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ITAM Industry in the Ascendancy

IAITAM-Conference-and-Exhib

Keynote speaker Michael Beare, worldwide director for SAM at Microsoft with IAITAM President Barb Rembiesa

Today is the second day of the IAITAM 2009 Annual Conference and Exhibition in Las Vegas.

It has been great to finally put names to faces in the ITAM Industry and network with peers.

It’s a very well organised event chocked full of useful content. In fact my only criticism is is that I can’t watch the three tracks of speakers simultaneously! The IAITAM team have done a great job of collecting a who’s who of the ITAM industry and getting them to present open seminars on their specialist areas. It’s all good hands-on stuff that ITAM practitioners can take back and implement.

There is a real buzz about the place and an impressive turnout despite the economic climate. It is clear from speaking to delegates and listening in on seminars that ITAM is definitely being taken more seriously and the ITAM Industry is in the ascendancy.

I asked Barb Rembeisa, President of IAITAM about the growing importance of ITAM:

My philosophy is that twenty or thirty years ago the business world operated in silos. That is, finance, accounting, human resources etc all operated as separate entities within the same organisation.

Then IT came along and touched every part of the organisation. It has taken twenty years for organisations to realise that they need to manage their IT assets as a business.

In comparison to a profession such as accounting, which took decades to mature, ITAM is maturing quickly.ITAM is definitely on the upswing and a lot of it has to do with the economy.

There has steadily been a realisation that we need to stop that black hole called IT and start monitoring what is really bring value to the organisation.

This is one of things we advocate at ITAM, everything our members learn in the classes, at the conference and through the ITAK magazine is something they can take away and implement and bring value to their company.


This is a preview from a series of articles, interviews and resources generated as part of my visit to the IAITAM conference. To stay updated please subscribe to the monthly e-mail bulletin (top right of the page) or joined the ITAM Review Networking Group on LinkedIn.

The photo is courtesy of the IAITAM facebook group, click on the image to visit the Facebook page.

About Martin Thompson

Martin is owner and founder of The ITAM Review, an online resource for worldwide ITAM professionals. The ITAM Review is best known for its weekly newsletter of all the latest industry updates, LISA training platform, Excellence Awards and conferences in UK, USA and Australia.

Martin is also the founder of ITAM Forum, a not-for-profit trade body for the ITAM industry created to raise the profile of the profession and bring an organisational certification to market. On a voluntary basis Martin is a contributor to ISO WG21 which develops the ITAM International Standard ISO/IEC 19770.

He is also the author of the book "Practical ITAM - The essential guide for IT Asset Managers", a book that describes how to get started and make a difference in the field of IT Asset Management. In addition, Martin developed the PITAM training course and certification.

Prior to founding the ITAM Review in 2008 Martin worked for Centennial Software (Ivanti), Silicon Graphics, CA Technologies and Computer 2000 (Tech Data).

When not working, Martin likes to Ski, Hike, Motorbike and spend time with his young family.

Connect with Martin on LinkedIn.

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