8 of itemit’s Best Features for Tracking IT Hardware

8 of itemit’s Best Features for Tracking IT Hardware

For any organisation relying on tech to run their operation, IT hardware inventory management is not a luxury, it’s essential. Why? Because it is scary just how quickly an investment in IT equipment can become a false economy if it does not work as expected, gets lost, stolen or broken.

Avoid this risk entirely by handling your IT hardware inventory management through asset tracking software.


What is IT Asset Tracking Software?

IT asset tracking software is an application that gives access to an interface that allows users to view and update information about assets. This is possible through a network of tags that send information back to a central database.
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Top Features of IT Asset Tracking Software

There are a lot of applications for IT asset tracking software. The value you can get out of tracking IT hardware will depend largely on the types of equipment being used. For example, if you have a lot of people out on the road with laptops, then location tracking will be a high-value feature.

As we go through some of the features of IT asset tracking, think about how each could work in your organisation!


Extend the Lifespan of Your IT Equipment

At the centre of any IT asset management strategy is an effective maintenance schedule. With IT hardware inventory management from itemit, the relevant people will receive a notification when hardware requires servicing. This extends the lifespan of the hardware and makes sure that you are compliant with any insurance agreements. 

Trying to manage this with excel, or with some other means that relies on manual input, is possible to an extent. However, this approach creates a lot of admin and is prone to create human error. This can have an accumulative effect as you scale up which can develop into a serious operational issue. Using IT asset tracking software means you can create an automated schedule that reduces repair costs and reduces the impact of depreciation.


Track IT Hardware’s Location

IT hardware is expensive, when an IT asset does go missing, it is a big deal. Knowing where your equipment drastically reduces the chances of unexplained losses. 

IT asset tracking software will tell you the exact location of all hardware. So, you have control and insight over your valuable assets.

With tracking, you are more likely to be able to retrieve an asset when it goes missing. At the very least, you will be able to investigate the loss effectively. You’ll know where the asset was last seen and who was last in charge of it!

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Track the Condition of IT Hardware

Using asset tracking, it is possible to keep a log of the condition of your IT equipment. There are a few ways to go about this. The simplest is to make a status update part of your checking in and out process. This requires a manual input, but it is also possible to automate this to a degree- it just depends on the level of functionality you require. 

This feature motivates users to take care of your assets and helps you to get ahead of breakdowns before they happen. 


Assign IT Hardware

Making sure your employees have the equipment they need to do their job to the highest possible standard is a basic standard for successful companies. IT asset tracking means that you can see at a glance that everyone has what they need to get the job done!

Assigning hardware also makes staff accountable for the equipment, which reduces the risk of losses and breakages.


Book IT Equipment in Advance

Having an excess of IT equipment is one way of ensuring that everyone has what they need at any one time. However, in the ideal world, a business would only have the IT equipment it needs to operate optimally. With itemit, it is possible to see what equipment you will need ahead of time, meaning you will know when you need to invest in new equipment. More than that, you will know exactly how much you need to invest.

Ultimately, the ability to see what IT equipment is available ahead of time and assign it to a user or job, enables you to get ahead of costly errors. 


Easily Find IT Hardware Info

This is a powerful feature that is available through IT hardware inventory management. Through tagging and tracking, you can add pretty much any information to an asset. This can be static, so it always stays the same, or dynamic so that it can be updated by a user. Static information would include purchase date, value and the like. Dynamic info includes 

With IT equipment, warranty and insurance information can be easily assigned to an asset. This means that when something does go wrong, you can deal with it without an unnecessary back and forth with the manufacturer or trawling through emails!

It’s easy to imagine the kind of insight and control that is possible by taking advantage of asset tracking. Whatever info is important to your organisation, there is an opportunity here to streamline your asset management through gaining access to files that are relevant to your assets.


Check IT Equipment In and Out

Using tagging technologies, it is possible to see who has ‘checked-out’ assets and when. This is without relying on complicated spreadsheet or paper filing systems. Keeping a tight grip on your assets is just good practice if you want to maximise the value of your investment.

