SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MANAGING IT ASSETS

• US 20100312597A1
• Filed: 06/10/2010
• Published: 12/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Computer Associates Think Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ellisor, Charles Edwin JR.
• Granted Patent: US 8,504,683 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/252 between a Database Management System and a front-end application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06375 Prediction of business process outcome or impact based on a proposed change
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting

Abstract

A system configured to manage IT assets associated with an entity (e.g., a company, an institution, etc.), in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention. The IT assets may include hardware assets, software assets, telecommunications assets, and/or other IT assets. The system enables substantially all of the information relevant to the individual IT assets to be organized within a single repository throughout the life cycle of the IT assets (e.g., from order to disposal). By organizing the relevant information within a single repository, automation and dynamic system interaction may be leveraged during the life cycle of a given IT asset to track and/or monitor the given IT asset with an enhanced efficiency. In some embodiments, the system may include a common database, and an asset implementation manager, an asset ownership manager, an asset process manager, a service manager in operative communication with the common database.

Claims

1-23. -23. (canceled)

24. A system configured to manage a plurality of information technology (IT) assets associated with an entity, the plurality of IT assets including one or more of software assets or hardware assets, the system comprising:

a common database that stores one or more asset profiles for one or more IT assets of the plurality of IT assets, wherein each asset profile includes information related to at least one of the one or more IT assets; and

at least one processor configured to provide;

an asset ownership manager that receives ownership information relating to ownership of the one or more IT assets, wherein the received ownership information is stored in at least one of the one or more asset profiles, and wherein the asset ownership manager generates or modifies ownership information that is stored in the one or more asset profiles, and

an asset process manager that receives process information relating to one or more processes associated with the one or more IT assets, wherein the one or more processes include at least a first participant passing information to a second participant, wherein one of the first participant or the second participant is an IT asset from the one or more IT assets, wherein the received process information is stored in at least one of the one or more asset profiles, and wherein the asset process manager generates or modifies process information that is stored in the one or more asset profiles.

25. The system of claim 25, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to provide an asset implementation manager that receives implementation information relating to use of the one or more IT assets, wherein the received implementation information is stored in at least one of the one or more asset profiles, and wherein the asset implementation manager generates or modifies information that is stored in the one or more asset profiles.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to provide a service manager that receives service information relating to functionality of at least one of the one or more IT assets, wherein the received, service information is stored in at least one of the one or more asset profiles, and wherein the service manager generates or modifies information that is stored in the one or more asset profiles.

28. The system of claim 25, wherein the ownership information includes one or more of information relating to cost of an IT asset, information related to contractual rights or obligations associated with an IT asset, information related to one or more leases associated with an IT asset, information related to one or more licenses associated with an IT asset, or information related to one or more vendors associated with an IT asset.

29. The system of claim 25, wherein the asset process manager further:

receives a command to initiate a given process of the one or more processes,

initiates the given process,

monitors the given process,

requests one or more authorizations for the given process,

receives one or more authorizations for the given process, and

determines the given process has been completed.

31. The system of claim 25, wherein the service manager further receives a report of an issue related to the functionality of one of the one or more IT assets, initiates one or more processes to address the issue, monitors one or more processes that address the issue, and closes the issue.

32. The system of claim 25, wherein the one or more of the plurality of IT assets include one or more of a hardware asset, a software asset, or a telecommunications asset.

26. The system of claim 26, wherein the asset implementation manager further receives implementation information by discovering the one or more IT assets, and wherein the asset implementation manager further monitors one or more inventories of the one or more IT assets, monitors a configuration of one or more of the one or more IT assets, or monitors usage of the one or more IT assets.

30. The system of claim 30, wherein the given process comprises one of an order, a procurement, a receipt, a payment, a configuration change, a deployment, or a disposal of an IT asset of the one or more IT assets.

33. A method of managing an information technology (IT) asset, the method executed by at least one processor configured to perform a plurality of operations, the operations comprising:

discovering the IT asset;

creating a profile in a common database that is associated with the IT asset;

obtaining implementation information related to use of the IT asset by monitoring use of the IT asset;

storing the implementation information in the profile;

obtaining ownership information related to ownership of the IT asset;

storing the ownership information related to the ownership of the IT asset in the profile;

initiating a process associated with the IT asset, wherein the process includes at least a first participant passing information to a second participant, wherein one of the first participant or the second participant is the IT asset; and

storing information relating to the initiated process in the profile.

34. The method of claim 34, wherein the IT asset comprises one or more of a hardware asset, a software asset, or a telecommunications asset.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the implementation information comprises one or more of information related to a physical location of the IT asset, information related to a configuration of the IT asset, information related to one or more assigned end-users of the IT asset, or information related to network location of the IT asset.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein the ownership information comprises one or more of cost information, information related to contractual rights and/or obligations associated with the IT asset, information related to one or more leases associated with the IT asset, information related to one or more licenses associated with the IT asset, or information related to one or more vendors associated with the IT asset.

37. The method of claim 34, wherein the initiated process comprises one or more of an order, a procurement, a receipt, a configuration change, a payment, a deployment, or a disposal of the IT asset.