1 00:00:00,050 --> 00:00:01,050 In this lesson, 2 00:00:01,050 --> 00:00:03,300 we're going to talk about asset management, 3 00:00:03,300 --> 00:00:06,660 including inventory lists, database systems, asset tags 4 00:00:06,660 --> 00:00:10,110 and IDs, procurement life cycles, warranty and licensing, 5 00:00:10,110 --> 00:00:11,910 and the assigned users. 6 00:00:11,910 --> 00:00:13,260 But first, let's talk about 7 00:00:13,260 --> 00:00:15,720 what asset management actually is. 8 00:00:15,720 --> 00:00:18,810 Asset management is a systematic approach to the governance 9 00:00:18,810 --> 00:00:21,360 and realization of value from things that a group 10 00:00:21,360 --> 00:00:25,620 or entity is responsible for over its entire lifecycle. 11 00:00:25,620 --> 00:00:27,210 Now, asset management can be applied 12 00:00:27,210 --> 00:00:30,570 to both tangible assets, things like buildings, equipment, 13 00:00:30,570 --> 00:00:33,930 computers, and servers, as well as to intangible assets, 14 00:00:33,930 --> 00:00:35,250 things like your human capital 15 00:00:35,250 --> 00:00:37,860 or human resources, your intellectual property, 16 00:00:37,860 --> 00:00:41,190 your goodwill, your reputation, and things like that. 17 00:00:41,190 --> 00:00:42,960 When you think about asset management, 18 00:00:42,960 --> 00:00:46,620 remember it's a systematic process of developing, operating, 19 00:00:46,620 --> 00:00:48,090 maintaining, upgrading, 20 00:00:48,090 --> 00:00:51,510 and disposing of assets in the most cost-effective manner, 21 00:00:51,510 --> 00:00:53,280 including all the costs, risk, 22 00:00:53,280 --> 00:00:56,580 and performing attributes associated with a given thing. 23 00:00:56,580 --> 00:00:59,670 In the IT world when we talk about an asset in general, 24 00:00:59,670 --> 00:01:02,490 we're usually referring to a workstation, a laptop, 25 00:01:02,490 --> 00:01:05,430 a desktop, a server, or something like that. 26 00:01:05,430 --> 00:01:07,890 But the term can be used very broadly, 27 00:01:07,890 --> 00:01:10,950 and I've seen people call things like printers, cell phones, 28 00:01:10,950 --> 00:01:13,350 tablets, mice, keyboards, 29 00:01:13,350 --> 00:01:17,610 and even IOT devices as assets in the company's inventory. 30 00:01:17,610 --> 00:01:20,010 So when you're looking at your assets, 31 00:01:20,010 --> 00:01:22,680 the first thing you need to do is have a complete inventory 32 00:01:22,680 --> 00:01:26,310 or list of all of the different assets in your organization. 33 00:01:26,310 --> 00:01:28,830 In a company of my size, it's pretty easy 34 00:01:28,830 --> 00:01:31,740 because we only have about 20 to 25 employees, 35 00:01:31,740 --> 00:01:35,130 which means we have about 100 to 200 assets. 36 00:01:35,130 --> 00:01:37,500 But in some of my previous organizations 37 00:01:37,500 --> 00:01:41,010 where we had over a million end users across six continents, 38 00:01:41,010 --> 00:01:44,520 that asset management becomes a nightmare if you're trying 39 00:01:44,520 --> 00:01:47,640 to do it with a simple spreadsheet or inventory list. 40 00:01:47,640 --> 00:01:50,790 For this reason, we often will use a database system 41 00:01:50,790 --> 00:01:53,100 to do our asset management for us. 42 00:01:53,100 --> 00:01:55,770 When you're using a database system, this will be a system 43 00:01:55,770 --> 00:01:56,910 that allows you to manage 44 00:01:56,910 --> 00:01:59,460 and configure all the details across all 45 00:01:59,460 --> 00:02:00,540 of your different devices 46 00:02:00,540 --> 00:02:04,470 or assets, including their type, model, serial number, 47 00:02:04,470 --> 00:02:07,680 asset ID, location, the users assigned to it, 48 00:02:07,680 --> 00:02:08,880 the value of that device, 49 00:02:08,880 --> 00:02:11,280 and any service information you have. 50 00:02:11,280 --> 00:02:14,220 All this can be a part of an inventory management suite 51 00:02:14,220 --> 00:02:16,470 or asset management suite of products that will be able 52 00:02:16,470 --> 00:02:19,470 to do this for you in a more automated method. 