Kanenus College

Department of Information Technology

(HNS)
UNIT OF COMPETENCE
Maintain Inventories
of Equipment, Software
and Documentation.
LEVEL ONE
INFORMATION SHEET
Prepared By:- Adugna Negese
 LEARNING OUTCOME
At the end of the module the learners will be able to:
 LO1 : Document and update inventory
– Maintaining Hardware inventory that creates a profile or description of
each piece of equipment
– Maintaining and updating software inventory and licenses, as required,
particularly when upgrading software
– Recording and organizing Storage of user documentation or technical
manuals
 LO2 :Store technical documentation
– Take Action to ensure software, hardware and equipment not in use,
stored in a manner as recommended by technical manuals
– Store and ensure technical documentation securely
– Accessing and distributing technical documentation as required by
clients
Prepared By:- Adugna Negese
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 1. 1. Maintaining Hardware inventory
Definition of Inventory in ICT
• Inventory is a detailed list of equipments held available in stock by a
business.
• A company item will be defined as either an asset or inventory item.
• If the Assets of the organization is gather than one year are can be
placed in the inventory as ‘consumables’.
• For example, an expensive laser printer would not be placed in the
inventory but will be placed in the asset register of the organisation.
Consumables,’.
• If the asset of the organization is less one year called fixed.
• For example marker.
• Inventory System is a set of policies and controls that monitors levels of
inventory and determines what levels should be maintained, when stock
should be refilled, and how large orders should be.
•3 Computer systems use an inventory system to control the
hardware ,Software and Data of the organization.
 1. 1. Maintaining Hardware inventory
Purposes of Inventory
1. To know the properties of equipment you're dealing with.
2. To know how many equipments you have in your
organization.
3. To know how many equipments you need to buy or
replace.
4. To know which equipment is working or not working
properly.
5. To know what equipment you have for insurance and
financial auditing purposes.
• Generally, Good inventory helps the business or organization to
stay strong therefore make an inventory of everything you own.
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IT inventory management is an important part of an
organization's strategy.
It usually involves gathering detailed hardware and software
inventory information which is then used to make decisions
about hardware and software purchases and redistribution.
IT inventory management helps organizations manage their
systems more effectively and saves time and money by
avoiding unnecessary asset purchases and promoting the
harvesting of existing resources. Organizations that develop
and maintain an effective IT inventory management
program further minimize the incremental risks and related
costs of advancing IT portfolio infrastructure projects based
on old, incomplete and/or less accurate information.
 Procedures for maintaining inventory

• The use of inventory control procedures is critical to maintaining

accurate, reliable facts for your operation. Control can be a
complicated balancing from the time a stock order is placed,
received at your store room, counted, verified, labeled, put away,
picked and shipped out or picked up.
• Knowing where your product is with accuracy at all times is vital to
your success.
• You can control your stock of products by installing a system of
inventory control procedures. Follow your inventory from the first
moment the product arrives at your door until it leaves your
facility.
• It is important to involve other members of your staff to be extra
eyes and hands to keep your stock safe and organized.
 1. 1. Maintaining Hardware inventory

