How to debug your equipment management

Keeping up with new technology is hard. That’s especially true for IT and equipment managers in the software or gaming industry. Not only do they have to stay informed about the latest gear that could give their company a competitive edge, they also need to know the whereabouts and condition of all their existing equipment. Luckily, there’s an app for that. It’s all about status

In any reasonably sized company, it would be impossible for a single person to keep track of the status of every piece of gear without some external help. And while you could, technically, make do with a monstrous Excel sheet, lots of back-and-forth communication, and the patience of a saint, there are less cumbersome alternatives available.

One possible approach would be a digital equipment management tool, used in combination with asset tags. Here’s how that would work:

1. First, you’ll put asset tags with a unique QR or barcode on every piece of equipment.
   
2. Then you’ll scan each asset and upload it into your equipment management tool’s inventory.
   
3. Every colleague with access to the tool can flag issues with a specific piece of equipment. For example: ‘rapid battery drain’, ‘makes a funny noise’, ‘overheats’, etc.
   
4. With this information, you can easily plan repairs or maintenance, or start looking for replacements.

Apart from ‘current condition’, the tool will also show you where the device is, who currently has it, when it’s due back or up for maintenance, etc. No spreadsheet in sight, just people living in the moment.

Power up

A digital equipment management tool is a close to a real-world superpower an equipment manager will likely get. But add in a couple of mobile features, and it becomes positively scary. With just a glance, you’ll be able to:

• Get an overview of one-off and recurring maintenance events
• Quickly identify and replace obsolete equipment
• Visualize and manage software licenses on each device
• Increase your gear’s lifespan with regular maintenance

We’re not sure a mere mortal should be allowed this much power. But hey, here we are, right? Go ahead, give it a spin, or learn more in our equipment management guide for the gaming and software industry.