53 00:02:19,470 --> 00:02:22,590 For example, many of the configuration management systems 54 00:02:22,590 --> 00:02:24,000 and trouble ticket systems 55 00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:26,040 can integrate an asset management component 56 00:02:26,040 --> 00:02:27,330 into them as well. 57 00:02:27,330 --> 00:02:29,820 This will allow to go out, scan the network 58 00:02:29,820 --> 00:02:31,440 and find all the assets connected 59 00:02:31,440 --> 00:02:34,350 to that particular network, including things like desktops, 60 00:02:34,350 --> 00:02:38,700 laptops, smartphones, IOT devices, tablets, servers, 61 00:02:38,700 --> 00:02:40,830 and other devices that are all being connected back 62 00:02:40,830 --> 00:02:42,000 to this network. 63 00:02:42,000 --> 00:02:42,990 Now, this isn't going to be able 64 00:02:42,990 --> 00:02:44,580 to automatically find things like mice 65 00:02:44,580 --> 00:02:47,280 and keyboards for you, but it will be able to do a lot 66 00:02:47,280 --> 00:02:48,150 of the work for you, 67 00:02:48,150 --> 00:02:50,430 especially for those higher level assets. 68 00:02:50,430 --> 00:02:52,290 And so it is a great idea to use one 69 00:02:52,290 --> 00:02:53,970 of these database systems. 70 00:02:53,970 --> 00:02:56,220 In addition to having a complete database using one 71 00:02:56,220 --> 00:02:57,930 of these asset management systems, 72 00:02:57,930 --> 00:02:59,700 if you tie it into your ticketing system, 73 00:02:59,700 --> 00:03:02,250 it'll also allow that system to associate that user 74 00:03:02,250 --> 00:03:04,620 with the workstation that's having the issue. 75 00:03:04,620 --> 00:03:07,230 And you can see all the history on that workstation, 76 00:03:07,230 --> 00:03:09,480 such as has the hard drive ever been upgraded? 77 00:03:09,480 --> 00:03:10,860 Have you ever changed out the memory? 78 00:03:10,860 --> 00:03:12,480 Have you replaced a power supply? 79 00:03:12,480 --> 00:03:14,370 And all of those things can all be tracked 80 00:03:14,370 --> 00:03:18,000 to manage from within the asset management database system. 81 00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:19,260 Another thing you need to think about 82 00:03:19,260 --> 00:03:22,200 with asset management is how do you uniquely identify each 83 00:03:22,200 --> 00:03:24,120 and every workstation out there? 84 00:03:24,120 --> 00:03:26,430 For example, in my last organization 85 00:03:26,430 --> 00:03:28,320 where I had 15,000 end users, 86 00:03:28,320 --> 00:03:30,690 I had about 10,000 desktop computers that I had 87 00:03:30,690 --> 00:03:32,220 to manage for all of them. 88 00:03:32,220 --> 00:03:34,290 I needed a way to uniquely identify each 89 00:03:34,290 --> 00:03:36,330 and every one of those desktop computers. 90 00:03:36,330 --> 00:03:39,420 And that wasn't a really easy task just by looking at it 91 00:03:39,420 --> 00:03:41,160 because we used the exact same make 92 00:03:41,160 --> 00:03:43,890 and model for every single user across the network. 93 00:03:43,890 --> 00:03:46,080 So they were all using the exact model. 94 00:03:46,080 --> 00:03:48,150 Let's say it was a Dion 123, 95 00:03:48,150 --> 00:03:51,030 and they all looked exactly the same like a black tower. 