Computer Asset Tags – Good, Bad and Ugly!

Nearly 2,700 tax files were downloaded on a missing laptop in Canada.  A Canadian revenue worker took it home and let a friend download them on a laptop. A lot of confidential information got lost from the missing laptop. Are you willing to take the risk?

Statistics shows that as many as one in 10 laptops is stolen or lost from an organization over the lifetime of each computer and 89% of companies experience laptop loss. It takes average 9 days to get fully operational after laptop loss. Certainly, no one wants to suffer financial losses including time down and management time. An asset tag is the answer to these losses.

Whether you have a brand new computer or a laptop, it is vital to maintain and preserve your property. Some people are aware of the insurance policy to safeguard valuables but that is also of no use till your belongings are protected by security labels and asset tags. These adhesive asset labels are tagged to your laptop and computers with a sequential number which are not possible to be removed. But are these asset tags actually effective? Pros and cons of computer asset tags will clarify further.

The pros:

• Asset tags help in maintaining stock and entering data into database. They have barcode and sequential serial number system which is recorded easily. Computer asset tags can be monitored and data can be maintained for it.
• Expensive equipment like laptops and computers are prone to thefts but a small permanent asset tag can help you protect your valuables. Removing the asset tags leaves a nasty mark on the equipment and makes the item difficult to resell.
• Tracking of items with the help of barcode and asset tags becomes simple and fast. Identification of your expensive valuables like laptops and computers is easier and if they are stolen, the unique serial number helps the police to make out your property.
• Afraid that asset tags may ruin the look of your gadgets. But asset tags are small enough to hardly get unnoticed. Asset tags look professional and are perfect for computers and laptops. They are useful in terms of application on printers, scanners, furniture, air conditioner, telephones and many more.

The cons:

• While one has the option of customizing asset tags, but the manufacturer tags are still attached to the product. Asset tags are unique to assets from a particular vendor; it can create confusion if one starts buying equipment from another vendor or company.
• Once an asset tag is applied, it is extremely hard to remove it. Asset tags are made of tamper proof materials and they leave a malicious mark when they are removed.
• When applying asset tags, one such make sure that they are stick to a reachable place. Failing to do make it hard to scan the asset tags.
• Asset tags can make it hard to resell your property particularly in case you have used a customized asset tag. Possibly customers are unwilling to buy a product with a customized asset tag.

Asset tags and labels are an easy way of recording and identifying their valuable equipment. Asset tags are assigned to both movable and immovable property for identification, inventory management. The main benefit is long term cost reduction that tracks and monitors assets over time. Effective fixed asset identification by asset tags helps in maximizing the return on capital invested, increase competency of asset administration, reduces insurance premiums by classifying assets and improves the accuracy of tax reporting.

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