Overview
The Enterprise Service Management (ESM) system is designed to track all relevant assets, and/or configuration items within the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) Major Administrative Unit (MAU). Within UAA, General Support Services (GSS) is responsible for maintaining all records for the acquisition, transfer, and disposal of University property in keeping with the policies and procedures documented within University of Alaska (UA) Statewide (SW) Property Manual (PDF). The UA SW Property Manual defines the minimum requirements associated with managing university assets and equipment resources, and in no way limits campus, or departments from establishing internal controls which exceed the minimum requirements.
The purpose of this documentation is to detail how assets, and/or configuration item (CI) records can be maintained within the ESM system. This documentation is a guide and should not be interpreted to be all-inclusive explanation of the University of Alaska (UA) systems property management practices.
In this article:
Definitions
Within the ESM solution items may frequently be listed as both an Asset and a Configuration Item (CI). Since this inevitably leads to some confusion we'll attempt to demystify it a bit. First its important to understand the nuances of Inventory Management, Asset Management, and Configuration Management.
Definition of Terms
| Term |
Definition |
| Asset |
An asset is something that is used within the organization (computers, servers, office furniture, etc.). These items may have associated information such as:
- Department ownership
- Individual issue/checkout
- Location
- Contracts
|
| Asset Management |
Asset management focuses on the lifecycle and financial aspects of an item throughout its usable life. This is effectively the process of planning, acquiring, deploying, managing, and disposing of items in a cost-effective way. |
| Configuration Item |
A configuration item is an entity or thing, typically non-physical items, which are used in an organization and should be tracked that is required for the delivery of a service. |
| Configuration Management |
Configuration management as defined by IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) the process responsible for maintaining information about Configuration Items required to deliver an IT Service, including an item's relationships with other items. |
| Inventory Management |
Inventory management is concerned with keeping track of items (stuff) an organization has, where it is located, and how it should be replenished. |
Important
It is important to note that an asset is often a configuration item; however, a configuration item is not necessarily an asset.
Manage Assets
Setting up a New Asset
Resources
How-Tos
Managing Existing Asset
How-Tos
Concluding an Asset's Life Cycle
How-Tos
Need additional help or have issues
For support, requests may be submitted anytime using the appropriate Enterprise Service Management service. Requests generate a Ticket which will be worked in order received and urgency by IT Employees with the knowledge and permissions to assist with the request.
For immediate assistance please review the Contact Us page for the appropriate support group.