96 00:03:51,030 --> 00:03:52,140 So how do I identify 97 00:03:52,140 --> 00:03:56,220 that this Dion 123 is actually the asset used by Jason, 98 00:03:56,220 --> 00:03:58,950 and the other one is the one being used by Susan? 99 00:03:58,950 --> 00:04:01,740 Well, most of the time you're going to identify each 100 00:04:01,740 --> 00:04:04,590 and every asset using a unique asset tag 101 00:04:04,590 --> 00:04:06,690 and a unique asset ID. 102 00:04:06,690 --> 00:04:09,090 An asset tag is going to be either a barcode 103 00:04:09,090 --> 00:04:11,940 or a radio frequency ID tag that's going to be assigned 104 00:04:11,940 --> 00:04:14,820 to that particular device and labeled onto it. 105 00:04:14,820 --> 00:04:17,279 This will allow you when you're doing your annual inventory 106 00:04:17,279 --> 00:04:19,079 to go around with a handheld scanner 107 00:04:19,079 --> 00:04:20,430 and be able to read those barcodes 108 00:04:20,430 --> 00:04:22,740 or be able to read those RFID tags 109 00:04:22,740 --> 00:04:25,530 and get information about that particular asset. 110 00:04:25,530 --> 00:04:28,470 Being able to have an asset tag with a unique ID for each 111 00:04:28,470 --> 00:04:31,470 and every asset across your inventory is critical 112 00:04:31,470 --> 00:04:33,150 to ensuring you have good governance 113 00:04:33,150 --> 00:04:35,790 of your assets throughout the organization. 114 00:04:35,790 --> 00:04:38,010 That way, even if somebody picks up a workstation 115 00:04:38,010 --> 00:04:39,900 and moves down the hall to a new office, 116 00:04:39,900 --> 00:04:42,210 the next time you do that scan, you're going to see 117 00:04:42,210 --> 00:04:45,120 where that asset is and its new location. 118 00:04:45,120 --> 00:04:47,130 In addition to this, you should also be doing 119 00:04:47,130 --> 00:04:49,140 good change management practices to ensure 120 00:04:49,140 --> 00:04:51,300 that anytime there is a move going on like that, 121 00:04:51,300 --> 00:04:52,500 you're notified about it 122 00:04:52,500 --> 00:04:54,750 so you can update that in the database instead 123 00:04:54,750 --> 00:04:56,370 of finding out about it after the fact 124 00:04:56,370 --> 00:04:58,230 when you're doing an annual inventory. 125 00:04:58,230 --> 00:05:00,930 But again, not everybody's going to notify you 100% 126 00:05:00,930 --> 00:05:02,880 of the time, and that's why it's still a good idea 127 00:05:02,880 --> 00:05:05,040 to do annual inventories and inspections 128 00:05:05,040 --> 00:05:07,560 to verify the assets are where you think they should be 129 00:05:07,560 --> 00:05:09,600 and they're actually sitting in the right locations 130 00:05:09,600 --> 00:05:12,240 because you can tag them and then check those tags 131 00:05:12,240 --> 00:05:14,850 and IDs across all of your devices. 132 00:05:14,850 --> 00:05:16,770 In addition to that, it's also important 133 00:05:16,770 --> 00:05:18,570 to think about your procurement lifecycle 134 00:05:18,570 --> 00:05:20,250 when it comes to an asset. 135 00:05:20,250 --> 00:05:22,230 Now, when I talk about the procurement lifecycle, 136 00:05:22,230 --> 00:05:25,590 I'm talking about birth to death of a particular asset. 137 00:05:25,590 --> 00:05:29,040 So if I want to get a new laptop that is the birth, when I go 138 00:05:29,040 --> 00:05:30,960 and procure that and buy that asset 139 00:05:30,960 --> 00:05:32,730 and bring it into my system. 140 00:05:32,730 --> 00:05:35,400 The first thing I should do when I buy a new asset is I need 141 00:05:35,400 --> 00:05:36,840 to assign it in the database 142 00:05:36,840 --> 00:05:38,640 with a unique identification number 143 00:05:38,640 --> 00:05:40,710 and then I need to tag that device. 144 00:05:40,710 --> 00:05:44,190 This way, that device can be tracked across the organization 145 00:05:44,190 --> 00:05:47,160 anytime it's moved, changed, or upgraded. 