What is asset management#

Asset management is the process of tracking and maintaining your assets throughout their lifecycle. This includes your school’s information, physical and digital items.

Keeping track of these assets helps your school:

• track and monitor assets
• easily make insurance claims after a fire or incident
• comply with relevant legal and policy frameworks
• identify when assets need updating, changes or replacing
• support you in risk identifying and in risk management
• make informed decisions and efficient use of your school resources
• budget and plan for purchases and upgrades.

For more information on the asset lifecycle refer to the following guidance.

Identifying your school assets#

The first step to begin managing your assets requires you to first identify them.

There are 3 types of information technology assets.

Physical assets can be known as hardware. These can be:

• laptops and desktops
• printers
• tablets and mobile devices.

Digital assets can be known as software. This can be:

• student information systems used to track student records, results and attendance
• security software such as Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
• communication tools such as Microsoft Teams or Zoom.

Information assets can include:

• databases holding student and staff records
• assessment data such as student reports and test scores
• digital documents such as presentations and reports.

Creating an asset register#

Creating an asset register is the best way to track your assets. This can be done in a spreadsheet. When creating your asset register, include the following information for each type of asset.

Software assets#

Include:

• supplier and name of the software
• purpose and license type
• identify whether it is cloud software or installed on your device
• purchase and expiry dates
• software version (if applicable)
• assigned user(s) and department(s)
• what type of information is stored in it, for example, personal information.

Hardware assets#

Include:

• device ID and type
• manufacturer
• device model and serial number
• purchase date
• warranty expiry date
• assigned user(s) or department(s)
• location of where the device is kept
• sensitive information status.

Information assets#

Include:

• name of the information, for example, student records or staff payroll
• description of the information
• classification of the information, such as whether it is personal information or public
• who is responsible for maintaining the information
• location of the information, for example, Google Drive or your school’s server.

We have created a template you can use to develop your own asset register.

Asset register template – Google Sheets

Asset registers are most useful when they’re up to date and all changes to assets are added. Keep your register simple so you can easily update it.

Additional steps for managing assets#

In addition to creating an asset register to maintain and manage your school assets, we recommend:

• delegating roles and responsibilities to help manage your asset register(s)
• reviewing and updating your asset registers at least once a year to maintain its relevance
• implementing a mobile device management to manage mobile devices securely and efficiently.

Implementing MDM<insert link to AM2 – Implementing MDM>

Roles and responsibilities