Gartner’s recent research, “Create an Asset Management Practice as the First Step to Reducing Cost and Audit Risks,” has revealed a shocking truth: IT asset management (HAM) is in disarray. The findings are so alarming, they should be front-page news.
- A staggering 30% of IT assets are lost.
- Up to 30% of purchased assets are never entered into the system of record.
- A shocking 24% of organizations haven’t verified their asset inventory in the past five years.
Imagine a bank that couldn’t account for 30% of its assets. It would be a scandal! Yet, in the world of IT, this level of negligence is commonplace.
New SEC cybersecurity regulations are making this problem even more urgent. Organizations are now required to account for every asset, from acquisition to disposition, and must report cybersecurity incidents. The 24% of organizations that haven’t verified their asset inventory are in direct violation of these regulations.
A missing asset could be a treasure trove of sensitive data or a backdoor into your network. It should be investigated as a potential incident. However, Gartner’s research shows that many organizations simply ignore this problem.
This is a willful disregard of regulations. It’s a ticking time bomb. And yet, the media seems largely oblivious. Why isn’t this a major story?
It’s time for organizations to take hardware asset management seriously. The consequences of inaction are too great.