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The IT data center of a large enterprise usually has thousands of IT assets. For the data center, tracking and managing these mobile assets is an arduous task outside of daily work. In order to carry out routine maintenance, repairs and upgrades, in addition to routinely moving servers, hard disks and external media from the data center, and transporting backup tapes from the tape library, the company provides laptops and mobile data for employees. End-user devices such as terminals are also often used alternately indoors or outdoors. Equally important, asset tracking is a mandatory task, and government regulators require companies to track their IT assets in order to comply with tax regulations and regulations that protect customers’ private data.
Many problems exposed by traditional IT asset management methods
Many companies’ IT departments are still using manual methods to implement inventory tracking. The use of labor-intensive and error-prone manual procedures to inventory and track IT assets is tantamount to a waste of high-level skilled personnel in the enterprise. In this process, IT personnel need to manually process each asset, use paper and pen to record asset information from serial numbers to configuration specifications, and then manually summarize this information into a data table. Whether it’s handwriting information first and then inputting it into a computer, or inputting it directly into a laptop or mobile data terminal, it will greatly increase the chance of error. Attaching barcode labels to IT assets can greatly improve the accuracy of information collection of serial numbers and other identification data. However, the main drawback of barcode technology is that it requires no obstacles between the scanner and the barcode labels on the assets. IT staff not only need to manually find the asset, but also need to find the barcode label on the asset. If the location of the barcode is difficult to reach, such as on the back of a rack server, it will cause new work difficulties. Therefore, the efficiency of the use of barcodes is greatly reduced, regardless of whether barcode scanning is used or not, it will consume a lot of manpower, time and financial resources, which causes companies to rarely carry out inventory counting.
Although companies can comply with tax regulations through quarterly audits or even an annual audit, their compliance with current safety regulations is quite complicated. The enterprise must provide a complete audit trail of the usage status of each asset, including the customer’s personal information recorded during the entire life cycle of the asset from being put into use to being scrapped. Companies usually use paper or barcode tracking systems at major import and export locations to meet tracking needs. However, in addition to creating “bottleneck barriers”, this tracking method can also produce incredible data errors. The lack of real-time visual management prevents companies from discovering lost assets in time, increasing the risk of data theft, which may lead to high fines and severely damage brand value, which is a major responsibility that consumer product companies need to bear.
In order to solve the security problem, some companies have installed surveillance cameras in IT data centers. Cameras may help find people who have moved assets, but they cannot prevent unauthorized movement or theft of IT assets and customer personal data stored in assets. In 2008, a survey report conducted by the Verizon Business Risk Group on the phenomenon of data theft showed that theft was the most common means of data breach, reaching 39% of the 500 data theft cases investigated by the team in the past four years.
Tax regulations require accurate statistics and depreciation management of all commercial assets. In order to comply with these laws, companies need to conduct an accurate inventory of all business assets. Therefore, IT assets must also be counted on a regular basis, but due to the large number and high mobility of these assets, counting is never easy.
In addition, a large number of industry standards and regulations require companies to protect customers’ private data. For example, the Payment Card Industry (PCI) has established security standards for companies that store customer credit card data. The Financial Services Modernization Act (Gramm-leach-BlileyAct) requires financial institutions to protect non-public consumer information. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) sets security standards for health-related data. All of these require companies to explain the usage status of each IT asset containing personal data in servers, hard drives, desktops, and backup disks.
RFID realizes fully automatic error-proof IT asset tracking
From the beginning of the use of assets to the end of life, RFID technology can track IT assets in real time and solve the problems that plague enterprises. Moreover, RFID is different from barcode scanning. This technology does not require barrier-free viewing distance, can read multiple tags at the same time, and does not require human intervention.
IT assets, including backup tapes, are moved in and out of the IT data center every day. RFID technology can track servers, hard drives, media tapes and other IT assets in real time, without human intervention, and can quickly find the location of lost tapes.
After IT assets are affixed with RFID tags, all the information in the RFID tags within the reading range can be automatically collected by the RFID reader. High-accuracy real-time visualized management of IT assets replaces error-prone handwritten procedures (including complete audit trails), ensuring that companies can comply with government and industry regulations, and can proactively protect companies and their customers to avoid loss of customer personal data and knowledge Property rights suffer destructive effects. The combination of such information and employee identity information can greatly improve accountability and security, and play a huge deterrent effect on theft. By tracking the RFID employee card, the Motorola RFID reader at the security checkpoint can automatically obtain the asset being moved and the information of the employee who moved the asset.
Application of Motorola RFID solutions in the field of IT asset management
Cost-effective real-time tracking
Install Motorola RFID fixed readers at the import and export of various factories, such as Motorola XR series readers, IT assets with RFID tags can be automatically tracked, including from the moment they are received at the wharf until they are transported through the factory to the data center , Go to the laboratory for repairs or regular maintenance, or transport to the warehouse to move to other factories, etc. In addition, when employees enter and exit the workplace, the mobile devices they carry can also be tracked, including laptops, handheld data terminals, portable printers and other devices.
