Several weeks ago, I wrote about the confluence of asset management and service management in an area EMA calls asset performance management. This is where the parameters of service quality, cost and demand are brought together. I believe that the requirements to do this well will help to define the next decade or so of enterprise management.

I also think the requirements are linked to other existing trends such as the IT Infrastructure Library's Configuration Management Database (CMDB), Business Service Management and even autonomic or on-demand computing. The reasons for my bullishness are simple: a dynamic and historical mapping of cost, quality and demand is at the very heart of IT's evolution from a black hole of guilt to an empowered business partner.

Since writing that column in August, HP announced plans to acquire Peregrine for what HP considers its rich resources in asset management. Peregrine's two main portfolios include asset and service management, and needless to say Peregrine is not blind towards the interdependencies between the two. Although it is premature to demand a roadmap from HP - companies are typically silent on roadmaps before acquisitions are finalized and sometimes for many months afterwards - I have every reason to believe that HP is aware of many of these interconnections, as well. 

And there is much activity brewing in the area of asset management. Far from being a staid and siloed discipline that's driven by people in love with spreadsheets, asset performance management is emerging as an area of intense innovation as the relationships between asset management and other management disciplines are becoming more apparent.  Moreover, the non-traditional asset management sector has become more complex and diverse. 

Below are a few examples of areas to watch with some company examples. I should make clear that this column is far too short in scope to be comprehensive, nor is it meant to be a Consumer Report culling out only the best for you IT buyers.  The vendors mentioned here are only meant to highlight areas of innovation, but are not explicitly meant as personal recommendations:

* Discovery and inventory:  Here, I am going to back off and mention no vendors, simply because the list of examples is far too long. This category warrants not only a column but also a full report in itself. This group includes network fault and performance vendors that have evolved superior discovery systems to establish excellent baselines for inventory. It also includes network and systems configuration vendors that provide more details on software and configuration inventory and records. Also included are vendors primarily focused on discovery, ranging from application component ecosystems to network change management vendors. Effective and dynamic inventory and discovery in all of its facets are a core foundation for asset management and the high level of activity here is one of the reasons why asset management is on the rise.

Denise Dubie is senior editor with Network World.