We are proud of the work we've done for our clients. Each project and each client has a story and a lesson for us. We've collected a few representative experiences to illustrate what Asset Inventories can do, how we addressed some difficult challenges, and how our clients used the results of our contribution.


The Client: NYC Department of Education

The New York City Department of Education is responsible for the administration and education of more than one million school-age children in the five boroughs of New York – Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island. There are more than 400,000 individual assets, 160,000 seats, and a total of one thousand different locations under its jurisdiction.

The Challenge

For historical reasons, there was no central tracking or accounting of computers and other IT equipment. Each location was to a large extent responsible for its own needs, and transfers between locations were rare. Central systems were maintained independently of “remote” locations, and there were multiple IT support vendors and procedures in place throughout the system. It was clear that there were missed opportunities to take advantage of the scale represented by such a large user base, and the Department of Education took action to get a handle on their installed base before beginning the process of coordination and integration.

The Solution

Asset Inventories, working closely with a third-party service provider and a team assigned and assembled by the Department of Education, deployed 75 inventory specialists and team leaders to all 1,000 locations over a period of approximately 6 months. Every computer, monitor, printer, peripheral, and mainframe element were counted and assessed for remaining useful life.

The Department of Education received detailed listings, along with summary reports that included inventory counts by physical location and department, make/model and operating system, condition and installed software. As a result, they were able to begin a sound strategic planning process for all IT equipment throughout the system and negotiate a much better contract for central support from a single source.

Testimonials

When we first began this assignment it was hard to believe how much equipment they had and how many locations were involved, but once we began the process it went very smoothly, and we covered hundreds of locations, did our jobs without interrupting the staff, and completed the inventory on schedule. Our team leader kept us all appraised of the situation, so we always knew what to expect. I didn’t know there were so many schools in New York, and I’ve lived here all my life. M.P., AI Inventory Specialist after completing a 6-month asset inventory for The New York City Department of Education