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Keeping track of assets is one of the biggest challenges in today’s data centers as they are an ever increasing number of assets inhabiting the data center and the need to track valuable assets is very time consuming and resource intensive effort.
Even with ongoing validation of information most are left with information that is less than 80% accurate.
Tracking these assets and what they are allocated to is more important than ever for many companies who have a need to validate their asset information and produce reports for various reason such as compliance, capacity planning, maximizing the utilization of assets and lifecycle management to name a few.
Barcoding has been adopted by many users over the past several years and has been a great improvement over the traditional writing on a sheet of paper and then transferring the information to a “central source” (often spreadsheets). And this increase in touch points leads to many errors and ultimately an inaccurate inventory. Barcoding has its benefits and drawback like any other technology and over time these barcodes may become difficult to read or access if they are not easily accessible.
RFID tracking is now being leveraged by many data center operations teams to manage assets and automate the previous manual process leading to increased accuracy and productivity. It takes 10% of the time to perform an inventory audit using RFID technology that it used to take with manual processes.
Portals allow for tracking of equipment from when it comes into a facility to the storage area, testing development phases and production for the lifespan of the equipment. This enables more consistent asset tracking and reporting and managers can speak with confidence about the state of their assets and planning is made easier with decisions coming much quicker when the information is readily available.
Not having a system like this in place in a dynamic environment like a data center can stall important decisions or leave upper management questioning the validity of the middle management’s information. Having reporting that allows for proactive capacity planning and tracking of productivity of the data center staff enables these middle level managers to gain traction on decision such as upgrades or build out of new facilities. RFID provides a whole new perspective and opportunity for the data center staffs to utilize their resources more efficiently.
How to Solve Data Center Audit Problems With RFID Tracking
- Replace manual inventory with RFID tracking : Automate asset identification and reduce the manual touchpoints that introduce inventory errors.
- Track equipment as it moves : Use RFID portals to follow assets from receiving through storage, testing, development, and production.
- Maintain visibility across the asset lifecycle : Keep location, allocation, and status information current throughout the life of the equipment.
- Use accurate data for reporting and planning :Turn verified asset information into reports for compliance, capacity planning, utilization, lifecycle management, and operational decisions.
