With the start of a new year, I thought I’d provide a sneak preview of the kinds of enhancements you can expect to find in the 2010 release of our software and hardware asset management solution, Express Software Manager. We believe our current and prospective customers will be thrilled with Version 9.5, expected to ship in Q2 of this year.  Here’s what’s in the works:

Purchasing Module:  The introduction of a purchasing module is the primary focus of this release. For customers already using Express Software Manager, it will transform your ability to track and manage the countless details related to your hardware and software purchases, maintenance contracts, and leases. The module will have an independent Web interface that allows you to enter/import, organize, summarize, and filter on virtually any piece of purchasing data related to your IT assets. Stored data can then be reconciled with inventoried hardware devices and software applications.

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Hello, and welcome to the Express Metrix IT Asset Management Blog! 

Over the past few years, as blogs have taken on a greater role in our collective online experience, I’ve noticed a conspicuous absence of blogs devoted to the subject of IT asset management. OK, so IT asset management isn’t quite as riveting as the race for the White House, the latest episode of “Top Chef”, or the new iPhone. But it’s not for lack of recognition that it’s an important business and IT discipline–or, for that matter, a lack of vendors seeking a new vehicle to promote their products! I was absolutely convinced there was a genuine need and appetite for content related to IT asset management, so I mobilized a small team to build a blog.

Then, just over the past couple of months, I began noticing a number of blogs crop up that deal specifically with this subject matter. For example, Martin Thompson, an industry veteran out of the UK, has established a refreshingly objective, vendor-agnostic blog called The ITAM Review, which addresses a variety of topics from product reviews to industry developments to technical advice. Another recent addition to the blogosphere is David Keith’s blog entitled IT Asset and Portfolio Management Insider. Cynthia Farren, an IT consultant, authors the Software Asset Management blog, which offers information focused on the discipline of managing software licenses and negotiating license agreements with software publishers. There are also a number of software vendors in this space with relatively new blogs, including Vector Networks and Centennial Software. So we’re happy to be the newest member of an increasingly vibrant online community around IT asset management.

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