Asset tag numbering: a scheme that lasts

How the number is built

A proven scheme has two parts: a prefix for the type of device and a sequence number of fixed length, separated by a hyphen. Four digits are enough for almost any company of up to 500 people. Leading zeros keep the numbers in the right order in every list.

NB    Notebook           NB-0417
PC    Desktop computer   PC-0112
MO    Monitor            MO-0233
DS    Docking station    DS-0088
PR    Printer            PR-0021
PJ    Projector          PJ-0112
PH    Desk phone         PH-0145
MB    Mobile phone       MB-0063
TB    Tablet             TB-0009
SV    Server             SV-0004
NW    Network device     NW-0031
ROOM  Room label         ROOM-ELBE

What to leave out

• Names. In two years, Jana’s laptop will be somebody else’s.
• Department or location. Devices move and departments get renamed.
• Manufacturer or model. That belongs in the inventory, and nobody reads it on a label.
• Meaning in the digits. “Everything above 0500 is the south office” works until the first exception.

Five rules

1. Never issue the same number twice, not even after a device is scrapped.
2. The number stays with the device, whoever has it.
3. Use the same scheme at every location.
4. Uppercase letters, digits and hyphens only. Avoid mixing up O and 0 in prefixes.
5. Record the serial number in the inventory as well, because labels come off.

What the label looks like

Put the asset tag on the label in large type, with a short description underneath and, ideally, a QR code that opens the report form for that device. Stick it where people will find it. On laptops, that means the underside next to the rating plate and, if there is room, inside beside the touchpad. On printers, put it next to the display. On projectors, put it on the remote control or the table.

Replace an old scheme gradually

If you already have numbers that no longer fit, do not change everything in one day. Issue new numbers from a set date, and give older devices their new number when IT has them in hand anyway: for a repair, a return or an issue. Note the old number in the inventory so that old handover forms can still be matched.

Don’t forget rooms

Many problems belong to a room, not a device: the projector in the meeting room, the Wi-Fi in the stockroom. Give rooms a stable name and, if you use QR labels, a label of their own on the door. Then IT knows immediately which projector “the projector isn’t working” refers to.

What belongs in the inventory

Asset tag           NB-0417
Type                Notebook
Manufacturer/model  [ ]
Serial number       [ ]
Purchase date       [DD/MM/YYYY]
Warranty ends       [DD/MM/YYYY]
Supplier/receipt    [ ]
Status              In stock / Issued / Repair / Retired
Assigned to         [name], since [date]
Location            [ ]
Handover form       [file]
Notes               [ ]

More fields do not make the inventory better, only less complete, because nobody maintains them. Start with these and add only what you actually look up.

Once a year: the stocktake

Once a year, check whether the inventory matches what is really there. Print a list of issued devices for each department and ask the managers to tick them off. Follow up anything that cannot be found, one item at a time. Count the stock in storage yourself. QR labels make this quicker, because a scan shows the device straight away.

Leased and personal devices

Leased devices get an asset tag like any other, plus the lease end date and contract number in the inventory. The lease end is an expiry date you want to be reminded of in good time. Personal devices used for work do not belong in the company’s inventory, but a list of who uses which devices to access company data does.

Retire devices without losing their history

When a device is retired, keep its entry with the status “Retired”, the date and proof that the data was erased. Do not reuse the number. That way you can still say years later what happened to a device.

An example: a company of 140 people

A company of 140 people at two sites typically has about as many laptops as people, plus monitors, docking stations, company mobiles, printers and a few servers and network devices. With four digits per prefix, the scheme is big enough for decades. The asset tags reveal nothing about the site. That is in the inventory and changes on a move without a new label.

Introduce the scheme, step by step

1. Decide the prefixes and write them down, one for each type of device you issue.
2. Transfer the existing list into an inventory, with serial numbers.
3. Issue new numbers from a set date and convert the old ones gradually.
4. Print labels for every device that is new or passes through IT’s hands anyway.
5. After a year: stocktake and reconciliation.

The first step is the most important. A scheme that has been written down survives a change of IT staff.

Easy to read out over the phone

You have to be able to read an asset tag aloud: “notebook 0417” works, a twelve-character serial number does not. So avoid letters that are easily confused and keep the prefix short. If employees can say the number over the phone, the scheme is good.

Let the inventory issue the next number

An inventory that knows the pattern issues the next number itself and prevents duplicates. In 404desk, you set the pattern freely, import your stock from CSV or Excel and print QR labels on A4 sheets with 3 × 8 positions. See IT asset management.