IT Inventory

5 Best Practices for Managing IT Inventory

Posted on by Michael Caslowitz
IT Inventory

Do you know where all of your IT inventory and assets are stored?

What asset management processes do you have in place for preventative maintenance or managing warranties?  

And, when’s the last time you ran an asset inventory report? 

If you answered no to any of these questions, chances are, you’re overdue for creating a new asset management and inventory process. 

No matter what’s prevented you from staying on top of your current hardware assets and software assets, it’s time for a change. Better managing your IT inventory can not only ensure that your company clearly understands all of its assets but also guarantees that these assets will be used in the most efficient (and cost-effective) way. 

In this post, we’re sharing five best practices for managing IT inventory. 

What is IT inventory?

IT inventory is the process an organization uses for asset tracking, such as tracking the location and quantity of IT-related assets as well as monitoring asset maintenance, performance,  depreciation, and software license management. An IT asset consists of any sort of device, software, or data source that supports any segment of an organization’s IT-related operations. These assets can range from physical IT hardware, such as computers and routers, to non-physical assets, such as industry-related software and internal IT data. 

5 best practices for managing IT inventory

Effectively managing IT inventory allows an organization to reduce internal security risks and overhead IT costs, all while helping to streamline daily operations. However, there’s no ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution for managing IT inventory. 

1. Use asset management software 

Using dedicated asset management software can make all the difference when managing IT inventory. Without the use of a strong inventory management solution, remaining on top of current IT assets can quickly become a time-consuming and costly task that’s highly prone to errors. So, rather than rely on outdated spreadsheet methods, adopt an IT asset management tool that can grow with your company and align with the needs of your operation. 

Since IT asset types range significantly between hardware, physical assets (like furniture), and software, the ability to label and categorize assets with organizational controls helps managers locate and monitor assets with a simple search. The risks of overlooking assets and missing out on necessary warranty efforts can be avoided with such productive search capabilities.

2. Conduct IT inventory audits

Not to mention, having a reputable IT asset management software in place makes it easier to run reports and conduct asset audits. A lack of an audit may cause assets to slip through operational cracks and either become difficult to locate or become obsolete due to a lack of system updates or replacement. IT assets that go unaccounted for or lack proper upkeep may induce security and compliance issues too. 

Multiple details, such as unit location, quantity, current condition/version, and accessible users, should all be documented and inputted into your IT asset inventory software. By mapping out exactly where assets are located and their current status, you promote efficiency across the board and enhance the ability to identify and correct any asset concerns.

3. Monitor depreciation rates and maintenance needs

Now that all IT asset inventory has been audited, organizations should monitor asset depreciation rates, and warranty needs next. Crucial asset information, like warranties, vendor, purchase dates and costs or user manuals, should be stored in IT asset management software. These details can help track asset depreciation too, as outdated or overused assets may impact the quality of work and create unnecessary costs.

However, businesses must remain consistent with their efforts to effectively monitor depreciation rates and maintenance needs. Establish one user to assess assets monthly and report on the current status of each. This data can help make internal decisions to replace or update the unit and inform efforts to improve overall asset security and quality. Keeping up with these efforts long-term can help save on company costs and ensure the utmost productivity and security. 

4. Establish SOPs for consistent processes

Though the right IT asset inventory management tactics are a great start, you must also ensure these processes are completed consistently — and correctly. This is where standard operating procedures (SOPs) come into play. An SOP is a written document that outlines the procedures that must be followed to complete a shared task. Developing an SOP for IT asset inventory management ensures that all efforts remain consistent to avoid operational hiccups or concerns. 

Since IT asset types range from physical to digital, it may be wise for companies with an extensive IT asset inventory to create multiple SOPs. This will allow for a more targeted focus on each asset type and avoids any conflict with asset types that simply don’t match, like storing a router versus software and deployment of laptops vs headsets. Each SOP must outline each step, from how to access and update inventory management software to how each IT asset must be labeled and organized within the database. 

For example, here are some examples of inventory management processes for nonprofits. 

5. Maintain proper security efforts

Lastly, it’s imperative to maintain proper security efforts throughout each step of managing IT inventory. For starters, make sure you have a firm grasp of who has access to what (user access controls) within your software.  

Next, implement procedures that protect IT assets from outside security risks as well. This is especially important since cyberattacks can come in many different forms, from hacking confidential information to locking system access. 

With many IT asset inventory management solutions operating on a cloud-based system, it is critical for companies to follow a strong username and password system and have two-factor authentication enabled. If multiple people have access to the system, be sure to assign a single system administrator who can access and routinely update accounts with fresh passwords. These assigned individuals must also monitor user log-ins to ensure no unauthorized or suspicious activity is taking place within the IT inventory. 

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A company’s IT asset inventory is a critical component of a myriad of operations, from accounting and finance to overall security. If you don’t have a current IT asset management in place, now is the time to incorporate the above five best practices to safeguard your organization from risk. And with the right software, managing IT inventory can be a breeze.

Small Business

Key features to look for when choosing asset management software for your small business

Posted on by Michael Caslowitz

Does the thought of continuously tracking thousands of physical and digital assets across your company or multiple company locations stress you out? Then put the pen down and exit out of the spreadsheet. There’s no need to manually track your company’s assets. Businesses of all sizes can use asset management software instead to do the heavy lifting for them.

When your small business is growing quickly, or you find that you, as the business owner, and your team are bogged down in repetitive tasks like checking inventory in/out on a spreadsheet, that’s when it might make sense to abandon the Excel spreadsheet and switch over to asset tracking software. 

In this post, we’ll discuss what asset management software is, why small businesses should use it to manage business assets, how much it costs, and the most powerful features to look for. 

What is asset management software? 

Asset management software, a.k.a. IT asset management platform, is a type of software that lets you track important details about company assets in real-time. The tool helps to centralize and streamline asset tracking across your company, including assets across multiple locations.

There are several options when it comes to picking asset management software, and each comes with its own features. However, there are common benefits to using any asset management solution. We’ll cover these in the next section.

Why should small businesses use asset management software? 

There are many advantages to using asset management software. Small businesses can take advantage of these benefits to help streamline and even scale their operations. If you’re currently using spreadsheets or even pen and paper, then you’re wasting valuable time and potentially opening your records up to human error.

