IAM Bar Code Scanning – Best Practices

With the release of Ivanti Asset Manager (IAM) you are now able to scan bar codes with the Ivanti Asset Manager android application.

UPDATE: 2020-11-19 a19 Asset Scanner | Apple iOS Mobile Application | Ivanti Service/Asset Manager | Click Here to View

UPDATE: 2020-11-05 a19 Asset Scanner | Floating Bar Code Reader | Ivanti Service Manager | Android | Click Here to View

a19 Asset Scanner | Apple iOS | Mobile Application | Ivanti Service/Asset Manager

a19 Asset Scanner | Android | Mobile Application | Ivanti Service/Asset Manager

IAM Asset Scanner Requirements

Presently only available to android devices, more specifically Android OS Based Scanning Devices, there are two models that have been tested by Ivanti.

• MUNBYN – tested by a19 Consulting
• ScanSKU

IAM Asset Scanner Getting Started

1. Purchase Asset Scanner device above.
2. Download IAM Android App from Google Play Store
3. Contact me to streamline your asset scanning and overall asset management operating procedures

Note: Enhancement requests have been made to include scanning ability for android smart devices (smartphone, tablet) with APP. There is a workaround for using android smart devices, contact me to find out more.

IAM Asset Scanner UI

Ivanti Asset Manager
Android App
Asset Scanner UI

IAM Asset Scanner Role Functionality

The Out-of-the-box (OOTB) functionality allows for scanning bar codes and looking up Asset Tags, creating and adding assets, with Asset Type, Sub Type, Asset Name, Serial Number, Location, Assigned Model, and Manufacturer. The “Scan Log” is then attached to the new/updated Configuration Item (CI, now Asset)

Sample Asset Tag and Serial Number Bar Codes

Best Practice

a19 Consulting has taken the asset scanner to the next level customized the Asset Scanner UI with an asset scanning wizard that after scanning an asset tag walks you through creating a new asset or updating an asset, plus the ability to scan packing slips for procurement, with pictures of the packing slips, and 1 or more Assets (CI’s) attached to the packing slips, which roll up into the Purchase Order and Invoices for reconciliation.

For more information on the a19 Best Practice System and the a19 Asset Scanner Wizards be sure to contact a19 Consulting – Ivanti Developers and Consultants since 1996!

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Roles and Permissions CRUD

Roles & Permissions have been become more complex with the Ivanti Asset Manager release. There are a few key roles like Asset Scanner, Storage Managers and Procurement Manager that need to be considered.

CRUD – Create Read Update Delete

A CRUD is an acronym for Create Read Update Delete, the basic four functions for record storage.

Sample CRUD

Sample CRUD
Ivanti Asset Manager

Notice that the Asset Admin and Asset Manager Roles are left off by design, as the focus for existing Ivanti Service Manager implementations are the SDM, SDA roles and Asset Admin/Manager roles typically introduce unnecessary complexity.

a19 Consulting – Best Practice System – Tip

• Never Ever Delete – use a status value or hide checkbox
• Limit Access – add more access as needed; less is more!
• K.I.S.S.– Keep It Simple Smart people
• Review during UAT – It is recommended to review the CRUD during UAT as core T.E.A.M. members will have had an opportunity to use the system and get familiar with the workspaces and their relationships. Furthermore Record and Field Level access permissions by Role, Team, Organizational Unit, or other criteria can be determined at that time.

T.E.A.M. T.ogether E.veryone A.chives M.ore

Best Practice – List Styles

Here is a great example for “Quick Wins” which are low effort and high benefit, as discussed the other day in my post Scoping Priorities.

Project Task List – Color Coding

A best practice that you can find throughout the a19 Consulting Best Practice system is to use color coding where possible, especially with lists, so it is visually easy and quick to identify important records or columns, such as the Status, Start Date, End Date, and Owner of Project Tasks by using style expressions. Why the owner? For a meaningful project overview of project tasks.

