We have a very particular set of ITAM skills..
We will find your IT assets and I will cost optimise them.
In the interests of profits, many managed services have sought ever increasing levels of automation. It could be argued that this direction has had a severe and detrimental effect on skills in the ITAM industry. We witness this with our recruitment, with many consultants from other SAM consultancies having a reliance on tooling to manage the software assets.
In the era of hyper-complexity, a coalescence of high-end licensing, commercials and technology skills will form an important core of ITAM roles and will be essential to defend against Vendors and Resellers that use complexity to drive deals that aren’t in the best interests of end user organisation.
The recruitment of IT Asset Management (ITAM) professionals has become increasingly challenging in recent years due to the growing dependence of tooling and automation within the industry. As organisations embrace a technology-driven approach to manage their IT assets more efficiently, they create a skills dilemma. The automation streamlines the collection and analysis, while it intensifies the skill shortage within ITAM. This poses challenges for ITAM recruiters and organisations.
Firstly, the rapid implementation of ITAM tooling has led to a growing demand for professionals with specialized skills. The manual tasks are delegated to software and algorithms, there is a greater need for individuals who can configure, manage, and interpret the output from these ITAM tools effectively.
Secondly, the ITAM tools are usually infrastructure based, with user-based reporting for the Tier 1 software publishers. From experience we know that license metrics can be based on non-infrastructure criteria and interpreting the licence metric and collecting the required data requires a level of experience. Consequently, recruiters are on the hunt for candidates with a unique blend of technical expertise and ITAM knowledge, a combination that is often challenging to find.
The constantly evolving nature of ITAM technology creates another recruitment challenge. With new tools emerging, the Recruiters must not only find candidates who possess current skills but also those who can adapt to these changes and stay ahead of the curve. This requirement for adaptability adds another layer of complexity to the recruitment process.
The ITAM skill shortage is further intensified by the competition with other technology-related fields, such as cybersecurity and cloud computing. These domains often lure away ITAM professionals, leading to a talent drain within the ITAM sector. Recruiters must compete for a limited pool of candidates who are also attractive to other tech sectors.
Additionally, many organizations struggle to define the exact skills required for ITAM positions. The diversity of ITAM tools and the specific needs of each organization make it challenging to create standardized job descriptions. As a result, recruiters find it difficult to assess candidates accurately as the ITAM skills are often very niche within the marketplace, and candidates may struggle to understand the mix of technical, analytical, commercial, and soft skills required for a role.
To address these recruitment issues, organizations must take a proactive approach: investing in training;
upskilling programs to bridge skill gaps;
accurately defining the requirements for the role.
Recruiters and organisation should also consider alternative strategies, such as hiring candidates with transferable skills from related fields and providing them with on-the-job training. Additionally, creating clear and detailed job descriptions that align with the organization's ITAM strategy helps potential candidates fully understand the role and its requirements.
To summarise, the automation of ITAM processes has undoubtedly improved efficiency for organisations however it has also created significant recruitment challenges. The skill shortage in ITAM demands a proactive response from both organizations and recruiters. By investing in education and training, staying adaptable, and refining job descriptions, the ITAM industry can overcome these obstacles and continue to thrive in the on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments.