Improving Global IT Asset Management for an International Retailer

Overview

KA2 was engaged by a major international retailer to conduct an initial twelve-week IT Asset Management (ITAM) discovery exercise, forming the first phase of a broader programme of improvement.

The engagement focused on understanding the organisation’s existing ITAM capabilities, identifying operational challenges and establishing a roadmap to improve processes, governance and the management of its global IT estate.

The Challenge

The client had not fully adopted ITAM across its global IT estate and faced challenges managing sub-inventory, data and day-to-day operations. As a result, its existing ITAM capabilities were not delivering their full potential value.

With ambitions to extend ITAM globally, the organisation needed a clear understanding of its current environment, the issues preventing effective adoption and the practical steps required to improve performance.

KA2 conducted a comprehensive assessment of the existing ITAM capability, documented the findings and developed recommendations to support the organisation’s objectives.

The Solution

KA2 approached the discovery exercise across three key areas: people, process and tooling. Dedicated workstreams combined business and technical analysis with engagement across key stakeholder groups.

The review identified several areas requiring attention, including:

• Undefined processes, procedures and governance
• Incomplete and unreliable asset data
• Uncontrolled spending
• Persistent system misconfigurations
• Inefficient operations and opportunities for automation
• Unclear support structures and responsibilities

Given the scale and complexity of the organisation, the challenge was to translate these findings into a practical, prioritised delivery plan.

Rather than attempting to address every issue simultaneously, KA2 recommended an incremental approach based on Agile principles. This enabled the organisation to prioritise improvements, maintain focus and plan delivery around its wider business objectives, budgets and timelines.

The Benefits

The initial engagement provided the client with a clear view of its existing ITAM capabilities, a remediation plan and a roadmap for future improvement.

These deliverables supported the development of a business case for subsequent delivery phases and helped establish a path towards a more consistent, effective global ITAM operating model.

KA2’s independent engagement with internal stakeholders also helped build understanding of the challenges and opportunities, encouraging participation in the improvement programme.

The remediation roadmap identified opportunities to achieve:

• Simplified, more efficient and automated ITAM processes
• Greater return on investment from existing technology
• Reduced IT spending on hardware and software
• Consistent global governance and standardisation
• Greater understanding of ITAM’s value among end users and technology teams
• Improved employee engagement through education and regular communication
• Increased productivity by reducing repetitive, manual tasks

Following the initial discovery phase, KA2 continued to support the client in shaping the next stage of delivery to reflect its priorities, budget and timelines. The engagement established a clear foundation for strengthening IT Asset Management, improving operational efficiency and progressing towards a more consistent global operating model.

“This was an exciting project for KA2, as it allowed us to deeply understand the client’s business and its challenges. We received full support and engagement from key stakeholders and individual business units, which was vital for running successful workshops and managing feedback loops. Through these workshops and follow-up sessions, KA2 conducted an in-depth review of the current ITAM implementation and the agreed-upon objectives of the business. We then provided extensive recommendations to achieve the desired outcomes and presented a high-level delivery roadmap.” 

KA2 – Customer Success Manager