• Accurate inventory records will be maintained by all

departments / faculties for ICT hardware or Software
• A centralised inventory of all school/organization hardware and
software will be maintained by the head technician and any
concerns notified to the ICT co-ordinator
• The head technician is responsible for the checking of all school
electrical equipment every six months and will report any
issues to the General manager.
• Records of all ICT purchases will be kept within main
administration .
• A record of all software licenses will be maintained and
monitored by the head technician and any concerns notified to
the ICT co-ordinator.
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 1. 1. Maintaining Hardware inventory
Definition of Hardware Inventory
• Hardware Inventory is a very large array of hardware equipment such as
CPUs, hard drives, network cards, printers, routers, monitors, video cards and
cables that can be used in a computer network.
• It is important that complete inventory records for all computer-related
hardware be maintained at the schools, universities, colleges as well as at
organizations.
Hardware Inventory includes:-
• List of Personal Computers :- Desktops, Laptops, and Servers
• List of Accessories devices:- Keyboard, Mouse, Speaker, Microphone
• List of Peripheral devices:- Printers, Scanners, Fax Machine, Photocopy,
Digital, Cameras, Digital Whiteboards
• List of Monitors:- CRT(Cathode Ray Tube) and LCD (Liquid Crystal Display)
• List of Network and communication equipments: Hubs, Switches,
Routers ,Bridges, Repeaters, Access Points, Cables etc.
• List of Projection Devices:- Digital Projectors, LCD Panels
•8 List of Removable Devices:- Flash disk, CD/DVD disc and External Hard disk
• List of Consumables:- printer and photocopy cartridges and papers
 1. 1. Maintaining Hardware inventory

Hardware Inventory Form

• Use this form to:
 Log/register your computer hardware serial and
model numbers.
 Record the name of the company from which you
purchased or leased this equipment.
 Record the name of the company that provides repair
and support for your computer hardware.

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 Hard ware Inventory
Benefits of Hardware Inventory
• You can use hardware inventory data to effectively perform
many administrative tasks in your organization, the most
important one being helping to manage IT assets. Use
hardware inventory to administer tasks such as maintaining
corporate hardware standards, tracking asset depreciation,
locating computers, troubleshooting computers, and
distributing software.
• Hardware inventory provides you with important information,
such as the configuration and location of computers, which
computers require an operating system upgrade, and which
computers have the hardware that is required for a hard ware
upgrade.
 1. 1. Maintaining Hardware inventory
Common Elements included in Hardware inventory Form:
• Equipment type
– The name of the equipment such as printer, scanner, router, UPS etc.
• ID/code
– An identification number you give the equipment.
• Manufacturer
– The company who makes the equipment such as Dell, Compaq, HP, Sony, Toshiba etc
• Model
– The manufacturers model reference Dimension 4550, Sattelite A203, Optiplex 330
• Serial number
– The unique number of the equipment usually marked on the back or underside.
• Date of purchase
– The date that you buy the equipment
• Cost
– The price of the equipment.
• Supplier
– The name of company who sells the equipment
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Kanenus College Computer hardware Inventory Form
COMPONENT DESCRIPTION(including brand and model number)
Equipment Type
ID/code
Manufacturer
Model
Serial number
Processor
Hard drive
RAM
Power Supply
Peripherals
Upgrade notes

Date of purchase
Cost
Supplier
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Kanenus College Computer hardware Inventory Form

COMPONENT DESCRIPTION(including brand and model number)

Equipment Type Desktop Computer
ID/code StaffPC01
Manufacturer Dell Computer Corporation in Thailand
Model Dimension 8300
Serial number S0384957
Processor Intel® Pentium® 4 CPU 3.40Ghz, 1Core
Hard drive 80GB
RAM 512MB
Power Supply Windows 7 X86/32bit-based
Peripherals DVD-RW, projector and Modem Card
Upgrade notes Any additions since the machine was purchased,
e.g. more memory, replacement hard drive
etc( 256MB of Memory and 40 GB Hard disk
has Added)
Date of purchase 2-4-2001
Cost 5,600 Birr
Supplier Net Computer Center
 1. 1. Maintaining Hardware inventory

Example2:
Equipment Type Monitor
ID StaffM01
Manufacturer Dell Corporation in China
Model CRT Color Monitor E773C
Serial number M770C0908
Size 17 inches
Example3:
Equipment Type Keyboard
ID K01
Manufacturer Dell Corporation in Thailand
Model Dell Keyboard -RT7D20
Serial number DK035957
Port type USB
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 1. 1. Maintaining Hardware inventory

Example4:
Equipment Type Mouse
ID Mo01
Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation in USA
Model inTEX-ER03489
Serial number M038949
Port type USB
Example5:
Equipment Type Printer
ID P01
Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation in USA
Model HP LaserJet 1200 Series
Serial number PS0239476
Port type LPT
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 Your computer Hardware
Your Computer inventory
hardware form
Inventory Form

