Definition of IT assets. What is an IT asset?
An IT asset is any piece of software or hardware that an organization uses in the course of its business activities. It includes both all IT equipment used by employees and all IT equipment behind the curtain managed by IT staff.
- Hardware assets include physical computing equipment like personal desktop computers, laptops, mobile devices, monitors, printers, Wi-Fi routers, physical servers in data centers.
- Software assets, on the other hand, include applications, software, database and computer programs for which licenses are typically issued per user or machine. Software assets also include cloud-based assets, such as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications
- Data and information, IT assets are sometimes also considered data and information which encompass any valuable information stored on a computer or an online database.
List of the most common IT assets
Here is the list of most common IT assets used in companies and managed by IT department.
- Personal Computers: Devices used for day-to-day computing tasks and productivity, including both desktop computers, laptops or tablets
- Software - here you have information about your applications and all software in the company
- Servers - Here are virtual or physical servers. Powerful systems that manage network resources, facilitate data storage, and provide services to multiple users.
- Network equipment - networking and connectivity equipment and devices that enable connection and communication between devices within a local area network (LAN), facilitating data transfer.
- Storage Devices (Hard Drives or Solid-State Drives): Devices used to store and retrieve digital data, ranging from internal drives within computers to external storage devices.
- Printers - an overview of the printers you rent or buy
- UPS and backup sources - UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply): Backup power supply devices that provide temporary power in the event of a power outage or voltage fluctuations, protecting IT assets from potential damage.
- Other IT assets and equipment - monitors, keyboards and mice
- Phones - All phones or mobile devices are here
- SIM cards - is an overview of all SIM cards, whether they are used in phones, devices or as IOT
- Certificates - is where you have an overview of SSL certificates, tokens or professional certificates
How Aptien helps you to manage IT assets?
Aptien IT asset management software helps you to keep information about IT assets, keep track of all maintenance tasks and manage various IT - related requests and tickets from your employees.
Central library of IT assets
- A CMDB (Configuration Management DataBase) is a central repository where you store information about your IT equipment and is also used to manage the configuration of IT equipment
- A CMDB provides a common place to store data associated with IT assets
- An IT asset inventory can include many of the specifics of each piece of computer equipment.
Maintenance and operational log of IT equipment
- Monitoring hardware warranty terms
- Monitoring regular hardware changes
- Keeping an operational diary of maintenance, updates, patch management
- Monitoring regular penetration tests
- You can easily set up and monitor all of the above activities for different IT assets
Handing over IT equipment to employees
- Handing over IT equipment to new employees
- Handing over IT equipment at the end of employment
- Monitoring the change of IT equipment