To combat this, use asset management software instead. The software can quickly and accurately track your inventory, reveal actionable insights, and help with inventory audits. With different permission levels, you can allow anyone in your company the right level of software access to help with their work.

To recap, the top benefits of using asset management software are:

  • Increased efficiency
  • Improved accuracy
  • Invaluable insights

Before you start free trials or ask for demos of this different software, we recommend creating a list of all of your must-have and nice-to-have software requirements. This will streamline the process and ensure you choose the software that’s the best fit for your business’s needs. 

How much does asset management software cost? 

There are multiple options available for small businesses that want to utilize this type of software. And just like there are multiple software options, there are varying price points to consider.

Additionally, there are various pricing models you’ll find when researching the best IT asset management software for your organization. Here are three common pricing models you’ll come across:

  • User-per-month: The price of the software depends on how many members of your team will be using the software.
  • Pay-per-asset: The amount you pay varies based on the number of assets, aka number of items uniquely tracked with a barcode or asset tag. (Sometimes, this can be seen as pay-per-node meaning you pay only for items that are networked with an IP address)
  • Tiers: This type of pricing model is popular for many types of software. Essentially, you pick a software package from basic to enterprise with the features you need.

With so many different types of software with varying features and different pricing models to choose from, you’ll need to do your research when picking the right one for your business. Depending on what you need, you may find a solution that costs anywhere from free up to $1,000 or more per month.

Key features to look for when choosing asset management software

While it is a best practice to list out the specific features you need before you start evaluating software, here are some of the top features to look for when considering an asset management software solution for your business:

Asset tagging

A practical feature, a.k.a. asset labels or asset barcodes, offered by most asset management software solutions is asset tagging. Asset tagging helps you manage physical assets by attaching a barcode, a QR code, or using RFID tracking (more expensive). Asset tags can be scanned to reveal information like manufacturing date, shelf life, or purchase and warranty details. Look for a software solution that offers asset tagging so you can easily track and scan physical assets.

Customizable Category and Field Configurations

While the main types of assets being tracked are generally IT assets, the ability to customize different equipment with specific details about that equipment can differ. Your business might need to track items differently than another business. So the ability to set your own categories and fields is really important, especially as you start out.

Asset logs 

Having an audit trail of all of your company assets, from fixed assets to digital assets, is vital to running a successful business. Having an asset log helps to see when assets were created and log any changes made to assets over time. In short, it helps you verify the assets you own, determine where they are located, streamline preventive maintenance processes, and provide a paper trail for both tax and insurance purposes. 

Reporting

One of the most beneficial aspects of asset management software is powerful reporting features, from viewing pre-built reports to setting up custom reporting. An example of a detailed report may include information like the location of assets, stock levels, purchase price, maintenance information, etc. They can help you manage inventory, create an asset register, and conduct asset tracking. Some software solutions will allow you to create customized reports specific to your inventory tracking needs. 

Security

The software solution you trust with your asset management needs to be secure. This also means that it should have role-based access controls, so you can restrict access to certain users. Everyone on your team doesn’t need full access to make changes to your asset records. For example, maybe you have an administrative assistant that needs to be able to see where assets are located, but not make changes. That person could be given a “viewing” permission instead of editing capabilities to protect your records.

Mobile App

A critical feature for best-in-class asset management software is having an easy-to-use mobile app. At the minimum, you should be able to scan barcodes and QR codes easily, create and edit assets, log maintenance work, check in and out equipment, update user roles’ access and permissions while on the go. 

Tech support

The software you choose should be user-friendly and easy to navigate. However, if you do run into issues or need help with the app, then you’ll want to know that the software you are using provides excellent and timely customer support. 

Before you decide on a software solution for your business, make sure you’re comfortable with how you can reach their support team. You don’t want to be surprised or unable to access help when you need it. You may even want to send a request or two to support just to gauge support responsiveness and quality.  

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Ideally, you want your asset management software to grow with you. This means knowing what you need from the features and comparing your options. Many software providers offer a free trial or demo so you can test the solution before committing. At the end of the day, you want software that’s the right fit for your business. It’s worth putting the extra effort into researching your options.

Ready to get started? Try Reftab for free. 

Software Asset Management

Software Asset Management Best Practices: 7 Tips for Managing Physical and Digital Assets

Posted on by Michael Caslowitz
Cover Image

Where does your company’s software asset management system stand? 

Software asset management (SAM) is the process of managing the end-to-end process from communicating with software vendors, purchasing software licenses and deployment to software maintenance, mitigating compliance risks, and keeping track of current contracts, renewal dates and total software costs (like used and unused licenses). This usually sits within the IT department, and has become an increasingly important role especially with the explosion of software-as-a-service (SaaS) tools and more teams switching to be either hybrid or fully remote.   

From large warehouse product inventory management to hundreds of SaaS subscriptions, the maintenance of company financial spreadsheets, mismanaged assets can result in operational slowdowns, unnecessary costs (from duplicate or unused software), security risks, and outright disasters.

With 55% of IT professionals witnessing an increase in cyber attacks in recent months, particularly the unauthorized removal or transfer of data (phishing emails, transfer of company data from devices, etc), now is the time to securely manage digital and physical assets alike.

In this post, we’re sharing seven software asset management best practices to minimize future risk and to best manage physical and digital assets.

1. Audit your assets 

When discussing effective physical and digital asset management tactics, conducting an asset audit is essential for understanding what you have and how it’s used. More often than not, assets reside in poorly managed locations—from underutilized company servers to backroom storage bins. These items are unaccounted for as a result, causing inaccuracies in data and potential security concerns. 

Start by taking a deep dive into your asset locations and record exact quantities of what you have, where it’s located, and how it’s organized. Be sure to also record exactly who has access to these assets and if these individuals were aware of their presence. This process will allow you to understand how assets are currently managed, who’s using them, and identify gaps in their organization.

2. Start off simple

When it comes to both physical and digital asset management, it’s very easy for a company’s processes to become a bit scattered (and overwhelming). When an asset management process becomes too convoluted for administrators to handle, it ultimately becomes significantly easier for error and security threats to arise. So, don’t jump straight into a 12-step management process.