ISM Project Dashboard Example

a19 Consulting – Best Practice Tip
Style Expressions

• Tasks with a status of Logged (Yellow)
• Tasks assigned to self (Blue)
• Start/End Date met (Green)
• Start/End Date not met (Red)

sample style expression

$(if CurrentDateTime() > EndDate &&
Status not in (“Completed”, “Rejected”, “Cancelled”)
then “RedBox”
else if CurrentDateTime() > StartDate && CurrentDateTime() < EndDate
then “GreenLabel”
else “Default”)

Former Kifinti Solutions Consultant releases Ivanti Service Manager Best Practices System

Providing Ivanti Professional Services to Fortune 500 enterprise clients and Ivanti business partners (Avante Solutions, Kifinti Solutions, DDS IT, and others), worldwide, since 1996, we have developed an Ivanti Asset Manager Best Practice System to complement our Ivanti Service Manager Best Practice System to deliver superior results by implementing simplified standard business processes and improved simplified interface that enables you to do more with less and cut implementation and consulting costs significantly.  

“It takes time to develop an overnight successful Ivanti Best Practices System. In our case over 2 decades of HEAT IT Service Management and Ivanti Service Manager experience.” says Gregor Anton, a former Kifinti Solutions Consultant, and unique and distinctive authority in the Enterprise Service Management space with his consulting and development experience and extensive insight to best practices going back to 1996 with the HEAT and now Ivanti Service Manager (ISM) and Ivanti Asset Manager (IAM) products.

Providing HEAT ITSM Best Practices and now Ivanti Best Practices, with his tried, tested, and true implementations, and upgrades, Gregor now focuses on his company, a19 Consulting, and his a19 Ivanti Best Practices System.

Gregor has been developing, streamlining, and implementing best practices and latest solutions for fortune 500 companies and Frontrange Business Partners (Change Control, Avante Solutions, Kifinti Solutions) and Ivanti Business Partners (Kifinti Solutions, DDS IT), worldwide.

The Ivanti Asset Manager Best Practices complement the already successful Ivanti Service Manager Best Practices System that Gregor has developed.

Hardware Asset Management features include improved Asset Scanning and Procurement Processes, an integration to Softchoice and many other Vendors, as well as Product Catalog Maintenance features. Software Asset Management also takes a front seat with Vendor integration, contract and entitlement management, and best practices to guide through Software version maintenance, to name just a few features.

“Gregor and a19 Consulting were able to work with us to align our working processes with the workflows within the Ivanti Service Manager tool, leveraging a19 Ivanti Best Practices and latest solutions. The implementation team from Kifinti Solutions were helpful in getting it up and running, but we needed someone that could take EXP to the next level and configure the tool so we could utilize all of its potential,” says Steven Morin, Helpdesk Manager, at EXP.

The ITxM Space (ITSM, IT Service Management, ITAM, IT Asset Management) has never been more exciting, as is the transformation to ESM (Enterprise Service Management).

Contact us for more information on the latest solutions & best practices for your Ivanti Service Manager implementation.

http://ivanti.bestpractice.systems/

Full Press Release Here

a19 Consulting – Ivanti Best Practice System
for Ivanti Service and Asset Manager (ISM/IAM)

Ivanti Asset Manager 101

Asset Manager is a much talked about “new” product that was released with ITxM 2018.3 and actively promoted with ITxM 2019.1.

ITxM 2019 in fact consists of Ivanti Service Manager (ISM) and Ivanti Asset Manager (IAM).

Ivanti Asset Manager has been around for a while and Ivanti Service Manager, formerly known as HEAT, has done Asset Management since its early HEAT for Windows days in the 1990’s.

ITxM is a leap forward combining the best of both the Asset Manager product and HEAT’s Asset Management capabilities with a roadmap to dominate the ITxM space.

Key features

• Asset Roles
• Android Based Asset Scanning
• Improved Asset Interface
• Improved Integration for Discovery Tools such as EPM and SCCM
• Improved Asset Reports & Dashboards
• Improved Asset Life Cycle Statuses
• Simplified Asset Types, including Consumables
• Inventory Stock Management
• Contracts and Purchase Orders
• Improved Vendor Management
• Improved Software Library
• Improved Audit & Compliance Capabilities
• Improved Costing Reporting Capability (Total Cost of Ownership)
• Request Offerings (2019.3)
• Improved Asset Workflows

ITxM in essence becomes your single source of truth with a holistic view of your assigned assets, discovered assets, tracked against purchase orders, contracts with workflow and approval processes.

Lots of great functionality and features that on the surface provide a great demo and glimpse into what your Asset Management Strategy could look like, but overkill in practice.

For this reason I have developed an Asset Manager Best Practice System in working with dozens of clients over the last couple decades.

If you are serious about making your Asset Manager Strategy a success, be sure to contact me.  I’m here to help!