- * About: IT asset management

Service overview

IT asset management involves the recording and tracking of McGill IT assets (computers, laptops and classroom equipment) throughout their "gate-to-gate" (purchase to disposal/recycle) lifecycle at McGill. A central IT asset inventory is maintained in ServiceNow, our IT Service Management (ITSM) system.

IT asset management encourages and enables responsible use of resources and helps assure environmentally-sound disposal of assets when they reach end-of-life. It is also a key tool to assist McGill in fulfilling its obligations under Québec legislation and the IT Asset Management Regulation, found on the Secretariat website.

NOTE:

Non-IT assets, such as furniture, and research equipment managed by individual departments, may be managed through Asset Panda, another asset tracking and management software.

Who can use this service

McGill IT Services staff, along with certain technical staff outside IT, have access to the IT asset inventory.

IT Asset Stewards (see Responsibilities, below) receive monthly inventory reports. They can also request ad hoc information from the inventory, and provide updates to inventory through the IT Technical Stewards associated with their units or through IT Asset Management (ITAssetManagement.ITS@mcgill.ca).

Responsibilities of IT Asset Stewards and Technical Stewards

These roles & responsibilities have been excerpted from the official IT Asset Management Regulation. Please refer to the IT Asset Management Regulation for additional details.

IT Asset Stewards: The responsibilities of the IT Asset Steward pertain to asset management and tracking.	Assign/allocate IT Equipment to individual users; Adhere to specified guidelines for allocation of IT equipment (e.g., minimum standards for purchase and reuse eligibility criteria); Ensure the proper use of the IT Equipment (e.g., what equipment may leave the McGill premises); Authorize transfer of IT Equipment to and from other departments/units for reuse, and/or to Hazardous Waste Management for external reuse or recycling; Authorize and coordinate transfer of eligible IT equipment between departments; Ensure that no McGill IT Equipment is given away or taken away for personal benefit, under any condition; Report immediately to the Office of the CIO if any IT Equipment is missing, is taken away without authorization, is stolen or damaged.
IT Technical Stewards: The responsibilities of the IT Technical Steward pertain to asset setup, maintenance, and the coordination of physical transfers.	Provide recommendations for IT Equipment allocation; Install and set up IT Equipment; Maintain IT Equipment; Communicate the availability (and/or need) of IT Equipment for reuse within McGill (see reuse eligibility criteria); Physically transfer IT Equipment within their faculty, department/unit upon approval by the IT Asset Steward; Ensure proper data wiping (media sanitization) following Information Security Guidelines (before IT Equipment is reallocated at McGill or sent to Hazardous Waste Management); Confirm the data-wiping (media sanitization) status of IT Equipment to Hazardous Waste Management before it is picked up for reuse or recycling outside McGill Report immediately to their Faculty/Department or Unit’s IT Asset Steward, and//or the Office of the CIO if any IT Equipment goes missing, is taken away without authorization, is stolen or damaged.

IT Asset Stewards:

The responsibilities of the IT Asset Steward pertain to asset management and tracking.

Assign/allocate IT Equipment to individual users;
Adhere to specified guidelines for allocation of IT equipment (e.g., minimum standards for purchase and reuse eligibility criteria);
Ensure the proper use of the IT Equipment (e.g., what equipment may leave the McGill premises);
Authorize transfer of IT Equipment to and from other departments/units for reuse, and/or to Hazardous Waste Management for external reuse or recycling;
Authorize and coordinate transfer of eligible IT equipment between departments;
Ensure that no McGill IT Equipment is given away or taken away for personal benefit, under any condition;
Report immediately to the Office of the CIO if any IT Equipment is missing, is taken away without authorization, is stolen or damaged.

IT Technical Stewards:

The responsibilities of the IT Technical Steward pertain to asset setup, maintenance, and the coordination of physical transfers.

Provide recommendations for IT Equipment allocation;
Install and set up IT Equipment;
Maintain IT Equipment;
Communicate the availability (and/or need) of IT Equipment for reuse within McGill (see reuse eligibility criteria);
Physically transfer IT Equipment within their faculty, department/unit upon approval by the IT Asset Steward;
Ensure proper data wiping (media sanitization) following Information Security Guidelines (before IT Equipment is reallocated at McGill or sent to Hazardous Waste Management);
Confirm the data-wiping (media sanitization) status of IT Equipment to Hazardous Waste Management before it is picked up for reuse or recycling outside McGill
Report immediately to their Faculty/Department or Unit’s IT Asset Steward, and//or the Office of the CIO if any IT Equipment goes missing, is taken away without authorization, is stolen or damaged.

How to request & access the service

For information about access and training, please send email to IT Asset Management (ITAssetManagement.ITS@mcgill.ca).

Cost

There is no cost associated with the basic services outlined above, but direct access to ServiceNow would incur license fees..

Availability

The service is available 24 X 7, except during planned maintenance or outages. Check the System Status page for announcements regarding service interruptions.

Frequently asked questions

What kinds of data must be tracked?
See the IT Equipment Lifecycle - Procedures for IT Technical Stewards.

Best practices & policies

In order to ensure proper accountability, all units and faculties must maintain an up to date listing of their significant assets. The central inventory and its associated processes are key tools to assist in addressing this objective.
When replacing an existing computer within your unit, be sure to consult the Reuse eligibility criteria for McGill-owned computers and IT equipment to determine if it can be reused, either within your unit or in another unit.
All computers that are no longer eligible for reuse must be sent to Hazardous Waste Management for recycling or disposal as discussed in the IT Asset Management Regulation.

Disposing of unwanted IT equipment

Following the IT Asset Management Regulation, Procurement Services are responsible for reusing or disposing of unwanted IT equipment purchased with McGill University operating funds.

The IT Asset Management Regulation has provisions for the life cycle management of IT equipment, data security, and environmental concerns.

According to the Regulation, McGill Hazardous Waste Management must dispose of all computers, including those distributed through the Administrative Computer Renewal and Academic Laptop Programs.

To request computer pickup and disposal, please fill in the online form on the Hazardous Waste Management website.

IMPORTANT: Before sending computer equipment to Hazardous Waste Management:

Determine if it can be repurposed in another unit. See Reuse eligibility criteria for McGill-owned computers and IT equipment
All personal and University data on the computer's hard drive must be securely erased. See Media sanitization / Data wiping guidelines (located under IT Asset Management, on the Policies > Faculty & Staff page of the IT Services website)
If you need assistance or have an SLA with ICS and would prefer that we provide this service, please Contact the IT Service Desk.

Training and documentation

Self-serve documentation

Resources for IT Asset Stewards and Technical Stewards:

Resources for IT Technical Stewards:

Support

Contact the IT Service Desk