COMPONENT DESCRIPTION(including brand and model number)

Equipment Type
ID/code
Manufacturer
Model
Serial number
Processor
Hard drive
RAM
Power Supply
Peripherals
Upgrade notes

Date of purchase
Cost
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Supplier
 Best Practices

• Establish an inventory and implement procedures for

updating it.
• Ensure that you have a procedure to advise the acquisition
of new hardware, the disposal of old items, and any
changes of location.
• Periodically verify the correctness of the inventory by
checking that a sample of hardware is physically present.

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 1. 2. Maintaining Software inventory
Definition of Software Inventory
• Software inventory is a detail list of software and their license
found in an Organization or Schools.
• It may includes list of commercial software applications;
organization-specific or customized software; word processing,
spreadsheet, database, graphic, mail, internet browsers; and
Operating Systems.
• Software Inventory used for managing software asset in a company.
• Accurate Software inventory focused on providing visibility of the
deployment and exploitation of your software assets by :-
 elimination of license wastage
 minimized application software costs
 usage-based charge-back

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 Hard ware Inventory
Benefits of Software Inventory
• You can use software inventory data to effectively manage
software in your organization. Software inventory data
provides you with important information, such as how
many copies of a specific software application exist in your
organization or on how many computers in your
organization have the latest antivirus program installed.
Collected files can help troubleshoot client problems. For
example, if a client is experiencing problems, you can
open at your desktop a copy of the client's recent log files
that were previously collected.
 1. 2. Maintaining Software inventory

Maintaining software inventory will answer the following

questions:
 How many software you have installed in your company’s
computer?
 How many licenses you have used and left ?
 How many copies of each application package in our
company do we really need?
 What reductions can we make in our annual software
maintenance costs?
 When was Application X last updated on the PCs in a
particular department?

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 1. 1. Maintaining Software inventory
Software License Inventory
• Software license terms are an agreement between software Corporation and
you for using the software.
• Understanding software license and the use of unauthorized software in the
organization will help them to act proactively to control illegal usage and
problems associated with it.
• Every vendor has different license types and license categories,
For example, you might note here that the license and the software came with
the computer and can’t be transferred to another machine.
• Also, most large vendors sell volume licenses if you need more than a certain
number of copies.
• The product key (activation key or license key) is a number that you use to
prove that you have a legal, authorized copy of the software.
• When you enter your product keys be sure to encrypt the file and keep hard
copies of it in a safe location.
• Anyone who knows your product key can install the software themselves, which
might deactivate your copy or cause problems for you with your vendor.

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 Software Inventory Form
CATEGORY SOFTWARE NUMBER NUMBER OF LICENSE TYPE PRODUCT KEYS WHERE IS
OF INSTALLED INSTALLATION CD
LICENSES COPIES OR SOURCE
FILES
Office Product

Operating Systems

Antivirus

Other

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 Software Inventory Form
CATEGORY SOFTWARE NO OF NO OF LICENS PRODUCT KEYS WHERE IS
LICENSES INSTALLED E TYPE INSTALLATION CD OR
COPIES SOURCE FILES

Office MS Office 2003 33 31 Volume XXXXX-12345-678910- Locked file cabinet No1

license XXXXX in IT Dept
Product
MS Office 2007 40 30 Volume YYYYY-12345-678910- Locked file cabinet No1
license YYYYY in IT Dept

Operating Windows 7 Ultimate 50 35 Volume AAAAA-12345-678910- Locked file cabinet No3

license CCCCC in IT Dept
System
Windows Server 2008 5 1 Volume CCCCC-12345-678910- Locked file cabinet No3
license DDDDD in IT Dept

Antivirus Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2012 5 3 Volume XXXXX-12345-678910- Locked file cabinet No4
license YYYDD in IT Dept

