Finding The Right Asset Management System

Do you have a lot of assets that you need to maintain? If this is the case, you may need an asset management team to help you. Before we get into that, you are probably wondering what exactly asset management is. Asset management is a structured and system that is used to maintain your fixed assets on a day to day basis. This system is used through all phases of the asset's life cycle. This includes when the asset was first acquired until it is retired or no longer of use. It can be used to manage an individuals assets or a business and all of its assets. In order to maintain your assets, you must know what the asset you own is, when you got the asset, how much the asset cost, how much it will cost to maintain the asset through the asset's life cycle, where the asset is located, and what the asset will or can be worth.

Effective asset management systems have one specific goal that is always to be met. This goal is to reduce the costs of owning the asset and investing the asset in order to achieve the maximum and significant results. For this goal to be met, the asset management system should incorporate different functions, policies, resources, and procedures that help maintain the asset in a cost efficient manner and still leave you with significant results.

Most commonly, people use an asset management system to take care of their assets for them. There are many available. But before you choose one, you should make sure that the asset management system they use is the best one for your assets. It should include:

1. Various technologies to maintain and track your assets individually, meaning that it always knows where your assets are or where they can be found.

2. Uses a software system that is constantly updated.

3. Reduces your direct cost of owning the assets.

4. Controls shrinkage and/or other losses of the assets.

5. Seeks out information on a daily basis to lower the cost of maintaining the assets.

6. Follows a constant budget when maintaining the asset to reduce over head costs.

7. Provides a maintenance history on all costs of maintaining the assets.

8. Reallocates any assets that do not seem to be achieving goals so that they can meet these goals.

9. Lets you know when it may be advantageous to you if you disposed of the asset either through selling, trading, etc.

10. Makes the most of the potential of assets by ensuring they are appropriately maintained and used at all times.

11. Reduces the demand for new assets, thus saving money through demand management techniques.

12. Always tries to achieve greater value for your money through economic evaluation of options that take into account the asset's life cycle, full costs of the asset, and with value management techniques.

13. Reduces any unnecessary acquisition of assets or new assets. This is done by making any organizations that use your assets pay for the full costs of using and/or holding the asset itself.

14. Has all attention focused on gaining results.

15. Assigns responsibility of maintaining all aspects of your assets to the right departments.

If you find an asset management system that incorporates all of these items, you are sure to have an easy and effective means to managing your assets. Sometimes it is very difficult to do this yourself, especially if you own a large business, large corporation, or if you just have a great deal of assets to begin with. The right asset management system can make your life a whole lot easier and turn your assets into a much more profitable endeavor.

Robert Michael is a writer for Fixed Asset Management which is an excellent place to find links, resources and articles. For more information go to: http://www.aegisassetmanagement.com