You can assemble an integrated asset management system by linking Asset Information Manager to such JP1 products as JP1/Software Distribution, HP NNM Version 7.5 or earlier, JP1/IM, and JP1/CSC.

For example, you can efficiently execute asset management jobs by loading database information from a linked product into Asset Information Manager's asset management database or by referencing information about a linked product from Asset Information Manager operation windows.

The figure below shows the concept of the integrated operation of an asset management system linked to JP1 products.

Figure 1-1 Concept of integrated asset management by linking to JP1 products

1. Register JP1 product information into the asset management database.
   Asset Information Manager allows you to link your system to JP1/Software Distribution, and use batch operations to register (into the asset management database) inventory information collected by JP1/Software Distribution, such as CPU information, OS types, and installed software programs.
   You can also link AIM to HP NNM Version 7.5 or earlier and batch register network device node information into the asset management database.
   Registering various types of information and always keeping it up to date requires a large time investment and overhead. An asset management system using Asset Information Manager handles these tasks easily, even in a large system, because in addition to enabling you to collect inventory information from JP1/Software Distribution in real time, it also allows you to execute registration and update operations periodically by using tasks registered in Windows Task Scheduler.
   
2. Manage information collected by JP1 products.
   Asset Information Manager allows you to perform security management tasks by using the operation logs collected by JP1/Software Distribution. You can also check the operating status of software installed on various devices by viewing the operation times of software managed via JP1/Software Distribution.
   
3. Display JP1 product windows by using Asset Information Manager window operations.
   By activating HP NNM Version 7.5 or earlier from Asset Information Manager, you can display Network Presenter for target devices.
   Using the Network Presenter, the devices in a network can be displayed as a diagram, enabling you to view the connections of all the configuration elements and to pinpoint network problems.
   
4. Share information with JP1 products.
   If you are using JP1/IM to achieve the integrated management of resources, such as networks, servers, and applications, and to centrally monitor events that occur in the system, you can share information about events in the system and check on problems and their status from Asset Information Manager windows. For a problem for which action has been taken, you can register the details of the action and report the completion of the action to JP1/IM - Manager.
   You can also view asset information related to JP1 events by displaying Asset Information Manager operation windows from the JP1/IM Event Console window.
   
5. Distribute software programs from the Asset Information Manager operation window.
   You can use Asset Information Manager operation windows to access the functionality of JP1/Software Distribution and distribute (transfer and install) software programs to each device. You can also check the status of software distribution.
   By using the software information managed by Asset Information Manager, you can perform searches for devices to which particular software needs to be distributed, thereby ensuring accurate distribution of software programs even in a large system.
   
6. Use Asset Information Manager to access centrally managed asset information for a wide variety of purposes.
   In JP1/CSC, you can use asset information managed by Asset Information Manager to perform security measures for a system by using the windows under the Client Security Management job category. A security management system with JP1/CSC installed uses the policies set by the administrator as the basis for automatically determining the danger levels of devices and taking the appropriate action (countermeasures).