146 00:05:47,160 --> 00:05:48,750 By doing this, you can make sure 147 00:05:48,750 --> 00:05:51,270 that you have begun the asset procurement lifecycle 148 00:05:51,270 --> 00:05:52,620 and track it all the way through 149 00:05:52,620 --> 00:05:54,840 until the end of its useful life. 150 00:05:54,840 --> 00:05:57,900 Now, as part of a good asset management procurement, 151 00:05:57,900 --> 00:06:00,240 you can't just go out and buy a device off the shelf 152 00:06:00,240 --> 00:06:01,770 and hook it up to the network. 153 00:06:01,770 --> 00:06:03,180 Instead, you always need 154 00:06:03,180 --> 00:06:05,580 to use the proper change management procedures. 155 00:06:05,580 --> 00:06:07,530 By going through the right change procedures, 156 00:06:07,530 --> 00:06:10,800 you can request to be able to buy a new or upgraded asset 157 00:06:10,800 --> 00:06:13,650 and then be able to put that onto the network. 158 00:06:13,650 --> 00:06:16,410 When you put in that change request, it's going to be assessed 159 00:06:16,410 --> 00:06:19,680 to verify any impacts to the business operations, networks 160 00:06:19,680 --> 00:06:22,320 and other devices that already exist in the network. 161 00:06:22,320 --> 00:06:24,180 Once the change procedures have been approved, 162 00:06:24,180 --> 00:06:25,380 you move into the next phase 163 00:06:25,380 --> 00:06:27,540 of the lifecycle, which is procurement. 164 00:06:27,540 --> 00:06:30,120 Procurement involves determining a budget for the item 165 00:06:30,120 --> 00:06:31,530 and then identifying a supplier 166 00:06:31,530 --> 00:06:34,530 or vendor who you can buy that asset from. 167 00:06:34,530 --> 00:06:35,790 Once you buy that asset 168 00:06:35,790 --> 00:06:37,740 and you bring it to work, you now move into 169 00:06:37,740 --> 00:06:39,180 the deployment phase. 170 00:06:39,180 --> 00:06:41,700 During deployment, you're going to implement a procedure 171 00:06:41,700 --> 00:06:44,460 for installing that asset in a secure configuration 172 00:06:44,460 --> 00:06:46,650 with a secure baseline on the network. 173 00:06:46,650 --> 00:06:48,660 I can't just go to the store and grab a laptop 174 00:06:48,660 --> 00:06:50,070 and then hook it up to my network 175 00:06:50,070 --> 00:06:51,660 because that would introduce a ton 176 00:06:51,660 --> 00:06:53,520 of vulnerabilities to our network. 177 00:06:53,520 --> 00:06:55,950 So whenever I buy a new device, it needs 178 00:06:55,950 --> 00:06:57,390 to go into the IT department. 179 00:06:57,390 --> 00:06:59,010 They need to make sure it is secure, 180 00:06:59,010 --> 00:07:00,420 that we have a good lockdown 181 00:07:00,420 --> 00:07:01,980 and hardened configuration on it, 182 00:07:01,980 --> 00:07:04,710 and then we can deploy that onto the network. 183 00:07:04,710 --> 00:07:06,030 Once it's been deployed, 184 00:07:06,030 --> 00:07:09,210 we then move into maintenance mode, maintenance mode, 185 00:07:09,210 --> 00:07:10,740 also known as operations 186 00:07:10,740 --> 00:07:12,570 will implement the procedures for monitoring 187 00:07:12,570 --> 00:07:15,120 and supporting the use of that given asset. 188 00:07:15,120 --> 00:07:17,280 And then finally, we get to disposal. 189 00:07:17,280 --> 00:07:19,380 Disposal is where we're going to implement a procedure 190 00:07:19,380 --> 00:07:22,170 for sanitizing any data remnants on that device 191 00:07:22,170 --> 00:07:24,690 and be able to make sure that device can then be reused, 192 00:07:24,690 --> 00:07:26,730 sold, donated, recycled, 193 00:07:26,730 --> 00:07:29,370 or destroyed if we no longer need it. 194 00:07:29,370 --> 00:07:31,890 So in the real world, what does this look like? 195 00:07:31,890 --> 00:07:33,120 Well, let's say I wanted 196 00:07:33,120 --> 00:07:35,850 to buy 20 new computers from my organization. 