Instead, when creating your asset management strategy, begin by creating workflows for various basic recording processes, like asset approval and archiving. For example, has the asset been approved for use? And, after use, has the asset been properly archived or not?

Simplify these processes and only share access with those who are distinctly responsible for managing them. As you become more familiar with the management process, you can circle back to revise workflows and allow for automation.

3. Establish SOPs for consistent processes

A standard operating procedure, or SOP for short, is a set of written instructions that outlines the step-by-step method for properly completing a shared activity. In terms of managing physical and digital assets, an SOP breaks down the complete details for how to best navigate this process. These SOPs are then distributed among appropriate employees to ensure a consistent approach across all departments. 

Depending on your business, you might have two separate SOPs for managing either physical or digital assets. For instance, an eCommerce brand might have a particular SOP for organizing and tracking physical stock and another for managing all promotional images. When developing an SOP for your business, start by identifying a uniform naming strategy for all assets. 

Digitally, modify original assets so they follow a synchronized naming structure and share consistent metadata fields. Implement keyword tags so anyone accessing the SOP can easily refine searches for digital assets using a standardized search term. Then, fill each field with relevant information, like photographer or copyright details.

For both digital and physical products, ideate a filing system based on date, category type, or tag. Remember, for any cataloging system or SOP to remain helpful over time, the chosen naming strategy must remain consistent. Once you settle on a system, thoroughly document this process in writing—from start to finish—and share the SOP only with relevant employees. 

4. Incorporate the use of asset management software

When it comes to effective physical and digital asset management, relying on old-school Excel spreadsheets only sets your organization up for operational hiccups. And with only a written SOP to base management on, mishaps are sure to happen. In comparison, asset management software, like Reftab, allows organizations to streamline their processes via numerous robust automation.

You must choose a system that aligns with your specific needs. Begin by identifying how you’ll utilize the software, such as how you will distribute or share inventory data. For instance, Reftab has extensive permissions and security features that allow administrators to limit who can access asset data.

If your inventory is quite extensive, you’ll also want to choose software with detailed search and automation capabilities. Combined with your established naming system, you can review and edit asset data with a simple search. Plus, advanced automation capabilities that can sync with outside touchpoints, such as a POS system, can streamline your digital and physical assets across the board. 

5. Assign responsibility to one or more people in your IT team

From the effort of daily recording of metadata to the struggle of routinely training new users on your SOPs, the work that goes into managing physical and digital assets is a job in itself. That’s why organizations should consider recruiting a full- or part-time IT person to be responsible for this. 

With a dedicated person in place, asset management processes are routinely supervised to ensure complete compliance with company SOPs. These individuals can further help identify system flaws or concerns to avoid any potentially damaging inaccuracies with inventory data.

6. Maintain proper security efforts

Considering the value attached to your organization’s physical and digital assets, why would you not protect them at all costs? With cyberattack concerns lingering, now is the time to implement security protocols. To start, ensure that all asset management systems utilize a strong username and password system that is routinely updated.

If you utilize a cloud-based asset management system for either digital assets or physical inventory levels, be wary when sharing log-in information. If you choose not to hire an asset management admin, only share sensitive information with a small group. You can also opt for a password manager, like LastPass, to store encrypted passwords online rather than share them with users.

Likewise, consistently review access logs to help reduce the chances of unauthorized or suspicious system activity. Cyberattacks do not always stem from overseas hackers or large-scale data leaks—many times, they can be as simple as a disgruntled past employee who inflicts privacy concerns within your company using your flimsy security efforts against you.

7. Develop a disaster recovery plan 

On the topic of cyberattacks, something to consider when rounding out your management plan is how you will handle a crisis. From significant data leaks to extensive inventory loss, when a disaster occurs, it’s a lot easier to recover when you already have a plan in place. A disaster recovery plan is an investment any organization can benefit from to protect them from ongoing hurdles.

In the event that assets are impacted by some sort of situation, be sure to have processes in place that can help navigate the difficulties and further aid in getting the company back on track. This includes assigning specific system administrators to response duties like locking an asset management system down for post-disaster review. These system administrators can then work to update all required data fields to ensure a smooth post-disaster launch. Not to mention having one reliable location (i.e. an asset management platform) where all your asset records are held, will help tremendously. For example, you’ll know which users had access to which software, when that access was given and so forth.

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If your physical or digital asset management system continues to encounter issues, it may be time to update some of your management processes. With these seven tips, you have the ability to improve your asset management process and streamline company operations. Help alleviate future risks—and future headaches—when you properly manage your company assets.

Asset Tracking

What is asset management software?

Posted on by Michael Caslowitz

Managing your company’s assets can be overwhelming and tedious, especially if you’re still using Excel spreadsheets or pen and paper to keep track of everything. There are so many details and moving parts to manage assets that manually tracking them yourself not only opens your records up to human error but is incredibly time-consuming and inefficient.

This is where good asset management software, like Reftab, can come in handy.  

In this post, we’re sharing what asset management software is, what this software can do, how it can help you keep track of business assets, and who should use it.  

What is asset management software?

Who should use asset management software?

What are the top benefits for using asset management software?

Reduce errors

Improve efficiency

Ensure compliance

Create reports

Simplify audits

Prevent maintenance problems

Access a customer portal

What is asset management software? 

Asset management software, also known as IT asset management software, is a tool designed to streamline tracking your company’s assets in real-time throughout its lifecycle. This type of software automatically tracks, records, and categorizes company-owned assets like products, trucks, and equipment. It helps businesses see important details about each asset, such as where it’s located and how it’s being used.

This type of software can be a game-changer for certain companies, but not everyone needs it. The next section will help you determine if asset management software is a good fit for your company.

Who should use asset management software?

Are you currently using spreadsheets or analog systems to check-in and out various equipment and keep track of hundreds (or more!) of inventory and assets each month?

Then you’re probably a good candidate for asset management software. 

Both tangible and intangible assets can be tracked through the software in a wide swath of industries, from education and nonprofits to healthcare, technology, and construction companies. That being said, any company that wants to track its assets’ lifecycles can benefit from utilizing asset management software.

What are the top benefits for using asset management software? 

There are many advantages to using an asset management software tool. The biggest reason is that it ensures all of your assets are in one central hub. However, here are a few more benefits you can expect from utilizing this software. 

