We’ve asked too much of the humble spreadsheet. There. We said it. Sure there are the spreadsheet showoffs among us and who can deny their prowess? Not the author of this blog post who throws around the words pivot table with such panache to mask her complete lack of understanding of what a pivot table is, let alone its purpose. (She’s a writer! And a marketer! Leave her alone!)
But there are some things a spreadsheet can’t do. There. We said another thing. One thing it can’t do is accurately depict the layout of your living room and show you the best place to hang a new poster, despite what Sam in accounting tried that one time. And it doesn’t do a great job with managing your IT assets. We know. There are a lot of orgs and IT managers out there who are doing the best with what they’ve got. But it might be time to make the case to the higher ups that the IT team is no country for old Excel. We laid out the reasons below, and offered a solution. Maybe share this one with the C-suite folks? If they don’t want to read it in blog form, throw it into a slide deck – always a good idea to use the right tool for the job. (Unlike spreadsheets being used for ITAM.)
The Security Challenge: What Spreadsheets Can’t See
The most dangerous consequence of spreadsheet-based asset management is shadow IT – the devices and systems that never make it into your tracking documents. While your spreadsheet lists known computers and servers, it remains blind to:
- Personal devices connecting to corporate Wi-Fi
- Department purchases made outside IT channels
- IoT devices like smart thermostats and security cameras
- Cloud instances spun up by development teams
- Mobile devices accessing corporate data
Research shows that shadow IT represents 30-40% of actual IT assets in most organizations. These untracked devices create security blind spots and compliance gaps that attackers routinely exploit.
Beyond discovery limitations, spreadsheets create additional security risks through poor access controls and lack of audit trails. Multiple people editing shared files leads to version conflicts, lost data, and unauthorized changes with no accountability.
Financial Impact: The Hidden Costs
The financial consequences of inadequate asset tracking are substantial:
Software License Compliance: Inability to accurately track software installations leads to expensive audit penalties and wasted spending on unnecessary licenses.
Hardware Redundancy: Without real-time visibility, organizations purchase duplicate equipment while existing assets sit unused in storage.
Maintenance Failures: Missing warranty renewals and end-of-life planning result in unexpected failures and emergency replacement costs.
Compliance Overhead: Manual audit preparation requires enormous effort and often expensive consulting assistance.
The Modern Solution: Full Lifecycle Asset Management
Effectively track, manage, and optimize your IT assets throughout their entire lifecycle with purpose-built ITAM solutions, including partnering with an ITAM provider, that address the limitations of spreadsheet-based tracking:
Strategy & Logistics
Having a clear picture of the state of your company’s IT assets helps you make informed decisions on procurement and resource allocation. Professional ITAM services reduce the risk of overutilization or underutilization, ensuring you receive full value from your IT hardware investments.
Data Security & Compliance
Modern ITAM solutions keeps your assets up-to-date with the latest software to minimize vulnerabilities. Manage timely asset deployment and recovery, so you can be confident that your assets are only in the hands of those authorized to have them. Access-restricted storage facilities provide secure environments that meet data retention requirements for regulatory compliance.
Asset Storage & Management
Rather than tracking devices in spreadsheets while they sit in various locations, store your non-deployed IT inventory in secure, fully insured facilities. ComputerCare’s ITAM solution includes:
- Centralized Management: Handle employee onboarding, offboarding, and break/fix swaps through integrated client portals
- Proactive Maintenance: Ensure devices remain in peak condition, free of hardware issues and outdated software
- Real-Time Visibility: Access live inventory statuses with full visibility throughout the process
Sustainability & Cost Recovery
Promote a circular economy and reduce tech waste by maintaining hardware for its maximum lifespan. When IT hardware reaches end of life, professional ITAD services help recover maximum value while ensuring secure data wiping services and responsible disposal.
Key Benefits of Professional ITAM Services
Increase Innovation: Free your in-house IT team to focus on organizational improvements instead of hardware fixes & maintenance.
Protect Your Operation: Identify and prevent security breaches or unauthorized installations that spreadsheets cannot detect.
Seamless Hardware Management: Rely on devices that always operate in peak condition and arrive where you need them on time.
Informed Decision Making: Get a complete picture of your IT inventory so you can optimize procurement and disposal strategies.
Making the Transition
Organizations concerned about moving beyond spreadsheets should consider:
- Gradual Implementation: Modern ITAM solutions can import existing data and complement current processes during transition periods
- Quick ROI: Automated discovery immediately reveals previously unknown assets, often paying for implementation costs through recovered or optimized resources
- Scalability: Purpose-built platforms grow with your organization without requiring architectural changes
When you’re ready to give your spreadsheets a break and let them do the task they’ve been created for, give us a call. We’ll get you all set up with a spreadsheet-free IT Asset Management.