Granular tracking data can be automatically filtered and analyzed to identify any potential security issues and prevent security vulnerabilities. For example, when a server is transported to the laboratory for routine maintenance, if the equipment does not arrive in the laboratory within the specified time, the relevant personnel will be alerted. Supervisors can find out when and by whom the server was moved, and immediately begin to locate it accurately. Whether the server is unintentionally placed in the corridor, or individual employees are waiting for an opportunity to steal the data on the server or even the server itself, enterprises have the real-time visualization capabilities required to improve the security of IT assets, greatly reducing the risk of asset loss or data theft.
Cost-effective inventory
Compared with manual inventory procedures, RFID technology can achieve rapid asset inventory in the shortest time and with the highest accuracy. The process of asset inventory has become easier to perform and more cost-effective, allowing companies to conduct routine inventory. Nowadays, IT personnel only need to push a cart equipped with a mobile reader (such as Motorola RD5000) through the corridor of the data center to automatically obtain the information in the RFID tag on each asset. Because RFID technology does not require barrier-free viewing distance, employees no longer need to climb ladders to audit servers and other inventory placed on top of racks and storage cabinets. The situation of manually counting each asset or collecting asset data is completely gone. Thanks to the automation function of Motorola’s RFID solution, inventory information is basically error-free. Only one person can perform a complete and accurate inventory of a huge data center covering thousands of square feet in a few hours. In the past, this usually took several weeks.
Since there is no need to pay a dozen or more employees several weeks of salary, the only cost is a few hours for an employee, and the cost of inventory counting is reduced to zero. And companies can conduct quarterly, monthly or weekly inventory at the most favorable time. Accurate and timely inventory data provide companies with IT asset records and depreciation information required for tax refunds, which can maximize tax savings, avoid overpayment of taxes due to negligence, and ensure compliance with corporate financial reporting regulations. Frequent inventory can also enhance visibility and improve IT asset utilization. For example, before buying a new server or hard drive, a quick scan of recent inventory reports may reveal that unused equipment is available for use.
Real-time search
In addition to inventory and real-time tracking, Motorola RFID solutions can quickly locate specific assets. For example, an audit trail of a particular backup tape may show that the tape is placed in the tape library and not on the original shelf. A server may need to be reconfigured or an operating system upgraded, or a tape drive may have expired and must be destroyed. In the absence of RFID, routine location of these assets is very time-consuming, usually several hours or even days. But using RFID handheld readers, such as Motorola MC9090-GRFID or Motorola RD5000 portable readers, even in the largest media library, you can find the lost tape within a few minutes, and you can quickly identify a specific Server or hard disk positioning saves effort and money.
Real-time document tracking
Although the maintenance records of IT assets are kept electronically, many assets such as servers and hard drives also have related paper documents, including maintenance history, user manuals, warranty cards and other information. These files must be saved with the device, and no more than the same room. Compliance requires that these documents can be tracked in real time. By attaching RFID tags to relevant paper documents, companies can not only find the location of IT assets in real time, but also locate relevant documents. This shortens the time required for employees to find documents, allowing them to devote their energy to more important business tasks.
Motorola RFID solutions bring high return on investment
The biggest advantage of Motorola’s RFID solution is to bring high return on investment for enterprises. Therefore, the deployment of Motorola’s RFID solution for IT asset management has become the best choice for enterprises, which is reflected in the following aspects:
Improve the efficiency of IT staff. With automated IT asset management, IT personnel do not need to spend time on asset inventory and tracking of specific assets that are missing, misplaced, or need to be maintained, repaired, or destroyed. Some users’ feedback is that their time on asset tracking has been reduced by 95%. Now, IT personnel hired by companies with high salaries can focus on more important business, increase the utilization rate of employees, and enable technology plans that can improve the healthy development of the overall business to be launched.
Whether the hard drive needs regular maintenance or is about to be scrapped, IT staff can quickly determine the location of the hard drive using a handheld RFID reader.
Comply with government and industry regulations in a cost-effective manner. Compliance is a mandatory task. If RFID technology is not used, compliance will cost high costs and affect the efficiency of the enterprise. Motorola’s RFID solution can help companies comply with management regulations related to IT asset tracking without consuming human resources and ensure their profitability.
Reduce equipment asset costs and improve IT asset utilization. Motorola’s RFID solution can provide real-time visualization of IT assets, avoiding the loss of rental equipment and the need to repurchase lost equipment. Since assets are all visualized, companies do not have to purchase redundant equipment. For example, since regular frequent inventory has become cost-effective, the IT department can discover any new servers that have not yet been put into use, or use the available space of the servers that are being used to install new applications, meet the needs of expanded data storage, and avoid equipment duplication. Purchase or purchase of unnecessary equipment has increased the utilization rate of existing IT assets.
reduce risk. Motorola’s RFID solution can ensure that only authorized personnel can access and move IT assets. When pre-defined limits or rules are violated, RFID with specific software can take proactive measures to issue real-time alarms. In addition, the ability of Motorola’s RFID solution to track laptop computers, handheld mobile terminals and other devices when employees enter and exit the workplace improves accountability and makes employees more cherish the company’s IT assets.
Ensure the efficiency and healthy development of the enterprise. Data leakage will result in huge economic losses in the form of fines, as well as losses in brand effectiveness and customer confidence. By improving the security of corporate IT assets and the information it contains, Motorola’s RFID solution can prevent the leakage of intellectual property and customer private data.
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