Reduce errors

One of the primary reasons to utilize an asset management tool is to lower the risk of human error. Tracking inventory and asset details by hand is tedious and time-consuming, and the more items and changes that you make, the more opportunities to make a mistake with record-keeping, which can be particularly problematic for insurance and tax purposes. 

Say that a few laptops are no longer in service, but the person entering the data forgot to mark it that way or remove it from the spreadsheet. Your company would go on paying insurance on the equipment under the assumption that it’s still operational. Software would help mitigate this risk.

Improve efficiency

Entering and tracking asset details manually wastes the precious time of you and your staff. Asset management software can automatically do something in seconds that could potentially take your IT team hours to do by hand.


For example, let’s say you have multiple locations and need to track down where all of your company vehicles are. Without asset management software, you would need to check your personal records and communicate with the different locations to have someone on the floor physically look for the company vehicle and confirm the asset is there. This is something the software would be able to automatically and efficiently do for you, saving you the time of manually tracking it down yourself.

Ensure compliance

There are many laws and regulations to abide by, especially in manufacturing, healthcare, or enterprise tech. Having an asset management system in place can help you stay compliant. 

For instance, let’s say you work in the IT department for a large hospital, and one of your doctors left a computer unattended with sensitive patient data potentially accessible. Due to a potentially serious HIPAA violation, you receive an alert and then can log into one central hub – your asset management software – and quickly identify any additional computers and devices that might be compromised.

Create and view reports

Asset management software allows you to view dashboards as well as advanced reports on everything from:

  • Asset type
  • Asset records
  • Location of assets
  • Ownership of assets
  • Asset condition monitoring
  • Preventive maintenance alerts
  • Full maintenance history logs 
  • Audit trail 
  • Service requests 
  • Number of available software licenses 

This allows you to make more informed decisions on everything from your approach to asset management to managing asset costs, hiring and operational decisions, and assessing financial risks. All in far greater detail and in less time than if you were using spreadsheets. 

Simplify audits

Not only will your asset management solution give you a complete overview of your assets and the ability to run the specific reports mentioned above, but it can also help with audit management. Both internal and external audits are easier when you already have your ducks in a row.

Regular audits help ensure that your accounting is compliant and that everything is in line with your operational goals and objectives.

Prevent maintenance problems

Monitoring the life cycle of your assets means you can put preventative maintenance plans in place. This helps keep your assets in working order. Maintenance reports can include maintenance schedules, the asset’s stage in its life cycle, and inspection dates.

Using these details, you can plan and budget for the maintenance of your assets. Maintenance is almost always more cost-effective than fixing something that’s already broken.

Set up a booking portal

A great asset management software, like Reftab, is designed to be easy to use. So easy, in fact, that you can set up workflows to allow employees to check-in/out equipment as they need it. This can eliminate repetitive, time-consuming tasks, which frees your IT team to focus on strategic, higher-value initiatives.  

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If you’re still on the fence about utilizing an asset management software solution for your business, then we encourage you to try one out. As mentioned above, most software options will offer a free trial or a demo to give you a sense of whether the solution is right for you before you buy. 
Ready to get started? Try Reftab for free.

Asset Tracking

Best Asset Management Software in 2021

Posted on by Michael Caslowitz
Software buying

If you are reading this post, there is a good chance you are in the market for asset management software. 

Maybe you are tired of manually recording your assets on a spreadsheet? 

Or you are looking for a more efficient inventory tracking system? 

There are many software solutions out there for IT asset management, but it can be a challenge choosing the right one for your business. That’s why we’ve done the research for you. 

In this post, we’ll cover some of the best asset management software options, looking at key features, who should use it, pricing, and more.   

1. Reftab 

You didn’t think we’d write this post and not include our own asset management software in here. Founded in 2013, organizations of all sizes, from small businesses and nonprofits to large tech companies and public universities, are using Reftab to manage their assets. 

Some key features in Reftab include asset management and tracking, dedicated mobile apps to scan asset barcode labels, maintenance management/work orders, user request portal, inventory management, asset tagging, role-based asset controls, automated workflows, and custom reports and dashboards. 

If you are looking to track 50 or fewer assets, Reftab is free to use. Pricing for paid plans starts at $30 per month for 500 assets. 

2. Jira Service Management

Jira Service Management is an enterprise asset and configuration management solution by Atlassian. The software features an open data structure that allows teams to flexibly manage company resources. Key asset management features within Jira include asset tracking, asset discovery, asset reviews, importers, and integrations. 

If you are already using Confluence and Jira for internal knowledge-base and bug-tracking (for example), then using Jira Service Management might be a solid option if you want to keep everything in one tool. The solution is customizable, meaning it can easily grow with your business as you add more assets to the mix.  

The downside of using Jira for asset management is that the tool is almost like a blank canvas that you can integrate into your existing business and IT workflows. If you don’t have well-established asset management processes in place or you are a small team that doesn’t have the bandwidth to add your own custom features, then you may find there is a steep learning curve and serious product limitations.  

For up to 3 users, Jira is free to use. Paid plans begin at $20 per agent. You’ll need to contact Jira’s sales team for an enterprise plan quote.

3. Zendesk

Zendesk is designed to be a customer service ticketing platform. Many IT teams have adapted it to manage their internal IT requests. Everything from maintenance orders to checking in and out equipment. Because it wasn’t built to be an asset management software, this means you will need to use at least a handful of third-party apps for many critical asset management features. When you have a lot of integrations, this can complicate your setup costing more money and time down the line. 

A better solution is to keep using Zendesk for your customer support. Then, integrate with a dedicated asset management software, like Reftab to pull in any necessary information. 

Pro Tip: Here is how you can integrate Zendesk with Reftab.  

Zendesk’s customer service product starts at $49 a month per user. 

4. Freshservice

Freshservice is a robust IT service management platform. It has several useful features, including IT asset management. The asset management function includes automation, no-code workflows, and an integrated platform to bridge work silos. The company also offers excellent onboarding, migration services, and 24/7 support. 

Freshservice is made for all businesses and industries to use, but due to the cost, it might be best for enterprise companies. Because plans charge per user, having your whole team join the platform can get expensive. Another issue that users have pointed out is the inefficiency of the ticket process.

