IBM Desktop Management Services Now Available Worldwide
Total Cost of Ownership Consulting Option Added to Internet Delivered Services
NEW YORK (June 16, 1998) – IBM today announced global availability and the addition of an option for total cost of ownership (TCO) consulting for IBM Asset Services, an offering to help customers track, manage and maintain control of their multivendor desktop computers and software and of the costs associated with distributed computing.
Designed to manage computers for business units with 1,000 to 10,000 users, IBM Asset Services are easily administered through an integrated solution that securely delivers this standardized set of services over the Internet. Asset management — where and when customers need it – is another in a growing number of services that IBM Global Services is safely providing via the World Wide Web.
The global availability and new feature of IBM Asset Services are two of several announcements made today by IBM at PC Expo related to the company’s systems management and networking services. These critical and comprehensive solutions help customers effectively manage and use their systems and networks, while controlling their costs of ownership. The other announcements are enhancements to IBM Help Desk Services and IBM Performance Management and Capacity Planning Services; and global availability of IBM Help Desk Services, IBM High Availability Services – Multivendor Networking, IBM Performance Management and Capacity Planning Services and IBM Testing Services.
Now available worldwide with consistent terms, delivery and pricing, IBM Asset Services allows customers to track their inventory and manage changes to their asset portfolio via an IBM-hosted Internet web server, using Lotus Domino*. Management and coordination of the changes is performed by a centralized group of IBM personnel, using a workflow-enabled Lotus Notes* application.
IBM has expanded the offering by adding TCO consulting services. This includes a number of programs designed to assess the cost of asset ownership and provide recommendations for improving utilization, planning and budgeting for new technology, and overall efficiency in the distributed network environment. Using these comprehensive assessment services also helps customers identify the most critical areas of cost and risk that should be addressed when implementing a comprehensive asset management plan to reduce asset ownership costs.
“Using our knowledge and experience in managing complex systems around the world, IBM has developed a portfolio of offerings that address a customer’s systems management and networking needs, from strategy and assessment, to architecture and design, planning, integration and support throughout the entire life cycle of the IT investment,” said Bob Hinckley, vice president, systems management and networking services. “Asset services, part of this portfolio, helps customers to manage continually escalating costs pertaining to acquisition, tracking, management, redeployment and disposition of desktop and other distributed assets.”
Industry trends indicate that the capital cost of distributed computing only accounts for around 21% of the total cost over the life of the asset. The other costs, many of which are intangible, come from administration, support, maintenance, and end user training.
IBM Asset Services manages asset information throughout the life cycle of a personal computer or software to help customers realize significant benefits. These can include lower total cost of ownership, improved end user productivity and service, better acquisition processes and management information.
These services, priced on a per-seat per-month basis, also can help improve the customers’ ability to plan and budget for expenditures and standardize the desktop environment; as well as keep current on technology. The offering was announced initially in the fall of last year.
Six Services Offered
In addition to TCO consulting, the customer may select from the following services:
Inventory – This service, which is also offered as a standalone service to businesses, provides a complete profile of existing desktop computer equipment. The data captured during the inventory is loaded into an on-line asset repository.
Tracking and Reporting – As changes such as upgrades occur with hardware and software, tracking provides the information and status necessary to provide controlled updates of the workstation assets on a continual basis. Process and updates are controlled through a centralized location. Reports and status are made available to authorized customer personnel through the Internet.
Move, Add, Change, and Remove (MAC/R) – When assets are relocated, added or taken out of service or software packages are added, requests are submitted by authorized customer personnel through the Internet. This minimizes the impact of change to end users, and reduces the amount of customer resources that must be expended.
Rollout – This service provides for the scheduling, coordination, and performance of multiple complex desktop installations, reducing the amount of customer resource involved in coordinating and scheduling. These requests are placed by authorized customer and/or IBM project managers through the Internet.
A sixth service, acquisition, is currently available in the U.S. only, with future plans calling for global availability. A customer uses the acquisition service when they wish to purchase new hardware and software. Requests are funneled through a common point, allowing customers to exercise control on purchases and minimize expense. Requests are managed through a customer defined catalog, accessible by customer-authorized personnel through the Internet.
IBM Asset Services helps customers to address several key IT focus areas, including Year 2000 and client/server. Checking for Year 2000 readiness on the desktop when a complete inventory asset is conducted can provide useful information to help understand the scope of exposure in the customer environment. Additionally, as assets are redeployed in the customer environment on an ongoing basis, a Year 2000 check can be performed to verify compliance and determine whether upgrade or replacement is the best option to resolve any Year 2000 issues.
Understanding the current hardware and software components throughout the distributed network and any necessary upgrade requirements before embarking on a major deployment of a customer’s client/server application can greatly facilitate the planning and economic aspects of such a project.
IBM Global Services provides information technology that enable enterprises to lead in their marketplace. With 1997 revenue of approximately $26 billion and 110 professionals in 164 countries, IBM Global Services is the world’s largest and most versatile I/T services provider. Its capabilities span business transformation consulting, strategic outsourcing, systems integration, product support services, education and training, and managed network services over the IBM Global Network.
Source: IBM