1 Asset Inventory & Management

Basics

IT (Informational Technology) Asset Management includes processes, policies, and technologies used to identify, track, and manage hardware, software, and other digital assets. Asset management can help your school or district save money and ensure staff, students, and others who access your infrastructure do so in a way that is compliant with licensing agreements and local, state, and federal policies that may govern IT use.

To lear more, also explore the following sub-pages:

You should know the following terms:

  • Asset
  • Asset Management
  • Enterprise Asset Management (EAM)

An asset is any product or tool procured by the district or school that has financial value. IT products include software and physical products, such as Chromebooks, laptops, iPads, displays and monitors, digital whiteboards, and other digital devices.

In many schools and districts, an IT professional is charged with the task of managing various inventories, otherwise known as asset management, to assist those responsible for fiscal allocation (money management). You will need to know your school or district’s procedures for procuring assets and may be asked to help research or evaluate new assets so that you can find devices and software that will integrate well into your infrastructure at a reasonable cost. Because of limited funds available to public, private, and charter schools throughout Michigan, a strategic spending plan is essential. You must understand this plan and how it influences decision making in terms of procuring, deploying, and ultimately disposing of assets.

Procurement done with an EAM (Enterprise Asset Management) system allows for the integration of technology, curriculum, pedagogy, and support. “Enterprise asset management involves work management, asset maintenance, planning and scheduling, supply chain management, and environmental, health and safety (EHS) initiatives” (IBM).

Part of asset management includes ensuring that proper training and support is being provided for the assets that are purchased. For example, equipping teachers with Google-compatible devices while district IT professionals are well versed in Microsoft applications may provide a mismatch in support. Similarly, providing training to staff in the use of one-to-one devices while buildings are only equipped with technology labs may not be beneficial. Know your role in providing training and support for assets deployed by your system. Sometimes you may be asked to partner with other departments to help develop or even provide training for approved assets because of your knowledge of those devices or software.

Here are additional resources you may find useful:

Michigan Department of Education funding opportunities:

What is IT asset management?

Complete the following task or self-assessment:

Below is a list of challenges to managing school technology assets. What others have you or others in your department come across? You may need to ask others, but create a complete list of challenges pertinent to your own department. After reviewing the resources, brainstorm or research strategies you can employ to address each challenge on your list.

  • The number of assets, students, and staff;
  • The lack of personnel to maintain inventory;
  • The changing needs of staff and students;
  • Loss/Theft/Damage; and
  • Inconsistent funding.