197 00:07:35,850 --> 00:07:38,130 I'm first going to go through our change procedure process 198 00:07:38,130 --> 00:07:40,470 and say, this is the model we're thinking about. 199 00:07:40,470 --> 00:07:43,170 This is what we want to buy, will you approve it? 200 00:07:43,170 --> 00:07:45,390 Once our IT security team looks at it 201 00:07:45,390 --> 00:07:47,070 and approves it, we would then go 202 00:07:47,070 --> 00:07:49,320 and get the budget from the executive suite 203 00:07:49,320 --> 00:07:51,240 and they would then identify a trusted supplier 204 00:07:51,240 --> 00:07:53,100 and allow us to make that purchase. 205 00:07:53,100 --> 00:07:55,770 Once those 20 new computers arrive, we're going to give them 206 00:07:55,770 --> 00:07:58,050 to the IT administrators who are going to go through 207 00:07:58,050 --> 00:08:00,660 and install the right operating system, configurations 208 00:08:00,660 --> 00:08:03,150 and applications for our organization. 209 00:08:03,150 --> 00:08:04,140 They will then put those out 210 00:08:04,140 --> 00:08:06,240 and deploy them onto all of our desks. 211 00:08:06,240 --> 00:08:08,340 And then we are now in maintenance mode. 212 00:08:08,340 --> 00:08:11,220 At this point, our IT folks are going to be responsible 213 00:08:11,220 --> 00:08:13,200 for implementing procedures to monitor 214 00:08:13,200 --> 00:08:16,320 and support those assets during their useful lifecycle. 215 00:08:16,320 --> 00:08:19,200 Normally, this will be anywhere from two to five years, 216 00:08:19,200 --> 00:08:21,060 depending on your organization. 217 00:08:21,060 --> 00:08:22,200 At the end of that time, 218 00:08:22,200 --> 00:08:24,900 those computers are no longer useful, they're too old, 219 00:08:24,900 --> 00:08:27,570 they're too slow, they're too vulnerable, whatever it is, 220 00:08:27,570 --> 00:08:28,920 we're going to then replace them 221 00:08:28,920 --> 00:08:30,780 by implementing a new change procedure 222 00:08:30,780 --> 00:08:31,980 to bring in a new asset, 223 00:08:31,980 --> 00:08:34,169 and then we'll take the old assets away 224 00:08:34,169 --> 00:08:36,630 and we will then destroy those assets either 225 00:08:36,630 --> 00:08:39,539 by using electronic sanitization of the data so we can reuse 226 00:08:39,539 --> 00:08:41,909 or resell those hard drives and assets, 227 00:08:41,909 --> 00:08:43,470 or we'll remove those hard drives 228 00:08:43,470 --> 00:08:44,700 and physically destroy them, 229 00:08:44,700 --> 00:08:46,830 and then sell the remaining pieces of hardware 230 00:08:46,830 --> 00:08:48,660 or give them to some other kind of organization 231 00:08:48,660 --> 00:08:50,280 that might be able to use them. 232 00:08:50,280 --> 00:08:51,420 And that's the way we work through 233 00:08:51,420 --> 00:08:53,190 our asset procurement lifecycle. 234 00:08:53,190 --> 00:08:55,830 From change approval to procurement, to deployment, 235 00:08:55,830 --> 00:08:57,960 to maintenance to disposal. 236 00:08:57,960 --> 00:09:01,350 Next, we need to talk about warranty and licensing. 237 00:09:01,350 --> 00:09:03,030 Every asset you buy is going to come 238 00:09:03,030 --> 00:09:04,680 with some kind of warranty. 239 00:09:04,680 --> 00:09:07,260 Some are very short and some are very long. 240 00:09:07,260 --> 00:09:09,870 For example, if you buy a new Apple computer, 241 00:09:09,870 --> 00:09:12,570 they usually come with a 90 day warranty. 