IT Asset Tagging Best Practices

No matter the industry you’re in, your business likely relies on numerous IT assets every day to support your operations. Whether you have employees using laptops and monitors in the office, or smartphones on a job site, it’s essential to keep tabs on these valuable devices so your team can remain productive. By tagging your IT assets with barcodes or QR codes, you can streamline your device tracking and boost accountability across your team. Let’s review how asset tagging works along with IT asset tagging best practices to consider.  

What is Asset Tagging? 

Asset tagging is the process of applying a label to an asset that serves as its identifier and can then be scanned to get essential information about that item, including its description, location, usage history, serial numbers, performance metrics, and other custom info. 

When it comes to fixed assets (assets that exist in the real world like computers, hardware, peripherals, etc.), asset tags are literal tags attached to equipment and feature a barcode or other means for digitally scanning the label. When this label is scanned with a mobile device or dedicated barcode scanner, an employee is presented with all the saved information about that device. For companies that use a check-in/check-out system for assets, you can also use scanning to that effect. 

Asset tagging is most important for items that are used in multiple locations and departments, allowing their location and chain of use to be tracked. However, there are also other uses for asset tagging — for example, it’s a quick way to indicate that a given item is in need of maintenance, updating, or other services. 

Software assets can also be 'tagged.' However, this doesn’t involve physical labels but rather the process of attaching metadata to those assets that provides information about licenses, access history, and more. 

Why is Asset Tagging Important for IT Departments? 

To fully understand why asset tagging matters for your IT department and your business as a whole, think of it as more than just a way to determine where a specific item should be located (although that’s important, too). 

Tagging is the first step in establishing an efficient system for managing your IT inventory and ensuring that every item is available when, where, and by whoever needs it. Barcode tags for equipment are essential for companies that loan out IT equipment to specific employees throughout the company, as well as any organization that uses IT equipment as tools in the day-to-day operations of their business. 

Asset tagging is also vital when it comes to warranty issues. When assets are correctly tagged and associated with relevant warranty information, it’s simple to see when an issue is covered by a warranty and take the necessary next steps. 

Finally, it's is a matter of security and loss prevention. IT asset tagging and management doesn't only help protect against unknown theft by providing a record of what assets your IT department owns and to whom they were last checked out. It also helps provide accountability to reduce lost or stolen items by tracking whoever used the item most recently. 

Which IT Assets Should be Tagged? 

Now that we understand why we tag assets, it’s time to address which assets you should tag. 

After all, just because your company owns a set of billiard balls for the office break room doesn’t mean they each need to have an asset tag affixed to them. This is an extreme example, but it speaks to the point that choosing which assets to include and exclude from your asset tagging system is an essential part of the process. 

First, start with assets that are: 

• Highly mobile 

• Highly valued 

• Highly used 

Beginning with this trio of classifications will help you identify the most critical items to tag. From there, you can use your discretion to determine which other items should be tagged. 

Software Asset Tagging 

While software can’t be physically tagged, you can enter it into your asset management software to help track its value, update history, access history, and other important data that can help keep it secure and valuable. 

Plus, even though the software itself can’t be tagged, a hard drive containing sensitive or high-value information can have a tag affixed to it, which can be scanned and used to call up information about the hardware and the software include. 

Hardware Asset Tagging 

We’ve addressed hardware asset tagging above, but in practice, you should remember that physical assets can range from the size of a massive industrial copier to a tiny thumb drive. Fortunately, you can print or purchase tags in a range of sizes to meet your unique needs. 

Insights for Labeling IT Assets 

What about IT asset tagging best practices to improve your device tracking? Here are some of our recommendations for how to use labels effectively, provide the correct information, and more. 

Information to Include 

Most asset tags don’t just include the barcode or QR code but also include a bit of text that provides information and context at a glance. Generally, you won’t have much space to work with, so keep text to a minimum. We recommend including the name of your organization and a generated numeric or alphanumeric (letters and numbers) code that can be used to manually access that item’s info if the scannable portion is unable to be read. 

Types of Tags 

Did you know that there are multiple types of tags featuring unique scanning systems that can be used for asset tagging? 

QR codes and barcodes are among the most popular, as they’re simple to generate, can be scanned by a smartphone or other mobile device, and can contain a range of information that’s relevant to the item. 

Applying Physical Tags 

When it comes to actually applying your tags to devices, there are some additional IT asset tagging best practices to follow. First, make sure the label is somewhere clear and easy to locate for someone that doesn’t know where it is. Keep it on a flat surface, allowing the tag to be easily scanned by whatever device is used to scan it. 

When applying the tag, make sure your hands are clean and the area where the tag is being applied is clean as well. This will help it adhere better to the surface. Finally, smooth out any air bubbles that show up after applying the tag and let the label ‘cure’ for some time before the item is used again. This will ensure that the tag doesn’t peel or fall off, causing confusion and delay when trying to track that item. 

Customize Your System 

While some asset tagging software will try to make you conform to a rigid set of parameters based on how their system is designed, leading software platforms are highly configurable. For example, Asset Panda makes it easy to configure custom fields and workflows to match the way you already work. This enables businesses to track various asset types and use cases in one intuitive, centralized platform for seamless asset management and tagging. 

Asset Panda: Your Solution for IT Asset Tagging 

If you’re still in search of the right IT asset tagging and tracking solution, look no further than Asset Panda. From universities to enterprise organizations, Asset Panda helps businesses implement IT asset tagging best practices and track their devices in real time.  

Here are some of the key ways Asset Panda helps organizations save time and boost efficiency. 

1. Manage Assets from Anywhere 

With all Asset Panda’s powerful capabilities available in our mobile app, your employees can track assets seamlessly on devices they already use. Built-in barcode scanning helps your team pull up asset records instantly and eliminates the cost of purchasing dedicated barcode scanning equipment. Plus, with our available offline mode, you can still find the data you need or update records even without access to cell service or WiFi. 

2. Streamline Workflows with AI Features 

Get time back in your day by streamlining processes with powerful AI features. Easily import new asset data with AI column mapping and enable users to translate Asset Panda to their chosen language for a more intuitive experience. 

3. Maintain Clear Audit Trails 

With full IT asset audit trails, your team not only boosts accountability and compliance but can also more accurately forecast when assets will need to be replaced, helping you avoid surprise costs. 

4. Stay in the Know with Custom Notifications 

Create custom, automated notifications so you never miss an important update. Whether it be a new asset record created, or a service ticket resolved, Asset Panda makes it easy to set alerts to be delivered straight to your inbox. 

5. Grant the Right Access to the Right People 

Improve data security and accountability by granting different levels of access to your Asset Panda users. Easily assign pre-built roles to employees or fully customize user permissions to fit your unique needs. 

Get Started with Asset Panda Pro 

Asset Panda Pro’s modern solution doesn’t just enable businesses to streamline IT asset tracking and tagging – it empowers you to make better data-driven decisions so you can avoid downtime and unexpected costs. Our highly customizable platform makes it simple to implement IT asset tagging best practices and increase visibility into your inventory. 

Ready to see how Asset Panda Pro can save your team time and money? Schedule your personalized demo today.