Plans start at $19 per user each month and go up to $109 per user each month for enterprise accounts. Whichever plan you use, you’ll want to get an Asset Pack add-on. This costs $75 for a pack of 500 assets. If your business has a lot of assets, then you may want to consider the unlimited assets option at $1500 per month.

5. Excel Spreadsheets

Excel wasn’t designed specifically for asset management, but the versatile software can function as a basic asset tracker. 

Excel is best for small businesses, either just starting out or on a tight budget. The main benefit of using Excel is the cost. 

There are several critical flaws to relying on Excel for your asset tracking, like:  

  • You can input data, but Excel can’t update the information, pull insights and reports, or actually track your assets. 
  • The manual nature of Excel opens up your records to human error, especially as more people have access to the spreadsheet.  
  • Formulas can be touchy within the spreadsheet, and data entry is tedious. 
  • It’s less accurate, effective, and efficient than other software designed for asset management.
  • Excel was not designed for use with mobile apps, nor can be used as a barcode scanner.

As a standalone software, you can purchase Excel for a single PC or Mac for a $159.99 fee. You could also purchase Excel as a part of Microsoft 365 which includes Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, and 1 TB of cloud storage per person. Microsoft 365 plan starts at $6.99 per month and depends on how many people on your team that need an account.

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By now, you should have a better sense of which of the top software options are right for you. Many of these solutions come with a free trial or demo, so be sure to take advantage of that to test the option before committing.

If you are interested in trying out Reftab, get started for free here. 

non profit inventory management

A detailed guide for nonprofit inventory management

Posted on by Michael Caslowitz

Do I really need dedicated software for managing all of my assets and inventory in my nonprofit? 

If you are like most nonprofits we talk to, this is a valid question. 

After all, you don’t have a massive warehouse or warehouses full of products that you are selling like a retail store. 

However, if you are operating at any level of scale, there is a great chance that you have amassed millions of dollars in expensive gear and equipment, including laptops, laptop accessories, camera gear, AV equipment, books, furniture, and more. 

Keeping track of all of that is important for insurance and funding purposes (i.e. think government grants). If you are barely managing it or simply using spreadsheets, that’s not ideal. 

In this post, we’re sharing some actionable strategies for why you should consider moving off the spreadsheets and using dedicated inventory management software that is designed for nonprofit organizations like yours. 

What is inventory management software? 

Inventory management software helps nonprofit organizations keep track of all of their assets and inventory at scale. Once you have hundreds of expensive items or are operating from more than one location, it is no longer practical to manage everything from a spreadsheet, pen or paper, or worse internal tribal knowledge. 

The best inventory management software is quick and easy to use and doesn’t feel like a chore to update. 

What are the benefits of inventory management software for nonprofits? 

With many nonprofits operating at a global scale, this means they have likely acquired millions of dollars or more in expensive equipment. Some of which might be hard to replace if it is lost, damaged, or stolen. 

For example, most megachurches in the U.S. have a room – or many rooms – full of expensive video production and AV equipment. This gear is being used and loaned out all of the time to staff and volunteers. 

That’s where using intuitive inventory management software can be a lifesaver. 

For starters, it is a better alternative to clunky Excel spreadsheets. Spreadsheets become unmanageable once you have more than a few people actively updating them and thousands of line items. The loading speeds alone are enough to discourage your team from regularly signing in and out items and updating the spreadsheet. Plus, spreadsheets can’t provide a way to allow staff to reserve or book equipment for future use in upcoming projects or events.

If you want people to regularly do something, it is important the process is as simple, efficient, and streamlined as possible.  

Not to mention, spreadsheets don’t have great revision histories, which can open up your nonprofit to human errors, a lack of perceived trust in the “data” you are collecting, and little to no oversight and accountability among your team. 

While you can technically run custom reports in your inventory spreadsheet, if the spreadsheet isn’t updated regularly or you don’t trust the inputs, then the reports you create—tracking everything from the number of items to location, condition, cost, and utilization trends— won’t mean much. 

Bottom line – the biggest benefit of switching to dedicated inventory management software is that it creates a single source of truth for your nonprofit. 

4 use cases for how nonprofits are using Reftab for inventory management 

Still not convinced? Here are three of the biggest use cases that we see from our nonprofit customers. 

1. Checking in and out equipment 

Whether you are loaning out computers, video cameras, or books to team members or volunteers, there are four critical things you need to keep track of. 

  • Who did you loan the item(s) to? 
  • What item(s) do they have in their possession? 
  • When are they supposed to bring the item(s) back? 
  • Did they bring the item(s) back on time? 

This isn’t exactly rocket science. If your nonprofit is still small and you are only loaning out a few items a week, this process is easy enough to keep track of with a simple Google Doc sign-out sheet. 

However, once you are loaning out a half dozen or more items each day, the number of items you need to keep track of adds up. It becomes easy for items to go unaccounted for.  

An added bonus of using software, such as Reftab, to manage the process of lending out this gear and equipment is that you can use barcode scanners to speed up this process. Instead of having to manually log all of the lending details, the process can be as simple and painless as taking a photo with your phone when an item is checked in and out. And, you can quickly pull up all of the details you care most about, like the location of the item, purchase price, vendor, condition, etc.    

2. Location-tracking 

As your nonprofit grows in scale and impact, it is likely that you’ll have a main headquarters as well as satellite offices. While this can help with mobilizing crews, it also means that your inventory and assets are spread across multiple cities, counties, states, and in some cases countries.

For example, if your organization sets up hundreds of computer labs for impoverished youth, you may have 10,000+ laptops, hotspots, and computer accessories. All of which are spread out between hundreds of computer labs as well as in your various offices. At this scale, you need a system where you can see all of this inventory quickly. It would be nearly impossible to keep track of all of that if you weren’t using software.  

3. Maintenance requests

Going back to our computer lab example, laptops can get lost, damaged, or stolen. All it takes is one student to spill a drink on the keyboard, and the computer is now out of commission. From preventative maintenance to troubleshooting problems when things go wrong (think spilling liquids on your computer), having a portal where you can document issues and log status updates is vital. 

4. Tracking consumables

With all the non-profits we speak to, one of the lesser known items to keep inventory on are consumable items. Things like, notepads, tissues, clothing, food, batteries, pens and paper, etc. These items can actually add up and cost an organization a fair amount of money. It’s important to track these items so that you don’t over order.

For example, if you have multiple locations where paper towels are stored, your team can use the Reftab mobile app to log how many paper towels they’re taking out of the stock closet. When it comes time to order more, you know exactly which location has enough that you can take from instead of guessing how much more you need. These items can add-up in cost and it’s important to be mindful not to waste anything if you can.

This F.A.Q guide gives a quick overview of consumable tracing on the Reftab mobile app: https://www.reftab.com/faq/mobile-consumable-transactions/

***

In sum, inventory tracking is too important to manage from a spreadsheet. 
Want to make this process even simpler with asset management software designed for nonprofits? Try Reftab for free.

Zapier integration

How to integrate Reftab and Zapier

Posted on by Michael Caslowitz

How much time do you spend each day completing boring, repetitive tasks? 

If you are like most knowledge workers, you are spending an average of 3-4 hours. That’s 15-20 hours per week on busywork or the equivalent of binge-watching two seasons of your favorite show on Netflix. 

No-code/low-code apps, like Zapier, can help you streamline and remove a lot of these tasks. So, you can spend more time on more engaging and strategic work. 

In this post, we’re explaining how Zapier works along with a half-dozen ways you can use it alongside Reftab to automate administrative tasks. 

What is Zapier?

How does Zapier work?

How to create a zap?

6 common use cases for Reftab and Zapier

1. Google Sheets and Reftab

2. Google Forms and Reftab

3. Slack and Reftab

4. Gmail and Reftab

5. Microsoft Teams and Reftab

6. SurveyMonkey and Reftab

What is Zapier? 

Founded in 2011, Zapier is a no-code app that makes it easy to automate tasks by connecting two or more software applications together. It is kind of like digital duct tape. 

Today, Zapier supports more than 2,000 apps. These apps include everything from Slack, Gmail, Google Sheets, and Microsoft Teams to WordPress, Airtable, Typeform, and Reftab. 

How does Zapier work? 

If you are looking to automate a task in your business, you create a “zap” in Zapier.  A zap is basically like a recipe.  

In this recipe, you have two parts.

  • A trigger – this is what starts the zap
  • An action – this is the desired result 

How to create a zap? 

Creating a zap is simple. 

Let’s say you want to add all new assets added in Reftab into a Google sheet. 

To start, you log into Zapier and click “create zap” in the left-hand sidebar menu. 

Then, you will select Reftab as the trigger since you will want this zap to fire anytime a new asset is created. 

The action is to create or update a spreadsheet row in your Google Sheets. 

6 common use cases for Reftab and Zapier 

The ways you can integrate Reftab with other software that your company is using via Zapier are nearly endless. But, here are a few ideas to inspire you. 

1. Google Sheets and Reftab 

For some of our customers, only the IT department actively logs in and uses Reftab on a daily basis. This works fine 90% of the time. 

Occasionally, someone in HR might need to make an update. If they don’t have access (or don’t want access), you can have them make the updates in a Google Sheet. Then, create a zap that automatically adds it into Reftab when a new row in the spreadsheet is created or updated. 

2. Google Forms and Reftab 

Another simple way for teams to add or update assets into Reftab without having to log in is to set up a quick form in a form builder, like Google Forms, Airtable, JotForm, or Typeform. 

Let’s say you work at an advertising agency and one of your creative directors needs to book a bunch of equipment for a commercial shoot.  You can set up a simple form that allows employees to schedule the equipment they need.  Then, you can create a zap to automatically update the “reservation details” in Reftab. 

Furthermore, you can set up an automated Slack message or email that goes to the employee checking out the gear with extra instructions or a reminder of check-in and check-out protocols. 

3. Slack and Reftab 

This brings up another popular use case which is syncing Reftab and Slack. 

For example, you set up a zap to trigger a reminder message in a specific Slack channel or as a DM whenever an employee books equipment, like a camera. 

You can set up these triggers based on new assets, loans, and reservations in Reftab. 

4. Gmail and Reftab 

Since it is easy for Slack messages to get buried, you may want to send an email reminder instead.

For example, you can set up a zap to send an automated email in Gmail to a recipient when they book a piece of equipment. 

5. Microsoft Teams and Reftab 

If you are in an organization that uses Outlook and Microsoft Teams instead of Google Apps and Slack, you can set up the same reminder chat messages and emails through Reftab and Zapier. 

6. SurveyMonkey and Reftab

This could be particularly useful if you set up an informal booking portal for college students to rent equipment. You can create a multi-step zap that sends them a link to complete a feedback survey XX days after they use the equipment.

This can help you further streamline and improve your existing processes. 

Take a look at Reftab’s Zapier page for additional pre-made templates: https://zapier.com/apps/reftab/integrations

***

When you combine Reftab and Zapier, you can streamline your workflows, automate repetitive tasks, and spend more time on strategic tasks. 
Ready to get started? Try Reftab for free.

Jira Integration

Reftab – How to integrate Jira and Reftab to manage IT and service desk requests

Posted on by Michael Caslowitz

Did you know the average white-collar worker spends almost three hours just reading and responding to emails? 

That’s just email. It doesn’t take into account Slack or Microsoft Team requests. 

If your IT department is bogged down with these administrative requests, this means they are spending less time on strategic projects.  

One way to mitigate this is to use a service desk system like Jira software. 

In this post, we’re going to share how you can sync assets from Reftab with Jira to create a more efficient workflow.  

5 ways to use Jira and Reftab 

Here are some of the ways Reftab customers are using our Jira integration. 

1. Manage maintenance requests and updates faster

Tell me if this scenario sounds familiar. You are putting together some reports for your boss when Jamie in sales pings you over Slack because he has a demo in an hour and his USB-C port won’t work. You spend 10 minutes digging through your records to see if this issue has come up before. In the time you are working to fix this USB-C issue, you receive 2 emails and 4 more Slack notifications with IT-related requests.  

Since these requests are coming from different places, you struggle to know what is urgent and what to prioritize first. So, you constantly feel behind. Worse, you occasionally have to deal with the fallout from employees when you missed their initial request or didn’t get to it fast enough.