242 00:09:12,570 --> 00:09:15,510 After 90 days, it's up to you to solve any problems 243 00:09:15,510 --> 00:09:16,830 that happen with that device 244 00:09:16,830 --> 00:09:19,110 unless you bought an extended warranty. 245 00:09:19,110 --> 00:09:20,760 If you bought an extended warranty, 246 00:09:20,760 --> 00:09:22,440 that should also be notated inside 247 00:09:22,440 --> 00:09:24,150 of your asset management database. 248 00:09:24,150 --> 00:09:26,610 And that way inside the asset management database, 249 00:09:26,610 --> 00:09:29,700 you could look at each asset record based on the asset ID 250 00:09:29,700 --> 00:09:32,550 or asset tag and identify is it under warranty 251 00:09:32,550 --> 00:09:34,650 and how much warranty is left. 252 00:09:34,650 --> 00:09:36,450 In addition to having the proper warranty 253 00:09:36,450 --> 00:09:38,790 and support contracts in place, you also need 254 00:09:38,790 --> 00:09:41,280 to make sure you have the right licensing in place. 255 00:09:41,280 --> 00:09:44,070 Most pieces of software are going to be commercially procured 256 00:09:44,070 --> 00:09:45,810 pieces of software, and they require you 257 00:09:45,810 --> 00:09:47,940 to have a license in order to use them. 258 00:09:47,940 --> 00:09:50,130 So for example, on my system, 259 00:09:50,130 --> 00:09:52,410 I use programs like Microsoft Office, 260 00:09:52,410 --> 00:09:54,960 and so I have a license associated with this asset 261 00:09:54,960 --> 00:09:58,020 that allows me to install Microsoft Office on this computer. 262 00:09:58,020 --> 00:10:00,540 That doesn't mean I can install it on all 20 new machines 263 00:10:00,540 --> 00:10:03,330 I just bought 'cause I only purchased one license. 264 00:10:03,330 --> 00:10:05,580 So you have to keep track of your licensing 265 00:10:05,580 --> 00:10:07,470 and make sure that all of your licenses are valid 266 00:10:07,470 --> 00:10:09,240 across all of your devices. 267 00:10:09,240 --> 00:10:10,350 Now, the other important thing here 268 00:10:10,350 --> 00:10:13,800 is to determine which assets need which pieces of software, 269 00:10:13,800 --> 00:10:15,480 and therefore you can buy licenses 270 00:10:15,480 --> 00:10:18,300 just for the software you need for those devices. 271 00:10:18,300 --> 00:10:20,670 A good example of that is in my organization, 272 00:10:20,670 --> 00:10:22,650 part of my team are video editors 273 00:10:22,650 --> 00:10:23,940 and the video editors need 274 00:10:23,940 --> 00:10:26,730 to use a very expensive video editing software. 275 00:10:26,730 --> 00:10:29,160 I don't need that for every employee in my organization, 276 00:10:29,160 --> 00:10:31,320 but I do need it for the three to five people 277 00:10:31,320 --> 00:10:33,480 that work in the video production department. 278 00:10:33,480 --> 00:10:35,700 And so for those folks, we pay for that software, 279 00:10:35,700 --> 00:10:38,580 we license it, and we install it on their computers. 280 00:10:38,580 --> 00:10:41,640 Alternatively, my web development team has other software 281 00:10:41,640 --> 00:10:43,920 that only they use, and so we purchase licenses 282 00:10:43,920 --> 00:10:46,170 and we track those in our asset management database 283 00:10:46,170 --> 00:10:47,600 for their particular systems 284 00:10:47,600 --> 00:10:49,020 to make sure they have the software 285 00:10:49,020 --> 00:10:51,720 and licensing they need on those systems. 286 00:10:51,720 --> 00:10:53,550 The final thing we need to talk about when it comes 287 00:10:53,550 --> 00:10:54,720 to asset management 288 00:10:54,720 --> 00:10:56,640 is how you're going to make sure you identify 289 00:10:56,640 --> 00:10:59,250 which user is assigned to which asset. 290 00:10:59,250 --> 00:11:01,890 Now, every organization does this a little bit differently 291 00:11:01,890 --> 00:11:04,320 depending on the way your organization is set up. 292 00:11:04,320 --> 00:11:06,450 For example, in one of the large organizations 293 00:11:06,450 --> 00:11:07,530 I used to work in, 294 00:11:07,530 --> 00:11:10,590 each user was actually assigned four different devices 295 00:11:10,590 --> 00:11:12,810 when they got hired and started working there. 296 00:11:12,810 --> 00:11:15,390 The first one was an unclassified computer, 297 00:11:15,390 --> 00:11:17,400 the second was a classified computer. 298 00:11:17,400 --> 00:11:19,560 The third was a top secret computer, 299 00:11:19,560 --> 00:11:21,720 and the fourth was their phone line. 300 00:11:21,720 --> 00:11:24,390 Each of those things were assigned directly to that user. 301 00:11:24,390 --> 00:11:27,096 And inside of our asset management database, 302 00:11:27,096 --> 00:11:28,320 you could see exactly which user was assigned 303 00:11:28,320 --> 00:11:30,510 to which device at which location. 304 00:11:30,510 --> 00:11:31,650 Anytime you move desks 305 00:11:31,650 --> 00:11:34,650 or move offices, you'd have to turn that equipment back in, 306 00:11:34,650 --> 00:11:37,350 and then you get assigned new equipment at your new office. 307 00:11:37,350 --> 00:11:40,230 And this way they could track exactly which hardware assets 308 00:11:40,230 --> 00:11:42,210 were assigned to which users. 309 00:11:42,210 --> 00:11:44,700 But most of the time in commercial organizations, 310 00:11:44,700 --> 00:11:46,980 I only see people assigning hardware assets 311 00:11:46,980 --> 00:11:48,600 to users when it comes to things 312 00:11:48,600 --> 00:11:50,909 that are going to go home with them. 313 00:11:50,909 --> 00:11:53,100 Things like laptops, tablets, and mobile phones. 314 00:11:53,100 --> 00:11:55,410 When it comes to their desktop computer in their office, 315 00:11:55,410 --> 00:11:58,080 generally they're not going to assign that to a specific user, 316 00:11:58,080 --> 00:12:00,483 and instead they'll assign it to the office 317 00:12:00,483 --> 00:12:01,316 or the desk itself. 318 00:12:01,316 --> 00:12:04,445 But again, this is something that is going to vary depending on 319 00:12:04,445 --> 00:12:06,300 where you work and how your organization is built. 320 00:12:06,300 --> 00:12:08,550 If you're working at a large call center, for example, 321 00:12:08,550 --> 00:12:11,160 the workstation on your desk, may be a shared use asset 322 00:12:11,160 --> 00:12:13,860 because you're running 24 hour operations 323 00:12:13,860 --> 00:12:15,608 and you're only sitting at that particular desk 324 00:12:15,608 --> 00:12:17,850 and that workstation eight hours a day, five days a week. 325 00:12:17,850 --> 00:12:20,010 And so there may be five other people who are sharing 326 00:12:20,010 --> 00:12:22,350 that same computer depending on their work schedule 327 00:12:22,350 --> 00:12:24,840 and the time of day or day of the week 328 00:12:24,840 --> 00:12:25,673 that they're working and using it. 329 00:12:25,673 --> 00:12:27,270 So it's important to keep this in mind as well 330 00:12:27,270 --> 00:12:29,928 as you think about who is being assigned, 331 00:12:29,928 --> 00:12:31,830 which devices in terms of your asset management. 332 00:12:31,830 --> 00:12:33,900 And all of this should be documented back 333 00:12:33,900 --> 00:12:35,790 into your asset management database 334 00:12:35,790 --> 00:12:37,260 by using those asset tags 335 00:12:37,260 --> 00:12:40,770 and asset IDs for each individual workstation, computer, 336 00:12:40,770 --> 00:12:43,470 smartphone, tablet, switch, router, 337 00:12:43,470 --> 00:12:46,370 or other device that's being tracked in your organization.