It’s not about creating a ‘big brother’ culture. It’s about showing that you value your equipment, which shows your staff and your clients that you are diligent and organised. Knowing who has your equipment and where it is, is a big part of this. Breakdowns and losses can reduce considerably after implementing an automated system for checking in and out equipment.

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Quickly Add New Hardware

If you have never used itemit’s IT asset tracking software, it might sound a little complicated. In practice, it is actually straightforward. That’s because there are a range of additional features and tools that are designed to stop admin tasks snowballing. Image recognition is a good example of this. 

Rather than having to manually add new assets to an asset register, you can simply scan a new asset which will recognise the item and automatically add it to the database.


The Benefits of Tracking IT Hardware

So, we have seen some of the features that are available through IT asset tracking software. A lot of businesses out there have become suspicious of technology solutions. In our day to day lives, we often find ourselves frustrated with technology. Often, a digital solution claims to be a revolutionary way of making life easier, but only ends up feeling unnecessary pain.

There are a lot of reasons for this- sometimes, it is just that the solution is not as good as it claims. Or, the user does not have sufficient training to make full use of it. Of course, a partial implementation can result in a partially functional solution.

With itemit IT inventory management, you can rely on the fact that your new high-tech solution to IT asset tracking will be easy-to-use and fully implemented. Which means you can make full use of the benefits, making your life easier, not harder!


Protect Profit Margins

Through a carefully and diligently implemented growth strategy, you are seeing steady business growth. However, it is common to see profit margins decrease. Of course, this might not be an issue if profits are up. However, reduced margins could mean that you are not operating at optimum efficiency. The root cause can be that the systems of control that once worked are no longer an adequate solution.

IT inventory management is a good example of this. As a business grows, so too does the number and value of the assets you are relying on. That means that manual tracking tasks that once seemed effective may no longer be up to scratch.


React to Issues Quickly

You need your IT assets to be reliable so that you can run your operation effectively. When breakdowns happen, there is a knock on effect that ultimately reduces profits. This effect can be difficult to quantify. Revenue might be up, and that can make it tricky to identify any negative effect that equipment failures are having on profits.

Using IT hardware inventory management you can quickly respond to problems when they come up. Reporting makes it simple to identify patterns and automatic updates means that you can spot issues before they happen.


Increase Security of IT Assets

IT hardware inventory management is a way of significantly increasing the security of your assets. If you have IT equipment out on the road, there is a risk of theft. In fact, if you have been running as a business for a few years, then you have probably had some unfortunate experiences around missing property!

As has already been pointed out, asset tracking is an effective deterrent for thieves. However, if the worst happens, it is possible to effectively investigate a loss.

Geofences can be set up which means you will be notified when an asset is taken somewhere unexpected!

The scary thing about hardware security is, if you don’t have automated asset tracking, it’s hard to know if you have a problem. With itemit, you can protect your investment and insure the integrity of your operation.


Mitigate the Risks of Scaling Up

Profits and profit margins are at risk as you grow. IT inventory management tracking limits this risk by highlighting leakage issues before they grow into leakage floods. Through tracking, you are able to automate your IT asset management, which means that additional admin costs are avoided as you grow.
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All Of This And More: Choose itemit

Not only can Itemit give you access to all the features described above, it has been built to fit in seamlessly with your current systems. Change in how your business operates is a daunting prospect. Changing systems is a daunting prospect. itemit mitigate these risks by blending in with your current environment. It’s easy to start small, and scale up as your confidence and business grows.

Every organisation has its own way of operating. So, you need asset management software that is tailored to the way you work. 

If you are using spreadsheets as an IT hardware inventory management solution, then asset tracking software is a guaranteed step-up that could give you the confidence to grow.

Book a demo today to see all itemit’s features in action. To find out more details, you can always contact our team at team@itemit.com

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