This is when switching to a service desk solution can make a lot of sense. Instead of getting support requests from email, Slack, Microsoft Teams, in-person updates, etc, every single IT support request gets routed to a central inbox. This creates a single source of truth, ensures nothing goes missing and helps you and your team triage requests based on priority.   

For example, if you use Reftab and Jira, you can tie Reftab assets to Jira tickets and vice versa. So, you can link and categorize all of your Jira tickets tied to a specific asset or asset category in one place. 

The result is that you can manage these requests faster, so you can spend more time working on strategic initiatives for the company instead of being bogged down in administrative tasks. 

2. Create a self-service portal for employees

As we alluded to above, when individual employees ping you through Microsoft Teams, Slack, or email, it is easy for things to fall through the cracks. This means employees wait longer to get devices fixed or updated, and your team is spending more time in admin mode instead of working on strategic tasks. 

That’s why setting up a self-service portal can be so helpful. You can create a form that automatically adds the right Reftab asset (i.e. laptop, printer, phone) to a Jira ticket so that all requests get routed to a single inbox. 

You can even have employees select their own asset at the same time they’re submitting their support request.

Within Jira, users will see the items assigned to them such as their laptops, phones, printers etc.

3. Route specific requests to different team members

An added benefit of this approach is that you can route specific IT support requests to individual team members. 

For example, if you have one person devoted solely to AV equipment, you can route all of the tickets tied to AV equipment directly to him. You can also use the document collaboration features to keep everything in one central place. 

4. Prioritize requests and bugs in Jira

Not every request that comes in will be urgent. If your company is already using agile planning for product management and engineering, you can modify your Jira design workflow for your IT department. 

If you use agile project management, this means as new requests and issues are logged, you can prioritize all of your requests that come in by issue type. You can build out a backlog based on your team’s priorities.  

5. Run IT support request reports 

Another benefit of routing all of your IT support requests through Jira is that you can establish a dedicated team dashboard and run custom reports. You can track everything from overall IT team efficiency to CSAT and SLAs.  

For example, if you notice a significant uptick in support requests over the last two months, you can use this report to ask for more headcount. 

Connecting Jira to Reftab 

As one of the official marketplace apps, integrating Jira and Reftab is simple. All you need to do is go to the Jira Marketplace and search “Reftab”. Install the plugin by providing Reftab login details which will start the process of syncing assets from Reftab to Jira.

We won’t go through the entire step-by-step guide to get this setup. If you are looking for that, check out our Knowledgebase article here. 

Syncing Jira and Reftab will allow you to link individual assets to Reftab to Jira tickets and vice versa.   

Not a Reftab customer? Get started today for free. 

Asset Tracking/Education

How to Keep Track of School Equipment and Tools

Posted on by Michael Caslowitz

If you are like most schools and universities, your process for managing your equipment room(s) is complex and leaves a lot of room for dropped balls. 

Additionally, you might be feeling the process to run and maintain your equipment room with less budget available. This is where having a dialed-in system and processes can come in handy.  

In an earlier guide, we shared how you can create a system for managing your equipment room and why using dedicated asset tracking software can help you streamline all aspects of the process.  

In this post, we’re expanding on this topic and sharing tips for how you can effectively monitor your school’s equipment and tools efficiently. 

1. Implement barcode scanning

Barcode scanning allows you to centralize and standardize equipment management by allowing you to scan asset tags from anywhere with a QR code or Radio Frequency Identification Device (a.k.a RFID code).

The reason you should place barcodes on fixed assets is to document every piece of equipment you own, including how many items you have and the important details about each item. Essentially it’s your company’s internal serialization of equipment which ultimately reduces the risk of misplacing or losing expensive tools.  

You can decide on the types of equipment, tools, and other inventory that you would like to track with a barcode scanner. Barcode labels can be attached to assets and based on category, room, department, or other variables that help you better identify and monitor the item. 

You can implement a barcode tracking option for any piece of equipment that you need to lend out, including:

  • Laptops 
  • Cameras
  • Film and camera accessories 
  • AV equipment 
  • Textbooks and library books 
  • Laboratory equipment 
  • Gym equipment and uniforms 
  • Musical instruments 
  • Art supplies

2. Add product warranty information in your asset management software 

If you need to make use of the warranty, you’ll want to access it quickly. Unfortunately, for many equipment managers, this means spending hours digging up receipts in a random box or file cabinet or logging into multiple different online vendor accounts with cumbersome navigation. 

A better solution is to use a centralized, easy-to-use asset management software that catalogs and includes all warranty details on all your different types of equipment.  Therefore, when equipment fails, you can easily access the warranty so you can solve the problem faster. 

3. Run reports on how frequently equipment is used 

One of the biggest advantages of using software instead of spreadsheets is more detailed reporting around equipment usage. 

Within a few minutes, you can see a detailed usage chart around how frequently each piece of equipment is used, information on all of your equipment purchases, when it is time to order more equipment, how many products are out of warranty, or when you need to do preventive equipment maintenance. All without leaving your equipment management solution. 🙂 

This allows you to be proactive instead of reactive. 

For example, you may learn you don’t need as much of certain equipment or need more of other items to meet students’ demands. Therefore, knowing how often items are used (or not used) can help you budget more effectively. This information also can provide necessary data to your board of directors or school board as needed to justify purchases. 

In the chart above, we can see how many MacBook Pros are available compared to how many checked out. This easily informs us that there is no need to purchase more.

Pro Tip: Did you know you can integrate Reftab with Google Data Studio? This allows you to sync your equipment management data with other software your schools might be using and build custom dashboards. 

4. Schedule time for repairs, upgrades, and maintenance 

Equipment and tools eventually break or need repairs. Having dedicated equipment tracking software to monitor the health and condition of your school’s tools and equipment can help improve the accuracy of your budgeting. You’ll be able to set up and keep tabs on maintenance schedules for all of your equipment, which can be helpful for budget planning. 

Knowing how long certain items last or when equipment typically needs to be repaired can help minimize unexpected maintenance issues. It helps you stay focused on safety, and minimizes the chance of an asset management nightmare from unexpected faulty equipment. 

5. Standardize your asset tagging processes 

When you are managing expensive gear and equipment for students, you’ll want a written policy to establish the allowable time frame for new equipment to be barcoded.. For instance, you may want all equipment or tools that cost a set amount of money to be tagged within 30 days of purchase. In addition, having a protocol will help ensure that your inventory system is updated regularly and represents an accurate picture of what your school or university has. 

