT team with the right tools
Provide IT teams with the essential tools they need for efficient Asset Management. Prioritize equipment that meets performance expectations and streamline the distribution of low-cost items without unnecessary approval processes.
A balanced approach ensures productivity while keeping operations agile and cost-effective.
8. Bridge the gap between Hardware and Software Asset Management
Successful ITAM requires integrated management of both hardware and software assets. Silos between Hardware Asset Management (HAM) and Software Asset Management (SAM) can lead to gaps in tracking, compliance, and optimization.
By ensuring these two elements work together, IT teams gain a clearer understanding of asset utilization, which helps reduce costs and improve compliance.
"You can't do SAM without HAM. You need to do both."
David Foxen, lead consultant at SAM Beast Consulting Ltd.
9. Make ITAM a UX priority
Today’s workforce expects seamless access to IT resources, much like the consumer apps they use daily. Prioritize a user-centric ITAM approach that provides fast, efficient access to hardware and software.
By shifting from a compliance-only mindset to one that also considers employee experience, organizations can enhance productivity, reduce frustration, and boost engagement.
"The new generation is used to having everything instantly... How can we provision software and hardware quickly while staying compliant?"
David Foxen, lead consultant at SAM Beast Consulting Ltd.
10. Perform smart budgeting for IT Asset Management
Rather than implementing a massive refresh cycle that requires a large upfront budget, adopt a more strategic, incremental approach to purchasing and upgrading IT assets.
By spreading out asset acquisitions over time, organizations can align IT spending with actual business needs, reducing budget shocks and maintaining continuous asset optimization.
11. Ensure continuous improvement and flexibility
ITAM is an evolving discipline, and your processes should adapt to new challenges and opportunities. Regularly assess your ITAM strategy, gather feedback from teams, and refine processes as needed.
Flexibility and continuous improvement ensure your strategy remains effective in the face of technological advancements and shifting business priorities.
12. Tie ITAM to ITSM practices
Integrate ITAM with ITSM processes, such as Incident Management, Change Management, and Configuration Management.
This integration ensures that asset data informs and supports other IT operations, enabling more efficient service delivery and better decision-making related to Asset Lifecycle Management.
Read other articles like this one: