The Forrester Wave™: IT Asset Life-Cycle Management, Q2 2009

In Forrester's 81-criteria evaluation of IT asset life-cycle management (ITALM) vendors, we found that CA and BMC Software came out on top because of their strong end-to-end offerings and their excellent product vision. HP is a leader due to its balanced functionality and strong solution architecture. IBM stands out for its usability and strong contract management functionality. Service-now.com has a solid offering for clients who are looking for a pure software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution. Avocent's LANDesk Software stands out for the easy integration of its workflow into existing procurement solutions. Eracent has a well-balanced solution across all the different categories. PS'Soft (a BDNA company) has a strong offering and has extended its installed base — the recent merger with BDNA will greatly help it reach clients across the globe. Symantec shines with its Resource Association Diagram showing relationships between users, locations, departments, cost centers, and assets. USU Software is extremely function-rich and able to compete well with the rest of the full-blown IT asset lifecycle management and IT service management (ITSM) suites out there. Novell is less focused on vendor management but has a strong solution with full emphasis on license management.