Expert definitions of key terms: ITAM, SAM, ISO 19770, CMDB, ITSM, SLA, TCO, ITIL, COBIT and more.
Configuration Management Database — A centralized database that records all configuration items (CIs) of an IT infrastructure and their relationships. The CMDB is the central repository of ITSM under the ITIL framework. It is fed by ITAM with accurate data on hardware and software assets. A reliable CMDB improves traceability, accelerates incident resolution and supports change management processes.
Control Objectives for Information and Related Technologies — An IT governance and management framework published by ISACA. COBIT provides a set of practices, tools and models to align IT strategy with business objectives and manage information system risks.
An extension of ITAM to cloud environments. Covers the tracking and optimization of SaaS subscriptions (Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Zoom…), IaaS/PaaS resources (Azure, AWS, GCP) and identity and access governance. A critical challenge as organizations' cloud spending continues to grow.
A volume licensing contract offered by Microsoft (and other publishers) to organizations with 500 or more users or devices. It covers Microsoft 365, Azure, Windows and other products over a typical 3-year term. Negotiating an EA is a major contractual challenge — see our IT Contract Management service.
A SAM compliance calculation that compares licences owned (entitlements) with software actually deployed to determine compliance status: over-licensed (surplus capacity) or under-licensed (audit risk). The ELP is the reference document during a publisher audit.
IT Asset Management. The governance practice of inventorying, optimizing and managing the full lifecycle of an organization's technology assets: hardware (servers, workstations, network equipment), software, licences, contracts and cloud services. ITAM encompasses SAM (software assets) and integrates within the ITIL framework via the CMDB. The reference standard is ISO 19770. See our IT Asset Management — ITAM service.
Information Technology Infrastructure Library — A framework of best practices for IT Service Management (ITSM), published by Axelos. ITIL v4 (2019) organizes service management around 34 practices, including IT asset management (ITAM), configuration management (CMDB), incident management, problem management and change management. ITAM integrates natively within the ITIL framework.
The international standard defining requirements for Software Asset Management (SAM). It comprises several parts: ISO 19770-1 (SAM processes — organizational requirements), ISO 19770-2 (SWID Tags — software identification tags), ISO 19770-3 (entitlements), ISO 19770-5 (vocabulary). An approach aligned with ISO 19770-1 significantly reduces publisher audit risk and improves SAM maturity. Nexus Conseils TI supports ISO 19770 compliance.
IT Service Management. The set of practices for designing, delivering, managing and improving IT services according to business needs. The primary reference framework is ITIL. ITSM covers incident, problem, change, service level and asset (ITAM) management. The CMDB is the central repository of ITSM.
Key Performance Indicator. A quantifiable measure used to evaluate the performance level of an IT vendor, service or process against defined objectives. In the context of Vendor Management, KPIs measure availability, service quality, response times and the contractual compliance of vendors. See our IT Vendor Management service.
Return on Investment. A measure of the ratio between the net benefit generated by an investment and its cost. In IT governance, the ROI of an ITAM initiative or contract renegotiation is calculated by comparing savings achieved (unused licences removed, better contractual terms) against the cost of the optimization effort.
Software Asset Management. A subset of ITAM focused exclusively on software assets: licences, usage rights, deployed versions and compliance. SAM aims to ensure licence compliance (avoiding publisher audits), optimize software spending (eliminating over-licensing) and manage the software lifecycle. The reference standard is ISO 19770. See our IT Asset Management — ITAM service.
Service Level Agreement. A contract or contractual annex defining the expected performance levels of an IT service provider: availability (uptime), response time, incident resolution time, etc. The SLA specifies the penalties applicable in case of non-compliance. Negotiating and monitoring SLAs is an integral part of Vendor Management. See our IT Vendor Management service.
Software Identification Tag — A software identification tag defined by the ISO 19770-2 standard. A SWID Tag is an XML file embedded in software that enables its precise identification (name, version, publisher, unique identifier). SWID Tags facilitate SAM inventory automation and improve ELP accuracy.
Total Cost of Ownership. A measure of the complete cost of an IT asset across its entire lifecycle: acquisition, deployment, maintenance, support, training and decommissioning. TCO is a key tool for IT investment decision-making and budget planning in an ITAM approach.
A situation of excessive dependency on a single IT vendor, making a switch costly, risky or technically difficult. Vendor lock-in results from proprietary technologies, non-portable data formats, long contractual commitments or high migration costs. Proactive IT vendor management aims to prevent this situation by diversifying the portfolio and requiring open standards. See our IT Vendor Management service.
The governance practice of selecting, steering, evaluating and optimizing relationships with all technology providers. Includes defining KPIs, negotiating SLAs, managing risks and rationalizing the vendor portfolio. Aligned with ITIL best practices. See our IT Vendor Management service.
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