6. Maintain complete records of your assets for tax and insurance purposes 

You’ll want to keep an updated record of all of your inventory. This includes maintaining the information for assets that have been disposed of, sold, damaged, or otherwise written off. 

Keeping an accurate record can save you money on your taxes and reduce time spent dealing with insurance matters in the event you need to replace a damaged or broken item. 

When maintaining your asset records, here is some key information to track:

  • Amount
  • Condition
  • Warranty information 
  • Estimated value
  • Serial number
  • Location information such as room or building

*** 

Monitoring the use of your school’s equipment, and tracking how it is being used can save you time and money. Having a dedicated asset management system and detailed business processes lets you easily update your assets, do detailed inventory tracking faster, get real-time updates on asset availability, and maintain pertinent details about ages of tools, warranties, and maintenance times. As a result, you’ll be able to make better purchasing decisions and respond quickly if something is broken, needs repairs, or is lost.

Want to make this process even simpler with asset management software designed for educational institutions? Try Reftab for free. 

Asset Tracking/Integrations

How to Integrate Reftab and Zendesk

Posted on by Michael Caslowitz

Did you know that Zendesk has more than 170,000 customers? 

While many think of them as a customer support platform, the truth is a large number of IT departments use them to manage service desk requests. 

The best part is if you use (or are planning to use) Reftab for asset management and Zendesk for service desk requests, our Zendesk integration makes this process simple. 

This means you can see asset details displayed on Zendesk tickets, so you don’t have to move between multiple applications to see important information.

In this post, we’re sharing more details about our Zendesk integration, and some of the use cases for IT teams, including: 

What is Zendesk?

4 ways that IT teams use Reftab and Zendesk

1. Provide timely IT support to employees

2. Create more efficient workflows

3. Streamline the process for getting new employees onboarded

4. Maintain company assets and inventory

Connecting Zendesk to Reftab

What is Zendesk?

A quick refresher: Zendesk is one of the largest help desk systems on the market. It provides a centralized workspace that gives companies all the tools they need to handle personalized communications at scale.

Most companies get started on Zendesk to manage customer support efficiently.

Increasingly, more IT teams are using Zendesk to manage help desk tickets.  That’s because it also integrates with many apps commonly used by companies of all sizes, such as Slack, Confluence, Reftab, and more.

Note: Reftab helps you track assets and inventory by using barcodes and QR Codes to assign items to users.

Businesses can also use the streamlined dashboard to examine trends, increase their understanding of the most common issues, measure metrics critical to your business, and more.

4 ways that IT teams use Reftab and Zendesk

Here are some popular use cases for how IT teams are using Zendesk and Reftab. 

1. Provide timely IT support to employees 

Zendesk’s core feature is a centralized, ticket-based help desk. This allows IT teams to funnel, triage, and manage all IT support requests from one place. So, instead of having to field questions from individual email inboxes, Slack, in-person conversations, where it can easily get lost, it all goes into one Zendesk inbox. 

This centralized system makes it easy for IT teams to track, monitor, and collect employees issues, questions, and feedback. And, when you layer Reftab on top of Zendesk, you can pull up all of the related assets tied to an individual Zendesk ticket on the same screen. As a result, they can respond and solve problems faster. 

For example, if an employee submits a ticket in Zendesk about their laptop being broken, the details of that laptop from within Reftab are displayed within the Zendesk ticket. This allows support staff to see important details such as warranty information, serial number, images, etc., without having to leave Zendesk.

In addition, once you’ve been tracking these IT requests for a while, you’ll start to notice trends emerging. For example, this can help improve your workflows, build out more documentation, and build out new internal tooling and processes. 

You can also use this data to make a case for hiring additional IT team members—be it to handle increased ticket volumes or to build out new IT infrastructure and tools. 

2. Create more efficient workflows

Many IT support requests are common issues like password reset requests or needing to check out a particular piece of equipment. 

For password reset requests, you can create canned response templates that can automate or partially automate these replies. 

Or, for checking in and out equipment, you can use Reftab and Zendesk to create a self-service booking portal so that employees can mostly handle this process on their own. 

This does two things: 

  • Makes it easier for a smaller IT team to manage demand without having to hire more people. You can scale your IT infrastructure and workflow as the company grows. 
  • Frees up your team’s time to focus on more strategic, higher-level projects. 

3. Streamline the process for getting new employees onboarded

One of the most time-intensive tasks for IT teams is onboarding new employees. This process is extremely important not only for productivity but also for new hire morale. It doesn’t look great if the new hire starts, but their computer doesn’t arrive until 2 weeks after they start.  Or, they don’t have all of the necessary equipment they need to do their job. 

While this process is important, it is also repetitive and easy to build out and automate parts of the process. 

For example, when a new employee starts, they will need a laptop. This information can be recorded in Reftab. So, the hiring manager can submit an IT request in Zendesk about getting their new employee set up with a laptop. Someone on your IT team can view the ticket and see all of the available computers in Reftab without leaving the ticket window. If one is available, they can assign it to the new employee. If not, they can make sure to order a new laptop before the new hire’s start date.  

4. Maintain company assets and inventory

Businesses often need to keep tabs on all of their equipment and inventory for tax, liability, and maintenance purposes. 

For example, integrating Reftab and Zendesk makes it easy to do the following: 

  • Get alerts for low quantity of a specific piece of equipment, like chargers or laptops 
  • Track product warranty information
  • Manage asset maintenance, like necessary software and hardware updates

Connecting Zendesk to Reftab 

As one of the official marketplace apps, integrating Zendesk and Reftab is simple. All you need to do is go to our Integrations section and click on Zendesk. You’ll enter your login details and start the process of setting up your account. 

You can also install our app through the  Zendesk marketplace.

https://www.zendesk.com/apps/support/reftab/

Syncing Zendesk and Reftab will allow you to link individual assets to Reftab to Jira tickets and vice versa.   See our How-to guide here: https://www.reftab.com/blog/faq/how-to-display-zendesk-tickets-on-linked-assets-in-reftab/

Not a Reftab customer? Get started today for free.