Staying on TOP of your IP Asset Management Database System Project: Part II – Technology

Jack Spain

Editor’s Note: This is the second in a four-post series examining Fuentek’s lessons learned from managing IP Asset Management (IPAM) database system migration projects.

As I noted in the first post in this series, three critical elements can position your organization to stay on TOP of your migration to a new IPAM solution:

• Technology: Selecting the right solution and solution partners
• Organization: Anticipating the migration’s impact on your organization and proactively developing and implementing a successful change management program
• Process: Assembling the right project team and developing a practical project plan to position your organization for a successful implementation
  

Let’s take a closer look at the technology element. This is quite often the easy part, but also the area in which we tend to focus most of our time and energy. Assuming that you are not developing your own IPAM solution using in-house resources, it’s best to not get overly immersed in specific features and functions of a new system. Rather, the more important strategy is to select a qualified strategic partner that will support you throughout the life cycle of your solution. Best practices in the selection of technology for your IPAM solution include:

Thoroughly understand and document your requirements. These institutional/enterprise intellectual property (IP) management and integration requirements should take precedence over “nice to have” features and functions.

Rate and rank your requirements. It is helpful to develop an evaluation matrix or tool that enables you to weight and prioritize requirements along with the qualifications of your vendors.

Invest a commensurable effort in evaluating your target solution vendors. Consider not only what the vendor is offering today, but examine their track record, the stability and effectiveness of their leadership team, company culture, market leadership, and ultimately their ability to support your organization on a long-term basis.

Interview current customers as references for your top solution candidates. Choose a cross-section of clients whose requirements are similar to those of your institution.

In our next installment in this series, we’ll take a look at the next element: Organization. In the meantime, join in the conversation: How successful has your organization been in identifying both the right technology solution and technology partner? What are your key lessons learned?

–By Jack Spain