Monday, March 29, 2010

Asset Tracking Software On Three Levels

So you are thinking about asset tracking software for you business. There are a lot of options with as many price ranges to consider. Every time you call a business for help, they want to sell you a system that costs more then your total infrastructure. Well here are the basics to understand when shopping for the right asset tracking system for your business.

There are a few things to take into consideration when thinking about asset tracking software.

* What tracking software makes the most sense for your business? A hosted solution that is based on your server and maintained by your IT department on the network or a stand alone software that is on one PC in the building.

* What is the total cost of ownership? Is the up front cost low only because there are a lot of hidden costs for upkeep and upgrade fees later?

* What is the main priority? Do you need a total solution to cover all your bases, or are you looking for a smaller, niche program to fit in with your overall ERP System?

* Is Customization and scalability important to your business plan? Do you want the solution to grow with your business needs in the future?

Once you have a baseline set with the answers to those questions, then you can look at a few of the solutions on the market. The solutions we have reviewed are the Redbeam Asset Tracking software solution, the Intellitrack Asset Tracking Software solution and then a custom package that is tailored for your ERP system and hard coded in.

Well, as you may know, the least expensive route to go is with the Redbeam asset tracking software. This package is a powerful stand along solution that is affordable and meets 90% of any asset tracking needs. The package is very limited in its ability to be customized, but it is based on an Sql Database and data can be dumped into text files for manipulation in MS Excel of other spreadsheet programs. Data can also be uploaded into the database on provided templates. The software comes in a standard addition and a mobile addition. The standard addition begins for a 1 user application at $495.00. This price allows the smallest business to automate their asset tracking with software that is dynamic and rich in features.

The Redbeam asset tracking software is a complete fixed asset database with the ability to use cabled barcode scanners attached to PC workstations. The software keeps asset records up to date and periodically allows users to take a physical inventory of assets. Data fields include barcode ID, location, department, maintenance, purchasing, warranty, lease, deprecation, information technology and 50 other user definable fields. The mobile addition works with the ability to collect data on scanner-enabled mobile computers.

Intellitrack also offers a complete asset tracking software solution. The Intellitrack product has many of the same features that the Redbeam software has, but the main difference is that it is completely scalable for your business. As business needs change, the software can grow with you. Intellitrack's tracking software can even be RFID enabled taking advantage of the latest in smart label technology. Of course this package has a higher ticket price. The base software starts at $1,800.00 with 1 batch devise license.

Finally the last option we recommend is either using the Intellitrack base and customizing that to meet the full needs of your company or go with a total custom solution where software developers with develop and integrate a tracking software solution to your exact needs. This can range from $20,000 on up depending on how open your current system is.

Using the Redbeam product can accommodate most of the tracking applications. Our recommendation is the try the free demo's by either of these 2 software developers and test them for yourself. We have many clients on both of these packages ranging from general offices tracking computers to police agencies tracking evidence in the evidence rooms. They are very satisfied and find no reason for a custom package to meet there asset tracking software needs.

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