Cut costs and boost efficiency with proper IT asset management

In the Government Accountability Office’s latest iteration of its IT duplication and overlap report, the agency found that improved federal IT portfolio management could save more than $100 billion by reducing duplicative IT investments across various federal programs.

GAO recommends the Office of Management and Budget, among other federal agencies, implement statutory requirements for annual IT portfolio reviews and high-risk IT investment reviews. Also, GAO claims modernizing necessary technology through such reviews will not only save costs but also maximize productivity.

To save taxpayer dollars and drive efficiency, federal teams should prioritize IT asset management and system consolidation strategies. A thoughtful ITAM strategy equips agencies with a holistic view of IT systems and tools within their networks, allowing for critical insights to mitigate threats, organize agencies’ IT portfolios and unify cybersecurity postures across environments.

On the other hand, unprioritized or incomplete ITAM can lead to confusion and delay processes for addressing IT system-related issues or duplication, resulting in disorganization of an enterprise’s IT systems.

Preventing duplication by increasing clarity

As stated in its title, a key focus of GAO’s report is duplication of IT systems and resources, an issue the COVID-19 pandemic thrust into the spotlight. For instance, an example laid out in the report highlights how public health officials rely on information stored across multiple IT systems operated by HHS. Eliminating wasteful, duplicative systems would give HHS the opportunity to streamline its information-sharing operations and cut costs.

During the pandemic, many agencies were implementing their own IT solutions. In fact, HHS identified nearly 100 systems related to pandemic preparedness and response, and GAO noted that “if even one of these systems could be consolidated or decommissioned the agency could save hundreds of thousands of dollars.”

A complete and prioritized ITAM approach ensures the government effectively utilizes its technology resources, complies with licensing requirements, and contributes to organizational goals. By providing a structured approach to managing IT assets, ITAM promotes the consolidation of systems while bolstering decision-making and operational efficiency.

A primary function of a mature ITAM strategy is creating integrated dashboards and automating reporting capabilities. This enables agencies to visualize asset health immediately. In addressing the GAO IT duplication and overlap report, agencies can gain reliable dashboards through an ITAM solution, leading to smarter IT consolidation while remaining compliant.

The CrowdStrike incident from 2024 revealed that inconsistent asset visibility — or having duplicative IT items to track and monitor — can delay incident response, increase vulnerability and prevent comprehensive remediation. When devices are managed inconsistently and there’s potential duplication, it can reduce the efficiency of security operations too.

Federal agencies that leverage a standard and centralized solution for asset management can effectively track, optimize IT resources and reclaim the value of unused or duplicative IT assets, drastically reducing costs and increasing efficiency. Agencies that maintain a single source of truth and move away from siloed systems will also capitalize on data analytics and drive insights from organized data sharing.

Data sharing and efficiency

Customized ITAM workflows can integrate asset and security data too, supporting quick access to IT information during emergencies and enabling smooth interagency communication. The centralized dashboards offer agency IT and security teams real-time insights into asset health, configuration status and vulnerabilities while ensuring transparency and compliance. This enhanced monitoring leads to greater efficiency, clarity and speed, as all essential information is located in one easy-to-access location.

Reducing duplication and overlap through mature ITAM strategies keep agency IT environments organized and streamlined. As a result, federal teams don’t have to comb through multiple systems to find the information they need. This approach also maintains data consistency, allowing for interagency collaboration across different operations.

It is however important to recognize that having all key data in one single place does simplify the target for cyber attackers. To address this issue and while being mindful of spending, federal agencies can now combine funds originally spent on multiple systems and instead build up one singular security system. This will create a stronger defense front while maintaining clear data organization and safe information sharing. Also, having different systems often creates a need for data lakes, which furthers technical debt and increases costs.

Having operations on a single platform also eliminates “swivel chair” too, or the need to constantly switch between systems or platforms to access essential information.

The report from GAO also calls out operations cost, which refers to the money spent upkeeping the hardware that everything sits on. These costs will only decrease as agencies consolidate systems, leading to far less operational overhead.

Maintaining a single pane of glass for all data and IT assets gives federal agencies clarity about their IT system footprint and network usage, enabling smart decision-making when it comes to IT systems consolidation and management. Prioritizing a mature ITAM strategy will help agencies meet the goals set out by GAO and identify opportunities for greater efficiency that results in extreme cost savings.