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The Last 10% of IT Asset Lifecycle Management

10/22/26

At ServiceNow Nexus for Asset Managers, we polled the 300+ attendees. How many organizations had automated workflows that connected their asset disposition with their system of record? The answer was zero percent.  

When 90% of the asset lifecycle lives within one system that acts as one source of truth, the final 10% is the part that causes the most pain for teams managing it.  

In this blog, Casey Dingfelder and Conner Knerzer explore the feedback they heard from asset managers as well as the solutions to bridge the final gap of the IT asset lifecycle.  

Asset Visibility Stops at Disposition

The majority of asset managers at Nexus had similar stories around how their teams handle disposition. Without a streamlined solution, the process was very manual.  

The pickups are scheduled via email or through a customer portal. The visibility is completely dependent on reports from the ITAD vendor. Reporting following disposition is handled via email, reconciled via spreadsheet, manually reentered into the system. Not only does this increase workload and introduce risk of human error, it delays other teams such as software asset managers who rely on the ServiceNow state to update things like software licenses.   

This process, although standard for many enterprises, is a gap in visibility and a diversion from other business priorities for the teams handling it.  

If that person got busy or that person left the company and they forgot to do that, then those assets would still live active in their system

Connecting the Final Stage of the Lifecycle

There are different ways to connect the final 10% of the lifecycle. Custom API integrations are an option, but this relies heavily on internal development resources. It also is not something that is supported by ServiceNow help desks since it is a custom build.  

A purpose-built app that can  bring the system of record together with an ITAD provider’s system is the more ideal solution. Dynamic ITAD Sync can help organizations optimize their program by automating disposition state and substate updates, keep processing documentation within their ITAM environment, and reduce the manual work around scheduling an IT asset pickup with the vendor.  

By bringing a solution back into one system, it can allow the ITAD vendor to act as an extension of the ITAD team. 

Is Your ITAD Partner Keeping Up?

Organizations often evaluate ITAD partners based on security, certifications, sustainability, and financial returns. All of these are key points to examine in Dynamic’s RFP Toolkit. Modern ITAD programs should also be evaluated on how effectively they support the customers’ internal operations.  

If an ITAD vendor is an extension of the ITAM team, all organizations should ask their partners these three questions.  

  • How are you helping reduce the manual work required to manage our program? 
  • Can your reporting and disposition data integrate with our existing systems? 
  • What are you developing to make our ITAD program easier to manage in the future? 

The total cost of a program is much more than just what shows on a statement. Leaders need to account for the manual work time, the reporting, and audit delays that come with disconnected systems. A top-notch ITAD partner should actively help organizations improve their programs, not just execute on the disposal. 

ITAD as an Opportunity

Organizations have invested heavily in modernizing IT asset management, but that innovation shouldn’t stop when an asset reaches end of life. As we learned at ServiceNow Nexus, closing the final 10% of the lifecycle presents an opportunity to reduce manual work, improve visibility, and give ITAM teams valuable time back. Whether through better integrations or more proactive vendor partnerships, the goal is the same: make ITAD easier to manage and ensure the entire asset lifecycle is connected. 

Want to learn more? Watch our latest SPARK Podcast episode with Casey Dingfelder and Conner Knerzer as they discuss their takeaways from ServiceNow Nexus and how organizations can close the ITAD gap. 

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