Computer Inventory: Key Components and Top Solutions

Whether you’re a small business with just a handful of workers or a large-scale enterprise, computers are likely an integral part of your daily operations. 

That’s why having a bird’s-eye view of your computer assets is essential for tracking, maintenance, security, software licensing, and more. 

In this guide, we’ll discuss the ins and outs of computer inventory, key components, and helpful platforms that can assist in efficiently handling the process from start to finish. 

What is Computer Inventory?

Computer inventory refers to tracking and managing company computers, along with any other related equipment, such as monitors, cables, and electronic accessories. 

It goes much deeper than simply making a list of your current devices. It seeks to create maximum transparency so you have an in-depth overview of things like:

• The date each computer was purchased
• Where the equipment is located (or if in transit, its current coordinates)
• Which employees are using the equipment
• The equipment’s current condition
• What software is installed on each computer
• Warranty information

By having this detailed information readily available, it provides a high level of transparency that’s vital to managing IT assets. 

It also offers some significant benefits:

• You can proactively manage computers so you know where each one is in its product lifecycle.
• You know when maintenance is required and updates need to be made. 
• You can replace computers before they become outdated.
• It’s easier to maintain software compliance.
• You’ll know when warranties expire.
• You can identify software vulnerabilities that could potentially expose sensitive information. 
• It helps in budget management and accounting. 

Besides that, the information gained through computer inventory management plays a major role in making smarter, more data-driven decisions regarding your assets. 

Here’s a basic computer inventory template you can put to use right away. 

Key Components of Computer Inventory Management

Discovery and Identification

During this initial stage, each computer in your network is discovered and identified, either manually or through an automated tool. If you only have a handful of computers in your network, going the manual route may suffice. 

However, if you have a larger network with many remote workers, an automated tool is usually your best bet. Here you’ll find information like operating system, network configuration, IP address, user info, and installed software. 

Generating this information is a critical precursor to the subsequent steps in the IT asset management process. 

Inventory Database

Once all computers and equipment have been discovered and identified, the information is placed into an inventory database. 

This provides your team with a single resource for keeping track of the list mentioned earlier, such as computer purchase date, location, condition, and so on. 

Having an inventory database allows you to keep up with stock in real time and conveniently make changes as they unfold. An efficient inventory database should be user-friendly, with a fast, intuitive search feature that can be accessed by relevant team members. 

Tracking and Monitoring

This component ties into managing inventory in real time. With tracking and monitoring, updates are continuously made to your database to reflect changes to items. 

If, for example, a computer was originally in the possession of one employee but moves to a different employee, this component would be responsible for updating your database. 

That way, you’re always up-to-date on the current state of your computer inventory, and you can identify trends and patterns over time.

Asset Lifecycle Management

Every computer has a lifecycle that typically goes as follows: 

• Procurement
• Deployment
• Management
• Maintenance
• Retrieval
• Disposal

Asset lifecycle management is the component that focuses on managing a computer from the start of the lifecycle to the end. 

Some of the main purposes are to handle maintenance to prevent downtime and extend the lifespan of a computer, coordinate upgrades, track warranties, and streamline retrieval and disposal.

That way, you can get the most out of your assets and, hopefully, minimize the overall cost of ownership. 

Reporting and Analytics

Earlier, we mentioned that making data-driven decisions is a critical part of effectively managing computer inventory. Reporting and analytics are what provide the framework for generating this data.

By leveraging reporting and analytics, you can produce detailed insights into patterns and trends for an objective overview of:

• How much you spend on computers
• Underutilized computers and software
• Maintenance trends
• Compliance risks

Over time, this should help you fine-tune your computer inventory and guide important iterations to improve your bottom line. And if you’re scaling your business, this data can be instrumental in accommodating growth. 

Top Computer Inventory Management Software

Now that we know what computer inventory is and the key components involved, let’s look at some of today’s top software solutions and their features. 

allwhere

allwhere is an end-to-end IT management and logistics service that handles IT procurement services, deployment, management, and retrieval for a truly hands-off solution. 

In terms of computer inventory management, allwhere makes it easy to sync computers with your current IT inventory and monitor every piece of equipment. 

That way, you can see which employees have what computers, the location, when a computer is in storage, and more, all from a single dashboard for maximum visibility.  

allwhere is built for scalability and works for small companies, large enterprises, and everything in between. 

Asset Panda

This is a cloud-based asset management platform that’s designed to provide a comprehensive snapshot of your computers and any other assets while delivering a simple, uncluttered user experience. 

Here’s some of the specific info you can monitor with Asset Panda at a glance.

• Computer details (category, brand, weight, etc.)
• The current employee who has the computer
• Action history
• Notification history
• Changes
• Warranty info

You can also access photos and user manuals for convenient troubleshooting. And Asset Panda offers detailed reports for better understanding macro patterns and trends. 

FreshService

FreshService is an AI-powered IT management platform from Freshworks that allows you to manage the computer lifecycle from start to finish and keep close tabs on all of your assets through streamlined computer inventory. 

It’s built to unify the computer management process and offers a myriad of features, including:

• Workflow automation
• A centralized knowledge base
• A service catalog
• Project management
• Robust analytics

Note that Freshservice is primarily geared toward larger companies, but they do cater to smaller businesses as well. That said, if you are a small company just starting out, this probably isn’t the best solution. 

Spiceworks Inventory

The main selling point of Spiceworks Inventory is that it’s free. While it doesn’t have all of the bells and whistles of the other computer inventory management systems on this list, it’s sufficient for many small to mid-sized companies. 

With Spiceworks Inventory, you can:

• Manage your computers and other IT assets from one location
• Quickly discover computer information through scans
• Identify computer problems
• Track details like computer manufacturers, serial numbers, memory, storage, processor, and more
• Generate fairly in-depth reports 

The bottom line is that if you just need a basic solution and are budget-conscious, this is an excellent option. 

EZOfficeInventory

EZOfficeInventory is built to manage a wide variety of assets — both IT and non-IT assets. And while it doesn’t specifically focus on computers and devices, it’s still a viable solution for computer inventory. 

With EZOfficeInventory, you can “track every piece of equipment with ease using barcodes, QR codes, or RFID,” so you always know its location, who has it, its condition, and much more. 

This makes it a good solution for tracking computer custody, performing proactive maintenance, and gaining data-driven insights to extend the lifespan of your computers. 

In the company’s own words, its UVP is to “Drive smarter lifecycles, empower teams to be more productive, and maximize the impact of investments.” 

Effortlessly Manage Your Computer Inventory with allwhere

Again, there are several software solutions that can streamline computer inventory and provide a detailed asset overview. 

But if you’re looking for end-to-end asset tracking (especially if you have a largely remote workforce) and want maximum visibility from a single source, allwhere is one of the best options. 

It’s perfect for quickly getting computers into the hands of your team and allows you to effortlessly manage IT assets every step of the way. 

And besides simply managing computer inventory, allwhere can handle procurement, deployment, storage, and retrieval with just a few clicks. 

We offer global coverage and would love to help you simplify your computer inventory. Learn more and get started here.