Don’t lose your laptops!
                                                                 
Assetware’s asset management Process Review fixes problem highlighted by Whitehall

May 2008: “Not surprising - and totally avoidable.” That’s the response of Chloe Harlick, General Manager of asset management specialist Assetware (www.assetware-technology.com) to recent reports about lost and stolen laptops in government departments. Assetware has just announced a new asset management Process Review service (http://www.assetware-technology.com/asset-management-process.htm) which, it claims, will highlight inadequate asset tracking procedures, thus avoiding the kind of problems reported by Whitehall.

The Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR), recently reported a loss of 96 laptops since the beginning of 2001. The figures take the government tally for lost laptops to more than a thousand.  Research indicates similar lack of control in many organisations.  A 2003 study by Gartner finds that at least one third of organisations are in a ‘chaotic’ state, meaning that they do not know what they own, where the assets are located or who is using them.

“Reports from Whitehall about lost laptops highlight a real problem, and one that’s certainly not confined to government departments,” says Assetware’s Harlick. “Many organisations simply don’t know what assets they have, where they are, or when they’re moved – including when they’re taken off premises. This means they have no control over a lot of extremely valuable equipment. As well as the security issue, that also means inaccurate financial reporting, problems with auditing and corporate governance, and a complete lack of transparency. A very unsatisfactory situation for any organisation, whether government or private.”

Assetware’s Process Review is a rapid yet in-depth analysis, which explores which asset management procedures are running effectively and which need improvement. An open forum, followed by a series of workshops, pin-points gaps, errors and duplication in how information is gathered, transferred and acted upon.

For many organisations, this analysis alone is enough to clarify the changes which must be made to improve asset tracking. For others, Assetware’s expert consultants will make recommendations about changes – sometimes quite small - in systems and procedures, which will significantly improve control.

Comments Harlick “The solution to keeping track of assets is not just about software. It’s the procedures that have to be right, and that’s exactly what our Process Review focuses on.”

“Assetware’s asset management Process Review results in real bottom-line savings, and also makes auditors very happy!” she continues. “Perhaps we should thank Whitehall for highlighting an issue that’s so important for so many companies.”