If you are in the education sector and are not utilizing an enterprise asset management system, then you may be missing a key tool. Whether you work in facilities, IT, Audio/Visual, or even athletics, there are many uses for an asset management system in education.

A school or educational system has many assets that it owns, maintains, and utilizes. These might include:

  • IT assets (computers, computer equipment, tablets, printers, software)
  • Maintenance tools
  • Shop Equipment
  • Vehicles
  • Furniture
  • Sporting equipment
  • Cleaning equipment and materials
  • A/V equipment

Add the equipment that specific departments or programs need (science equipment, drama department assets, etc.), and it’s clear that there are many reasons that a school system might benefit from using an educational asset management system.

Why is asset management important in educational management

With so many assets to keep track of, accurate asset management is essential. 

You will want to know when an asset was purchased when maintenance is due, and where the asset is at any given time. You will need a way to track equipment that was assigned to a particular teacher, student, or staff member. You will want a way to ensure that equipment is available when it is needed. 

And you will need to know if assets disappear.

What does an asset management system do?

While this type of record-keeping can be done on spreadsheets or even by hand, an enterprise asset management system (sometimes called EAM software) makes it much easier and much more accurate. One of the best asset management system benefits is that all of your records are kept in the same system. Some EAM systems, like NEXGEN’s powerful platform, are available on the cloud, so they can be accessed from a variety of locations. 

There are a number of key functions to look for in an asset management system for your school or educational system.

Students using school computers

Work orders

An ideal enterprise asset management system will feature a way for faculty, staff, and others to make a service request on facilities or equipment. It will also feature a means of automating work orders, making sure that the right department gets the assignment as efficiently as possible.

As we’ve said in our blog, an effective work-order management system can “streamline and control the work order management processes, eliminating guesswork by doing away with paper requests, while creating a traceable history.”

Asset lifecycle management

Your educational asset management system should be able to help you manage the lifecycle of your assets. From tracking purchase dates to predictive maintenance tools that help you to be proactive, EAMs are a key part of a proactive maintenance strategy. With NEXGEN’s enterprise asset management software, life cycle management of assets is easier than ever with more accurate funding forecasts and precise capacity planning.

Asset inventory

Poorly tracking inventory can lead to unnecessary spending, and duplicate purchases. If a teacher requests a new filing cabinet, for example, and there’s no accurate record of the filing cabinets already on campus but not in use, how can facilities managers know if a new one is needed? But an educational asset management system can help prevent that and more. 

Look for a system that can 

  • Standardize naming and the notate attributes
  • Store and provide access to users and owner’s manuals
  • Fully integrate with a tracking system and maintenance management system

Asset location tracking

Speaking of asset location tracking, emerging technologies make it easier than ever to know where your assets are at any given time. With the help of Internet of Things (IoT) technology, schools can, as CompareSoft explains, “Track the real-time location of physical assets, such as using GPS trackers to identify the location of school buses.” Location tracking makes it easier to provide maintenance and manage assets.

Accurate inventories and location tracking can also help detect theft and loss. If someone can’t find a projector, there will be a record of who had it last, and where. And if there is tracking capability, it may be precisely locatable.

You can see, there are many reasons to use educational asset management systems. They can help your operation be more efficient, more financially responsible, and more responsive to your asset needs. 

Partner with NEXGEN today!