FIXED ASSET TRACKING SYSTEMS A BUYER S GUIDE

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1 YOURLOGO FIXED ASSET TRACKING SYSTEMS

2 WHY IS ASSET TRACKING SO IMPORTANT? Companies and organizations of every size manage assets that are vital to their success. Those assets routinely change hands both internally and externally, with vendor or service partners. It s incredibly easy for a time-pressed staff to lose track of assets, fail to maintain them or even pay taxes on assets that were long ago phased out. The financial ramifications of that mismanagement can be enormous. The reality is that many organizations don t know what fixed assets they own, what shape those assets are in or where they re located. If you re doing some comparison shopping of your own to find the asset tracking system that s best for your company s needs, you should be looking for specific features that can make a substantial impact on your bottom-line revenues. You re evaluating fixed asset tracking systems. What should you be looking for? CLOUD PLUS MOBILE APPS On any given day, your assets pass through multiple touchpoints, which means the opportunity for loss is enormous. Traditional asset tracking systems involve manual, error-prone processes like spreadsheets and expensive equipment like hand-held scanners. The most effective method of managing your assets is a cloud-based system that syncs with mobile apps. Your employees should be able to access the system at any time from the devices they already carry or use (smartphone, tablet or web). That saves you the additional investment in equipment that traditional systems require. And, with cloud-based systems, you won t have hardware and software licenses to pay for upgrades. Look for an integrated asset management system that includes free Android and ios apps. Ideally, you should be able to use your mobile device to scan assets, which eliminates the need for you to carry a separate scanner or pay for its maintenance and replacement costs. A built-in mobile barcode scanner helps you quickly locate specific items by searching items you ve already logged into the system. FLEXIBILITY Look for an asset management system that can accommodate the diverse needs of a broad base of industry sectors for example, health care, information technology, education, energy, public safety, government and hospitality, to name a few. And, because no two companies are the same, look for a configurable system that empowers you to select the features you want. A flexible system allows assets to be tied to multiple books or kits, offers configurable reporting for compliance, straight line depreciation and asset appreciation calculation. The system should provide user field and user location security, plus area user level security within locations. You want a system that continually launches additional features and upgrades to help you manage your assets in the most effective way possible and without tacking on extra fees after each launch. Among the features you should be looking for: open API, mobile check-in/check-out, social media integration and the ability to track non-traditional assets. Collectively, these features help promote efficient tracking of assets -- even for entities with a tremendous volume of fixed assets to manage at any given time -- eliminates costly errors and focuses critical resources where they re most needed. With a mobile app, you can reference, update, report, support and audit your assets on the go. You have access to your assets most up to date history and choose applicable actions directly from the app. The system should generate automated reports about your assets, eliminating the need for spreadsheets.

3 CUSTOMIZATION An asset management system should adapt to the way you work. Companies need an easy and flexible way to manage everything associated with their assets: depreciation, inflation, auditing, maintenance and repair and, finally, what happens to their assets at the end of their useful lives. Unlimited customized fields Unlimited actions Custom labels Custom reporting Custom electronic signature Customized notifications Customize your mobile app from the web Customize the calendar to flag important dates for assets, or actions related to those assets Companies who manage their vital assets more efficiently aren t just saving time and money; they re laying a solid foundation for their futures. You ve probably heard a lot about the Internet of Things which, in a nutshell, means a new reality in which machine-to-machine communication becomes more prevalent. Built on cloud computing and networks of data-gathering sensors, it s mobile, virtual and instantaneous or, as some say, smart. With that in mind, you need an asset management system that will give you the capacity to track your equipment with a flexible tool designed to incorporate new technologies as they become prevalent. Look for a system that allows assets to be tied to multiple books or kits, offers configurable reporting for compliance, straight line depreciation and asset appreciation calculation. ENTERPRISE SERVICE DESK CAPABILITY Your asset management system should allow you to schedule maintenance or request work orders, thereby reducing support calls. REAL-TIME MANAGEMENT With cloud-based systems, your data is maintained in real time and that gives you the assurance that you have the most up-to-date information you need to manage your asset flow. At any time, equipment owners should be able track where items are and what condition they re in, and have access to data needed by their accounting and compliance teams. More accurate data, in turn, guards against loss and waste, eliminates guesswork, results in lower property taxes and potentially lower insurance costs, and provides better support for end users. Equipment support staff are then better able to track the location and condition of items, including the repair history and make/model/serial number. The system should give you round-the-clock access to the status of checked in/out items, deliver notifications for required maintenance and communicate easily when an item requires repair or replacement. Real-time asset management allows you to: Pinpoint an asset s location, who has it, and its condition Quickly check in or check out any item using the app Use as a database rendered to a mobile phone to manage a large volume/variety of work Use as a compliance tool for example, safety equipment (configure the system to manage your equipment, confirm inspections and report on all relevant information) Manage work orders tied to assets. Can use as a ticketing system to track information like repairs or compliance More accurate data, in turn, guards against loss and waste, eliminates guesswork, results in lower property taxes and

