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Asset Tags

Asset tracking involves tagging equipment with unique identifiers to maintain accurate inventory records and reduce the risk of theft. Organizations typically apply asset tags to high-value or easily stolen items, often in coordination with accounting requirements.

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About this video

Physical asset management is a standard IT and organizational practice that involves assigning unique identifiers to equipment so it can be inventoried, located, and accounted for over time. Asset tags are typically applied to items that exceed a certain dollar value or are considered high-risk for theft, and the process is often driven by accounting department requirements rather than IT preference alone. Serial numbers provided by manufacturers can serve as an alternative to custom asset tags, though their practicality depends on length and format, which varies across vendors. Regular physical audits are a key component of an effective asset tracking program, allowing organizations to verify that tagged equipment is still present and has not been removed or stolen. Maintaining an up-to-date asset inventory supports both financial reporting and security posture, giving organizations a clear picture of what hardware they own and where it is located at any given time.

What you'll learn

Explain the purpose of asset tagging and serial number tracking for managing and securing physical IT equipment.

What's covered

Asset Tracking

Asset Tags
- Placed on equipment
- Accounting requirement
- High-value items
Serial Numbers
- Alternative to asset tags
- Varies by manufacturer
Inventory Management
- Theft prevention
- Regular stock verification

Key terms

Asset: Any resource of value to an organization, including hardware, software, data, and personnel.
Asset Tag: A physical label affixed to IT equipment containing an identifier used to track and inventory organizational assets.
Serial Number: A unique alphanumeric identifier assigned by a manufacturer to a specific hardware device, used to track and manage equipment.
Inventory Management: The process of tracking and recording organizational assets to ensure accountability and detect loss or theft.

Topics

Asset Tagging Physical Security Inventory Management Serial Number Tracking It Asset Management

Transcript

Many of the companies that I've worked with will put an asset tag on the bottom of their assets so they can track it. Now, this is more for accounting purposes.

A lot of times I'll just use — there's usually a serial number on the computers, and I'll use that. Some computers have a very long serial number, and that makes it more difficult. This one's a Dell, so they have more simplistic serial numbers. I figure it's a great way to track equipment.

But a lot of times the accounting department wants you to track assets, and so anything above a certain dollar value, or something that's easily stolen, then we will tag it with an asset tag and then we'll keep inventory of that and track it. So every so often we'll make sure that we still have that in stock and that it has not been stolen.

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