What are the primary goals of hardware asset management?

The primary goals of hardware asset management revolve around effectively managing hardware assets throughout their lifecycle to maximize value and minimize costs. The focus on cost optimization acknowledges the importance of ensuring that an organization can manage its hardware expenditures wisely, leveraging resources efficiently to reduce unnecessary expenses.

Decision support is another critical goal, as accurate hardware asset data enables better decision-making for future investments and upgrades, as well as for planning for end-of-life strategies for existing assets. Financial reporting ties into this by providing visibility into asset costs and depreciation, which is crucial for budgeting and forecasting. Lastly, improving productivity reflects the aim of ensuring that employees have reliable access to hardware that supports their work, thus fostering overall efficiency in operations.

While the other choices mention important aspects of asset management, they do not encapsulate the fundamental objectives as clearly as option C. For instance, inventory tracking and financial reporting could be factors, but they don't emphasize the broader strategic goals. Hence, option C comprehensively covers the essential aims of hardware asset management.