IT Asset Management, or ITAM, is the practice of ensuring an organization’s assets are accounted for, deployed, maintained, upgraded, and disposed of when the time comes. While that sounds straightforward, effective ITAM and Software Asset Management (SAM) is a complex but crucial discipline for modern businesses. A robust ITAM/SAM strategy provides visibility into your entire IT ecosystem, helping you optimize costs, mitigate security risks and improve operational efficiency.
Choosing the right tool to manage this process is a decision with significant operational and financial implications. The market is filled with solutions, each offering a unique set of features and benefits. This guide will walk you through the essential features to look for, compare some of the leading platforms, and provide a framework for selecting the ITAM/SAM solution that best fits your organization’s specific needs.
Why ITAM is More Than Just Inventory Management
Many organizations struggle with common ITAM challenges that impact their bottom line. Without a centralized system, businesses often face:
- Poor Visibility: A lack of a unified view of all hardware and software assets makes it difficult to track what you have, where it is, and who is using it. This can lead to underutilized resources and unnecessary purchases. In fact, according to Gartner, organizations waste up to 30% of software spending on unused or underused applications.
- Security Risks: Unmanaged or “shadow” IT assets create vulnerabilities that can be exploited by malicious actors. Knowing every asset on your network is the first step toward securing it.
- Compliance Issues: Failing to manage software licenses properly can result in hefty fines and legal complications during audits.
- Inefficient Workflows: Manual tracking processes are time-consuming and prone to human error, leading to wasted resources and decreased productivity.
A powerful ITAM/SAM solution automates and centralizes these processes, transforming asset management from a reactive chore into a proactive, strategic function that drives business value.
Key Features to Look for in an ITAM/SAM Solution
When evaluating ITAM/SAM platforms, it’s essential to look beyond basic inventory tracking. A comprehensive solution should offer a suite of features that provide deep insights and control over your IT environment. Based on user feedback from Info-Tech’s SoftwareReviews, here are some of the most critical features that drive user satisfaction:
- Integrated Discovery: The ability to automatically discover and identify all hardware and software assets across your network without requiring manual intervention. TeamDynamix Sassafrass ranks high in this area, with users reporting 86% satisfaction with its discovery capabilities.
- Software Inventory & Usage Metering: A detailed inventory of all installed software is crucial, but tracking its actual usage is what unlocks significant cost savings. TeamDynamix Sassafras excels here, with a 91% satisfaction rating for its usage metering, helping you reallocate or eliminate underused licenses.
- License Compliance & Optimization: Your ITAM/SAM tool should help you track license agreements and provide insights to optimize spend. This includes flagging non-compliance risks and identifying opportunities for cost reduction.TeamDynamix shines, outranking ServiceNow and ManageEngine for these categories. Device42 doesn’t provide SAM capabilities, so they aren’t included in the scores.
- Data Import, Export, and Aggregation: Seamless integration with your existing IT ecosystem (like help desks or CMDBs) is non-negotiable. TeamDynamix Sassafras leads in data integration ease with an 85% satisfaction score.
- Analytics and Reporting: The ability to generate detailed, customizable reports is essential for making informed decisions. Look for platforms that offer robust analytics to track asset lifecycle, costs and compliance.
A Look at Leading ITAM/SAM Solutions
The ITAM/SAM market offers a variety of solutions, each with its own strengths. Here’s a brief overview of four leading vendors based on the 2025 IT Asset Management report from Info-Tech’s SoftwareReviews:
- TeamDynamix Sassafras: With a composite score of 8.8, Sassafras is a top performer in both ITAM and SAM, particularly praised for its customer experience and robust feature set, including software usage metering and license management.
- ServiceNow Asset Management: A well-known player in the ITSM space, ServiceNow offers a comprehensive ITAM module that integrates tightly with its broader platform. It scores 7.9 overall.
- Device42: Scoring 7.6, Device42 is highly regarded for its agentless discovery and dependency mapping capabilities, making it a strong choice for complex, hybrid IT environments. It doesn’t rank for SAM as it doesn’t qualify for the category.
- ManageEngine AssetExplorer: Known for its ease of use and straightforward implementation, ManageEngine provides a solid, web-based ITAM solution with a composite score of 7.0.
How to Choose the Right Solution for You
Selecting the right ITAM/SAM tool requires a careful evaluation of your organization’s unique needs, budget and existing infrastructure. While features are a critical starting point, long-term satisfaction often depends on the vendor relationship.
Align Features with Your Business Goals
Begin by identifying your primary pain points. Are you most concerned with license compliance, optimizing cloud spend or securing your network? Use this to prioritize features. For instance, if software license optimization is your main goal, a solution like TeamDynamix Sassafras, with high satisfaction in License Optimization Insights (87%) and Software Usage Metering (91%) would be a strong contender.
Look Beyond the Product to the Partnership
According to Info-Tech’s SoftwareReviews, there is often a significant gap between a customer’s likelihood to renew a software contract and their willingness to recommend the vendor. This “satisfaction gap” highlights the importance of the vendor relationship.
A vendor’s commitment to your success is a powerful indicator of long-term value. SoftwareReviews measures this through its Net Emotional Footprint metric, which assesses the overall customer experience. TeamDynamix Sassafras leads the pack with a score of +98, indicating an exceptionally positive relationship with its users. This is reflected in high scores for being “Caring vs. Neglectful” (+100) and having a “Friendly Negotiation” process (+100), suggesting a partner-centric approach.
Factors like Vendor Support, Ease of Implementation, and quality of Training all contribute to this relationship. TeamDynamix Sassafras also leads in these areas, with a 94% satisfaction score for vendor support and 91% for ease of implementation. A smooth and supportive partnership ensures you can maximize the value of your investment with minimal friction.
Finalize Your Decision with Confidence
Choosing an ITAM/SAM solution is a strategic decision that can significantly impact your organization’s efficiency, security and financial health. While the array of options can seem daunting, a structured approach will lead you to the right choice.
Start by defining your key business needs and identifying the features that will address them most effectively. Then, look closely at user satisfaction data, paying special attention to the vendor relationship. A strong partner will not only provide a high-quality product but will also support your team, respond to your needs and evolve with your business. By balancing product capabilities with the quality of the partnership, you can select an ITAM/SAM solution that delivers value for years to come.
To learn more, check out the full ITAM/SAM comparison report from Info-Tech’s SoftwareReviews, here.