IT asset inventory: how to manage it and when Excel is not enough
Almost every company keeps its IT inventory in an Excel spreadsheet. It works as long as there are few devices and one person updates it. Then come rentals, licences, employees joining and leaving, warranties that expire without anyone noticing. Here is what a well-kept inventory should contain, when it makes sense to move to software and how to do it without starting from scratch.
In brief
- What it contains: every device with who uses it, where it is, what condition it is in and which cost centre it belongs to; plus licences, warranties and rentals with their expiry dates.
- Excel is enough for a few devices and a single person in charge. It is not enough when you need a history of handovers, alerts on expiry dates, several people working on it and passwords kept safe.
- Handover letter: who, what, when, in what condition, under what rules. Signed at handover, with a return letter when the device comes back.
- With UnIT, Hyperion's software, you start from the Excel file you already have.
What an IT inventory should contain
An inventory exists to answer four questions at any moment: what is there, who uses it, what it costs, when it expires. To do this you need two linked lists.
Devices
- What: type (PCs and laptops, smartphones, printers, servers, network equipment, consumables), make, model, serial number.
- Who and where: the person using it, the site or office, the status (in use, in storage, under repair, decommissioned).
- What it costs: department and cost centre, and the fee if it is rented or leased.
Licences, warranties and contracts
- Software licences with quantity, assignees and renewal date.
- Device warranties, with their end date.
- Rental contracts, with fee and expiry date.
Excel or software: when the spreadsheet is no longer enough
The spreadsheet is not wrong in itself: it is where almost everyone starts. It becomes a risk as the work grows.
| If… | Is Excel enough? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Few devices, a single person in charge | Yes | The file stays up to date and consistent |
| Several people update the same file | No | Different versions, overwritten changes, no history |
| Warranties, licences and rentals to renew | No | The spreadsheet gives no warning: expiry dates are discovered afterwards |
| You need to know who had a PC on a given date | No | An overwritten cell erases the handover history |
| The file contains passwords or licence keys | No | Anyone who opens the file sees everything, and no trace is left |
The company device handover letter
When a PC or smartphone is given to an employee, the handover letter puts in writing what was given, to whom and in what condition. It is also the document you need when the person leaves the company and the device has to come back.
- Who hands over and who receives, with the date.
- The device: type, make, model, serial number.
- The accessories: power supply, case, docking station, SIM.
- The condition at the time of handover.
- The usage rules set by the company.
- The signature of the recipient.
When the device is given back you need the return letter, with the condition of the device and the accessories returned. Keeping both next to the device record saves you searching a shared folder on the day you need them.
How UnIT does it
UnIT is Hyperion's web application for managing company IT assets. It runs in the browser, with nothing to install on computers and no servers on site.
- A single inventory for PCs and laptops, smartphones, printers, servers, network equipment and consumables: who uses them, where they are, what condition they are in.
- Expiry dates before they expire: warranties, licences and rental contracts with their dates; the dashboard shows what is about to expire and what is below minimum stock.
- Handovers with a signed letter: every assignment stays in the history, with handover and return letters generated from the company's templates and archived.
- Costs to the right cost centre: departments, cost centres and rental fees, including for leased items.
- Passwords and keys kept safe: encrypted with AES-256-GCM and a separate key for each organisation, visible only to those allowed, with a record of every read.
Access and data
You sign in with your company Microsoft 365 account (Microsoft Entra ID): no new passwords, and anyone who is deactivated loses access. Owner, administrator and technician see and do different things; an external consultant can only join by invitation. The application and database are on Microsoft Azure, in the Italy North region, and each organisation's data is kept separate by the database itself. The application is in Italian and English, with unlimited users and all features in every plan.
From Excel to UnIT, without starting again
- You write to us and we show you UnIT using your company's own cases.
- We activate your organisation with a 30-day free trial. The named owner is the first to sign in.
- You load the inventory from your Excel or CSV spreadsheet: UnIT recognises columns even when they have different names and shows what will be imported and what will not before importing.
- Your team signs in with Microsoft, each person with their own account and assigned role.
Is your inventory still in an Excel spreadsheet? Discover UnIT: you start from the file you already have, with a 30-day free trial.
Frequently asked questions
What should a company IT inventory contain?
For each device: type, make, model, serial number, who is using it, where it is, what condition it is in and which cost centre it belongs to. Alongside the devices you need software licences, warranties and rental contracts, each with its expiry date.
Is an Excel spreadsheet enough for an IT inventory?
For a few devices managed by one person, often yes. It becomes limiting when there are tens or hundreds of devices, when several people update the same file, when you need a history of handovers and alerts on expiry dates, or when passwords and licence keys end up in the spreadsheet.
What should a company device handover letter include?
Who hands over and who receives, the date, the device with make, model and serial number, the accessories, its condition at handover and the usage rules set by the company. It must be signed by the recipient and kept on file; when the device is given back, a return letter recording its condition is needed.
Can I import the inventory I already have in Excel into UnIT?
Yes. UnIT reads Excel and CSV spreadsheets, recognises columns even when they have different names, such as “Computer name” or “Brand”, and before importing shows which rows will be imported and which will not, with the reason.
Where is UnIT data stored?
In Italy: the application and the PostgreSQL database run on Microsoft Azure, in the Italy North region. Each organisation's data is kept separate from the others' directly by the database.
How can I try UnIT?
You write to Hyperion, which activates your organisation with a 30-day free trial, with no commitment. You sign in with your company Microsoft 365 account and load the inventory from the Excel spreadsheet you already have.
Sources
- UnIT, Company IT asset management
- UnIT, Product sheet (llms.txt)