What it is (plain English)
Extends asset management beyond IT to the physical things a business runs on - machinery, vehicles, medical devices, facilities equipment - including their maintenance schedules. It brings the same lifecycle discipline to operational assets and pairs naturally with field maintenance work.
Problems it solves
- Non-IT assets tracked in disconnected spreadsheets or standalone tools.
- Reactive-only maintenance leading to unplanned equipment failure.
- No unified view of all enterprise assets and their condition.
What must exist first
Define the enterprise-asset classes, models, locations, ownership, lifecycle, and maintenance data required by the selected EAM capabilities. CMDB Foundation should be prepared when operational CI relationships are in scope, but it is not a universal EAM product prerequisite.
What the customer needs to provide
- Your non-IT asset inventory and how it's categorized.
- Maintenance schedules and requirements per asset type.
- Who performs maintenance (internal teams, contractors) and how they're dispatched.
- Regulatory/compliance requirements for asset upkeep.
Where it can go next
Preventive maintenance triggers work in Field Service Management (FSM)/Work Order Management; condition data supports reliability programs; overlaps with industry solutions (healthcare clinical devices, manufacturing).