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Architecture

Asset Management Framework (AMF) was designed to be a comprehensive and fully customizable suite of management services that help organizations integrate and manage multi-vendor and multi-platform distributed systems, mainframes, handheld-devices, and networks.

Asset Management comprises the following aspects:

  • Processes: Includes IT capital planning, procurement, asset tracking, financial, software license management, IMAC, and disposal.
  • Assets: Ability to track all types of IT assets across the enterprise.

The figure below illustrates the architecture of an Asset Management system.

The following is a short description of each component:

  • Repository
    The most important part of the Asset Management system is its database. The database stores detailed information about hardware and software configurations, contracts (asset related items that need to be tracked and reported), locations, finances, and human resources.
  • Install/Move/Add/Change (IMAC)
    The IMAC manager is a facility used to add, transfer, and retire assets.
  • Help Desk
    The help desk initiates all activity tickets used to track installations, moves, additions, and changes in IMAC.
  • Procurement
    Procurement management focuses on the acquisition of hardware and software; it is used to build orders, review orders, and review catalog items.
  • Catalogs
    Catalogs contain product and vendor information for both IBM and non-IBM products. Such catalogs are essential for putting together purchase orders.
  • Scrubber
    Scrubbers clean up the raw data from each source (barcode, discovery tools, text files, and external repositories). The scrubbers reconcile the incoming data and allow it to be modified. In the case of discovery tools, it links scanned and non-scanned data (such as location and ownership of the asset).
  • Financial
    Financial information should be associated with each asset. Controlling financial information is essential for managing asset costs. Financial information can be static (attached during purchase) or may change several times during the life of the asset (lease/rental and depreciation).
    A connection with finance systems enables reconciling the actual IT assets with assets from accounting and fixed asset systems.
  • User Interface
    The user interface (UI) allows financial information to be entered and later modified. It is also used to view an asset's data once the asset has been loaded into the repository and initialized. Web browser user interfaces let users log into a web site and view different asset information depending on what is appropriate for their role and responsibility. Web UIs can also be used to handle acquisitions.
  • Software Management
    Software constitutes a major portion of computer assets, in terms of both price and quantity. Software information, such as license, version, and utilization, is kept in the repository.
  • Personnel (Human Resources)
    Personnel data is used to determine ownership of the asset.
    As new employees are hired and others leave, human resources (HR) can find real value in understanding what assets are needed or are currently assigned to an employee.
  • Billing and Charging
    Billing and charging information is part of the financial information associated with leased assets.