{"id":5197,"date":"2017-10-03T09:59:12","date_gmt":"2017-10-03T14:59:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.poweradmin.com\/blog\/?p=5197"},"modified":"2017-09-25T09:59:27","modified_gmt":"2017-09-25T14:59:27","slug":"best-ways-to-track-it-inventory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.poweradmin.com\/blog\/best-ways-to-track-it-inventory\/","title":{"rendered":"Best Ways to Track IT Inventory"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"collecting<\/a>Why do I need an inventory?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Whether your operation is big or small, it\u2019s likely that you own a significant amount of IT related kit, but when it comes to considering what assets you actually own, it can be easy to overlook just how many items form your IT inventory. It\u2019s not just about PC\u2019s, Laptops and printers \u2013 think peripherals, software, storage devices, speakers, screens and headphones and it soon become apparent that your inventory requires proper organisation in order to keep track of your assets.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

There are a number of reasons as to why you should keep an accurate record of your IT assets, but here are the top three most important:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

1. To alert you to any theft or abuse of assets by employees or third parties so that you can take recovery action quickly in the event of an incident.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

2. For insurance purposes, so that in the event of loss or damage you can immediately give your insurance provider accurate details of your assets. Not being able to do so may cause <\/span>unforeseen problems in the event of a claim.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

3. To track the age of items so that you are aware of their depreciation and are alerted to when assets need replacing.<\/span><\/p>\n

What makes a good inventory?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Ideally, an inventory should be easily understandable by almost anyone. With this in mind, it\u2019s best to apply the \u2018hit by a bus\u2019 approach when designing and evaluating your inventory \u2013 if you were wiped off the face of the earth tomorrow, could those who need to understand you inventory do so? If not, it\u2019s time for a rethink.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

So what makes a good inventory? Let\u2019s work through an example. You\u2019re trying to label all your portable hard drives. You have a number of hard drives with differing storage capacities which you need to differentiate. For arguments\u2019 sake, let\u2019s say you have 3 hard drives with storage of 5TB (2 black and one red), one of 2TB (one black) and four of 1TB (3 black, one red). Here\u2019s the steps you would follow to categorise your hard drives<\/span><\/p>\n

1. First, create a short unambiguous identifier<\/span><\/h3>\n

Complicated numbering and labelling systems are anathema to anyone trying to audit or find your assets who is not familiar with the system, so keep it simple. Using part of the name of the asset you are labelling, and then adding in more detail such as capacity and colour should make it easy to identify what is what. So, labelling your hard drives could look something like this:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hdrive\/5TB\/blk<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hdrive\/5TB\/red<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hdrive\/2TB\/blk<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hdrive\/1TB\/blk<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hdrive\/1TB\/red<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Next, remember location, location, location<\/span><\/h3>\n

Next, list EXACTLY where your hard drives are being stored, if necessary using several elements to the location naming. Just listing \u2018in the office\u2019 simply won\u2019t cut it. So for example, a location label such as: The Company Building\/Office2\/Filing Cabinet 1\/Draw 6 should make it easy for someone else to find what they\u2019re looking for in your absence.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Don\u2019t forget to list how many of each item you own<\/span><\/h3>\n

Along with your location and name identifying label, it is essential to list the quantity accurately for audit purposes.<\/span><\/p>\n

4. List the value per item<\/span><\/h3>\n

List item value as the purchase price \u2013 this way it is easier to understand depreciation and the cost of replacement for insurance purposes.<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Lastly, list the acquisition date<\/span><\/h3>\n

Though not essential, it is a good idea to include this for insurance and depreciation purposes.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Therefore, following all four steps, an entry in your inventory for your hard drives might look like this:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n

Item \u2013 Hard drives<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Location<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Quantity<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Value<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Date acquired<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Hdrive\/5TB\/blk<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

The Company Building\/Office2\/Filing Cabinet 1\/Draw 6<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

2<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

\u00a3500<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

01.01.2000<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Hdrive\/5TB\/red<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

The Company Building\/Office2\/Filing Cabinet 1\/Draw 6<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

1<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

\u00a3500<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

26.03.2015<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Hdrive\/2TB\/blk<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

The Company Building\/Office2\/Filing Cabinet 1\/Draw 4<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

2<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

\u00a3300<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

14.08.2003<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Hdrive\/1TB\/blk<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

The Company Building\/Office2\/Filing Cabinet 1\/Draw 2<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

3<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

\u00a3100<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

27.11.2010<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Hdrive\/1TB\/red<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

The Company Building\/Office2\/Filing Cabinet 1\/Draw 2<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

2<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

\u00a3100<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

15.04.2013<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Other things to consider<\/span><\/h2>\n

When you\u2019re drawing up your inventory, as well as an accurate labelling system, you\u2019ll also need to consider the following:<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Ensure you have counted your items accurately at the start<\/span><\/h3>\n

Double and triple check, and also get someone else in your organisation to count after you have done.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Ensure you have a good inventory policy in place<\/span><\/h3>\n

Getting your inventory in place is far from the end. You\u2019ll need a robust policy which states how regularly the inventory should be updated, and by whom. For retail businesses, this will be a regular task, but for other organisations a rule of thumb is once a year as standard, plus when any new assets are acquired or disposed of.<\/span><\/p>\n

What tools do I need to accurately track my inventory?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Depending on the size and complexity of your operation, there are three options available to you:<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Manual tracking<\/span><\/h3>\n

This could be in the form of an old fashioned log book hard backed log book, or you could take advantage of one of the many free templates available online for small businesses<\/a>. Manual tracking is really only suitable if you have a small operation with very limited assets.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Simple computerised tracking<\/span><\/h3>\n

Using an Excel spreadsheet or similar can greatly simplify the tracking of your assets. Again, there are numerous templates available online<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Asset management software and apps<\/span><\/h3>\n

If you have a lot of assets, or your operations are complex it may be well worth investing in asset management software. There are a range of digital solutions available no matter what your requirements are.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Also consider inventory software applications<\/a> that can also automatically scan devices on your network to gather and store additional inventory information.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Why do I need an inventory? Whether your operation is big or small, it\u2019s likely that you own a significant amount of IT related kit, but when it comes to considering what assets you actually own, it can be easy to overlook just how many items form your IT inventory. It\u2019s not just about PC\u2019s, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":5199,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5197","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-it","category-how-to"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poweradmin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5197","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poweradmin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poweradmin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poweradmin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poweradmin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5197"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.poweradmin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5197\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5202,"href":"https:\/\/www.poweradmin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5197\/revisions\/5202"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poweradmin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5199"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poweradmin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5197"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poweradmin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5197"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poweradmin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5197"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}