4 potentially lower insurance costs, and provides better support for end users. Equipment support staff are better able to track the location and condition of items, including the repair history and make/model/serial number. Finally, customers have roundthe-clock access to the status of checked in/out items, receive notifications for required maintenance and communicate easily when an item requires repair or replacement. SIMPLE/INTUITIVE TO USE It s likely that multiple employees will be using your asset management system, so it must be incredibly simple and intuitive. Ideally, no formal training should be required to use the system, although you should have easy access to a customer service team should you have any questions. Look for a system that supports its customers in real time both in the field and globally. That means you won t be limited to PC or scanner access and won t have to wait for incremental bug fixes and assorted patchwork. If your employees technical knowledge limited, or if you re simply time-pressed, then you ll want to find an asset management system that offers professional services like system configuration, data migration and training, plus a money-back guarantee. UNLIMITED USERS Many asset tracking companies require each user to have a license from a PC and each of those licenses carries a charge. Look for a system that entitles you unlimited users, basing your cost on the assets you track. That flexibility, in turn, allows you to roll out the system across your entire enterprise without worrying about the cost of expansion. The asset tracking role should be in the hands of everyone in your organization, not just a select few in the accounting department. SUMMARY OF TOP SYSTEM FEATURES The best integrated asset management systems include such features as: Check in/check out: Check assets in and out on smartphones and tablets using your custom action that allows you to configure the fields of data to collect, including employee names and due dates. Data import: Import or update asset data quickly and easily into Asset Panda using a CVS file. Mapping: Collect the GPS coordinates of your assets based on the mobile audit function using smartphones or tablets; and upload the coordinates to a GPS mapping tool for a visual display. Mobile: Reference, update, report and audit your fixed assets on the go. A built-in barcode scanner, compatible with ios and Android devices, easily reads barcodes and QR codes to add and quickly search for assets. Mobile and web apps are fully integrated for immediate data transfer and that keeps everyone informed with real-time information. Work orders/maintenance: Schedule and perform asset maintenance and create your own milestones, like expired licenses, warranty expiration, mileage limits, calibration deadline, etc. Alerts: Set trigger alerts to notify a user via mobile push notifications or for maintenance, warranty and contract end dates, check-out due dates, etc. Electronic signature: Increase accountability using signature capture on mobile app for smartphones, tablets and PCs when performing equipment actions and signing documents to be stored in asset records. Easy API integration with other applications: Open API allows you to move data to and from other applications to manage data relevant to your assets including financial information, work orders, help desk tickets and employee lists.

5 Asset depreciation and appreciation: Configure depreciation settings within tool to easily manage and track depreciation on all or select assets. An appreciation feature allows you to calculate the inflation of your assets on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis. Reporting: Use built-in asset tracking reports, or configure your own reports according to your business needs. This feature is designed to deliver real-time data at every level, from a snapshot of your asset locations to more granular insights, like maintenance history or check in/check out status. Audit: A mobile audit feature allows users to scan the barcode of all assets at a particular location and audit attributes relative to each asset against its location, area, condition, etc. The audit provides GPS coordinates for each asset scanned, allowing to map assets for a more visual assessment. FEATURES CHECKLIST Comparison shopping? Look for these features: Custom Locations (Unlimited) Automated Change History per Asset Maintenance Scheduling Asset Photo Tagging Bulk Reallocation of Assets Mobile Audit / GPS Tracking Assign Contacts by Location Track Insurance Policy Information / Expiration Date Ability to Search & Change Assets Using Barcode Scanner Lookup Asset Details from Amazon & EBAY by Scanning Product UPC Ability to Track Repairs Depreciation Calendar / Gantt Feature Replication Configuration Number of Assets (Unlimited) Number of Areas (Unlimited) Number of Asset Categories (Unlimited) Asset Photos, Documents, Videos, & Voice Notes Track By Person Purchase/Lease Information Warranty Information/Expiration Date Service Contract Information/Expiration Date List and Pick Lists Parent Child Relationships/Grouping TRANSACTION CONFIGURABILITY Multiple Users with different security Settings on Web & Mobile Ability to Add Custom Fields to Insurance Records or Work Orders Ability to Add Custom Fields to Assets (Unlimited) Custom Fields can be configured for all assets or by asset category Notifications can be setup for date format notifications (i.e. Maintenance Due) Ability to Customize Asset Listing View

6 Ability to Customize Fields on Warranty Listing Page Ability to Select Currency Ability to configure fields for Location/Area and Categories as well as customize the labels for these fields and assign default values. Custom Actions (Unlimited) Allows you to create the fields and if they should be required. Action can be configured to change the status of an asset when performed. Ability to Generate Notifications when an action is performed. Custom Reporting & Exporting (Unlimited) Ability to Select Output of Reports (PDF, PDF with Photos, Screen, or CSV) Easy import of your Assets, Locations, Areas and/or categories Reports and Asset Information Automated Reporting Options Ability to Add Custom Calculation Fields Ability to Create Work Orders Ability to Generate Check Out Forms Ability to Generate Custom Forms on Actions MOBILE iphone/ipad and Android Compatible Full Integration with Web App Mobile Security Barcode Scanning via Mobile App Auto Complete Text Feature on Mobile Devices Mobile Audit /GPS Tracking Asset Details from Mobile Device Ability to Perform Custom Actions (Check In/Check Out) from Mobile App Ability to Generate Reports Ability to Add Assets via the Barcode Scanning Function on Mobile App GENERAL FEATURES Users (Unlimited) Data Export Data Import Custom API s

7 EASE OF USE FEATURES User Configurable Views Sortable Columns Built in Search Custom Data Fields Custom Reports Custom Role Based Security Custom Location/Area/Category Security Simple & Flexible User Interface on Web & Mobile App Link Groups of Data Security Templates Role Based User Configuration Barcode Generator Custom Dashboard START A FREE 14-DAY TRIAL The good news is that there s an integrated asset management system on the market that includes every one of these features and at a fraction of the cost of its competitors. Start your free 14-day trial today, and find out how Asset Panda s simple, powerful and completely customizable asset tracking platform can generate measurable results for your bottom-line revenues. CONTACT US We welcome the opportunity to speak to you about what Asset Panda can do for your business Internet Blvd. Ste. 100 Frisco, TX Get Our Free App When you re able to manage the entire lifecycle of every one of your vital assets exactly how you want -- in real time, in the palm of your hand, from the mobile devices your employees already carry you not only close the communication loop among you stakeholders, you save significant time and money.