Guide · Asset tracking
Asset Tracking Software, From a Compliance Point of View
"Asset tracking" means different things to different businesses. For some it is knowing where a laptop physically is. For most UK SMEs the harder question is whether each asset is still inspected, serviced, certified and insured — and whether you can prove it. This guide covers the second kind.
Two different problems
- Location tracking. Barcodes, RFID tags or GPS units answering "where is it right now?". Useful for high-turnover stock and vehicles.
- Compliance tracking. An asset register answering "is it still legal, safe and covered?" — dates, certificates, responsible owners, history.
FileGuard does the second. It is not a barcode or GPS system, and if what you need is real-time location of moving stock, a dedicated tracking tool is the right buy.
What a compliance asset register holds
- The asset itself — description, serial or reference, site, category, responsible person.
- Its dates — last done, next due, and the interval between them.
- Its documents — inspection reports, certificates, warranties, service records, attached to the asset rather than filed separately.
- Its reminders — automatic emails ahead of each due date.
- Its history — every change logged, and retired assets archived rather than deleted.
Why the register beats the folder
Shared drives store documents but say nothing about expiry. A register turns the same documents into a status: on track, due soon, or overdue. That is the view an insurer, auditor or client wants, and it is the view a folder structure cannot give you.
Related reading
If your assets are mainly plant, tools and test equipment, start with equipment tracking software and equipment compliance tracking. For measuring instruments, see calibration tracking software.