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ASSET MANAGEMENT SYSTEM: AMS II
Full Life Cycle Technology Asset Management Enterprise-Wide
Executive Summary
AMS II is designed to perform enterprise-wide technology asset management. It can capture existing inventory of all hardware and software assets, perform asset tracking, enable informed investment management of these assets,
and provide a single source of technology asset data for business intelligence distribution throughout an organization. AMS II's unique patented modular design provides the flexibility to seamlessly interface with existing
applications while maintaining the AMS II Repository as the single source of enterprise asset information. For example, AMS II interfaces to a variety of auto-discovery tools to facilitate initial data capture and inventory. It
will also interface with many of the most popular financial measurement systems. AMS II is more
than a cradle-to-grave solution for the enterprise's technology assets. Use AMS II as a planning tool to obtain competitive bids for planned configuration changes, then select the most attractive package. Eliminate the cost of paying invoices for assets that may or may not have been received and accepted by billing the vendor directly from the
AMS II Repository based on the actual installed inventory. With AMS II, eliminate the cost of continuing to pay monthly lease or maintenance expenses
after term expiration or asset disposition. AMS II is the solution to accurately report the total cost of ownership of all technology assets and effectively minimize those costs.
Technology Asset Management for Operations and Planning
One principal advantage of AMS II is that it provides an organization with a single repository of information on enterprise technology assets. This single source means both the Operations and Planning areas of an enterprise access the same accurate and up-to-date data. With attendant controls and best practices incorporated into the Asset Management System, the AMS II Repository reflects a "real world" view of an enterprise's technology assets. Managers can thus make informed business decisions regarding technology changes and the associated financial impact on the organization based on actual and accurate data.
Operations personnel typically have a greater interest in the detail level of asset information. With AMS II, Operations can be confident that they know what the technology assets are, who owns them, where they are located, how they are configured, and who uses them. Management has information immediately available at all times, and can view the information in a number of meaningful ways. Managers can make enlightened decisions regarding acquisition of new technologies. They can make more efficient use of current technologies. And, they can justify cost/benefit analyses based on the precise asset information at their fingertips.
Planning personnel can use the same AMS II Repository of information to prepare for the introduction of new technologies, to examine and negotiate master lease agreements, purchase agreements, lease contracts, maintenance rates and other budgetary factors that optimize efficiency and contain costs. For example, financial planners might extract information on workstations to contrast present net book value with current depreciation. This information may then be the basis for a decision to grant a divisional request for the purchase of new workstations based on the declining depreciation value of the old workstations.
Additionally, AMS II can interface directly with corporate financial systems such as accounts payable and the fixed asset ledger, sending appropriate updated asset information automatically. For example, when an asset is purchased it is either capitalized or expensed according to an organization's accounting business rules. Capitalized assets are depreciated and show an expense each month for the length of the term; expensed assets result in one lump sum expense the following month. This information is significant to effective financial decision making and managing total cost of ownership. Capturing this data is another way AMS II enables efficient management of TCO corporate-wide.
Full Life Cycle History Tracking and Reporting on Technology Assets
- Product Data
- Product and Configuration Classification
- Functional Responsibility or Owner
- Physical Location
- Financial Status
All software and hardware assets owned or leased by an organization experience a series of changes, from acquisition to disposition. AMS II provides facilities for data capturing at the earliest point of entry, storing, classifying with consistency, tracking and reporting on these events. From a database of stored asset information, specifically the AMS II Repository, the AMS II user has immediate access to multiple views of the past and present status of an asset or group of assets based upon desired criteria. AMS II tracks complete asset life cycle history by meticulously recording significant details about changes to assets. Most importantly, hardware and software assets are tied together with their associated financial information.
Typical Asset Life Cycle
An asset's complete life cycle is documented by AMS II from procurement
through disposition. Typical AMS II transactions used to record this cycle are the following: Planned Requisition, Requisition, Order, Receipt, Bill of Sale to record a purchase or Schedule to record a lease, use and
associated costs by transactions processing Depreciation, Rent and Maintenance during the term, and Disposition upon termination. Events and Changes to Assets Changes that occur to software and hardware assets in
their useful life over time can be grouped into five general categories:
Product Data: When an asset is acquired, its Product Data are collected and entered into the
AMS II Repository. An asset has physical characteristics as defined by the vendor such as name, part number, manufacturer,
and serial number. AMS II captures sufficient detail to ensure that the asset is uniquely identifiable from all other enterprise assets throughout its useful life. Product and Configuration Classification: AMS
II assigns the asset a Product and Configuration Classification that identifies the asset as a separate autonomous unit or one that can be grouped into a system configuration. Each system configuration also receives a unique
identity within AMS II. Functional Responsibility or Owner and Physical Location: AMS II ensures that the functional responsibility for an asset or asset configuration is recorded in the
AMS II Repository.
The name and address of the owner of the asset and the name and location of the user of the asset are also documented. This ownership information is essential to avoid confusion over responsibility for the asset.
Financial Status: AMS II requires that all financial contracts, warranties, lease agreements, purchase agreements and associated legal documents are recorded upon acquisition of the asset. When the financial status of an
asset changes, the event is documented in the AMS II Repository.
AMS II is delivered with a powerful search engine designed to perform complex, exhaustive searching of stored database information in the AMS II Repository. Output can be chosen from several different media: printed report, flat text file, database table, or online screen format.
Users can create a search query that describes the specific asset or group of assets they need to find, or perform a generalized search using wildcard characters and browse.
Queries can be created to view asset information in multiple ways. Users can extract information on a specific product or group of products such as workstations, network configurations or software license sites and numbers. Or, they may choose to pull contract or financial information such as lease payment schedules, depreciation status or purchase agreements related to such products.
The Asset Management System AMS II is delivered with a full package of online application reports. The user can select a specific report from the Reports menu list or click any of several conveniently placed buttons when processing transactions. Reports are delivered for the following functions: Planned Requisitions, Requisitions and Orders, Projects, Cost Centers, Locations and Contacts, Asset Groups, and License Agreements.
The AMS II base system includes a predefined structure for interfacing to the Cognos® Business Intelligence Suite of products, specifically Impromptu® for ad hoc query and reporting capabilities, and Power Play® for complete OLAP functionality.
AMS II Standards and Technical Requirements
Web or Client Server Function
Asset Management System functions interchangeably as a web
based or client server application. The function is
identical. Web and client server clients freely
function within the network. Web clients require no
client installation or local maintenance.
Controls and Reliability AMS II provides controls to ensure that asset data is accurate and stable. Database and user password controls are standard functions. Rollback provisions are in place in
the event of a system crash. Additionally, AMS II allows users to generate complete and detailed tracking of all stored data for auditing purposes. AMS II User Interface The Asset Management System products provide all the functionality of a 32-bit Windows application. AMS II is constructed with an object-oriented methodology. Its graphical
user interface includes:
Hardware and Software Requirements
AMS II is a client/server application that runs on industry standard relational databases: Oracle
AMS II Client Requirements
32-bit Operating Systems including Windows 2000 or XP and above
Pentium PC Processor and above
512 MB of Memory
AMS II Server Requirements
20 GB Minimum Disk Space
Single or Multi Processors
Windows 2xxx or above or Sun Solaris
(Optionally Available: AIX, RS6000, Linux, and HP-UX)
Cognos, Impromptu and PowerPlay are registered trademarks of Cognos Corporation.
Other third-party products/trade names may be registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective companies.
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