How to Keep an IT Asset Register for Your Office

An IT asset register is a list of every device and software licence the company owns, with who has it and its condition. It saves money, prevents losses and makes audits and exits easy.

What to record for each device

• Asset tag: a short ID stuck on the device (LAP-001, DSK-014)
• Type, brand, model and serial number
• Purchase date, cost, vendor and warranty end date
• Assigned to, department and location
• Status: in use, spare, under repair, retired or lost

Tag everything

Print simple labels and stick them on laptops, monitors, printers and network devices. Without a tag, two identical Dell laptops are impossible to tell apart on paper.

Assign at joining, check at exit

• On a new joiner's first day, assign devices in the register and get a signed acknowledgement.
• In the exit checklist, filter the register by the person's name and collect everything listed.
• Update the register on every handover between employees.

Warranty and replacement

Laptops are usually productive for 3 to 5 years. Track:

• Warranties expiring in the next 60 days: extend or plan repairs
• Devices older than 4 years: budget their replacement in next year's plan

Licences: where money leaks

Software is billed per user or per device. Common leaks:
1. Seats bought for people who have left
2. Annual plans auto-renewing at full seat count
3. Two tools doing the same job in different departments

For each licence, compare seats bought with seats in use 60 days before renewal, and reduce seats at renewal time.

Book value

For internal tracking, straight-line over 3 years is simple: a ₹78,000 laptop is worth about ₹26,000 less each year. Statutory accounts use rates your auditor applies.

Security basics

• Don't keep passwords in the register
• Note which devices have disk encryption and screen lock
• Report lost devices immediately and mark them Lost

Review once a month

Ten minutes: new purchases added, handovers updated, warranties and renewals checked.

Our IT Asset Register keeps every device and licence in one place, with warranty status, book value, replacement flags and unused licence seats on one dashboard.