Avast 6.0 5 3 Volume XXXRR-12345-678910- Locked file cabinet No5

license YYYUU in IT Dept

Other Ulead Photo Express 6 30 24 Volume XXXEE-12345-678910- Locked file cabinet No5
license YYYIII in IT Dept

Power Ge’ez 2009 35 34 Volume XXXGG-12345-678910- Locked file cabinet No5

license YYYWW in IT Dept

WinRAR 35 27 Volume XXXJJ-12345-678910- Locked file cabinet No5

license YYYWW in IT Dept

Free Download Manager 35 29 Volume XXXJJ-12345-678910- Locked file cabinet No5

license YYYWW in IT Dept
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 2.1 How to Store technical Documentation

Definition of Technical Documentation

• Technical Documentation is the collection of documents
that are designed to help people who need to manage,
operate or maintain computer hardware or software.
• Technical documentation includes Instructional Manuals ,
User Guides, flow charts, data flow diagrams etc.
• Television, computer, Printers and different equipments
you own came with an instructional manual and User
Guide.
• You will not be able to find the information for the
equipment unless you have your Instructional manuals
24 saved, sorted and organized in an easy to manage system.
 2.1 How to Store technical Manuals and User Documentation

How to Organize Instruction Manuals

• There may be other methods out there for
organizing your instruction manuals, but we have
found the following two methods to be the most
effective and user-friendly.
A. Filing Cabinet (or Box) Method
B. Binder Method
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 A. Filing Cabinet (or Box) Method

What You Will Need:

• Filing cabinet or Large filing box
• Hanging file folders
• Tab labels (the plastic ones that stick on, and paper label is
inserted)
• Large label (for filing cabinet or box)
• Pen/Marker
• Instruction manuals or Users Guides
• Rubber bands
• Large organized work area

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 Filing Cabinet (or Box) Method
How to Get It Organized:
1. Gather all your instruction manuals
• Gather all your instruction manuals from wherever they may be and place them in a
pile(mass) at your work station, along with your equipment.
2. Sort the instructional manuals
• Decide how you want to divide up your instruction manuals, i.e. you can sort them by
room (for instance, all Sever room items, all Class room items, etc), alphabetically or
by equipment type (for instance, all Network Equipment, all Server equipment, all
tools, etc.). Choose whatever method works best for you.
3. Give a label to your instructional manuals
• Label your file folders with the stick-on plastic label tabs according to the categories
you’ve chosen.
4. Divide the manuals into the appropriate folders according to the category
• Divide the manuals into the appropriate folders according to the category. If an item
comes with an instruction manual plus other information (i.e. such as assembly
instructions, warranty information, etc.), rubber band the related items together
before filing them into the appropriate folder.
5. Give a label for you file cabinet
• Place your hanging file folders into the filing cabinet or box, and label the cabinet
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drawer (or box) with the large label and marker as “Instruction Manuals.”
 B. Binder Method
What You Will Need:
• 3-Ring Binder (1 to 5 inches, depending upon how many
manuals you have)
• Protective plastic sleeves (with an opening on the top or
side, and 3 holes on one side to fit in the binder)
• Dividers with labeling tabs
• Large label (for the front of the binder)
• Pen/marker
• Large, organized work area

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 Binder Method
How to Get It Organized:
1. Gather all your instructional manuals
• Gather all your instruction manuals from wherever they may be and place them in a
pile at your work station, along with your supplies.
2. Sort the instructional manuals
• Decide how you want to divide up your instruction manuals, i.e. you can sort them
by room (for instance, all family room items, all kitchen items, etc), or alphabetically,
or by type (for instance, all appliances, all entertainment systems, all tools, etc.)
3. Divide your binder into section and label them
• Divide your binder into sections (using the dividers), and label them according to the
categories you have decided upon. Place protective plastic sleeves in between each
divider (one for each instruction manual that will go within that section).
4. Place the instructional manuals in the plastic sleeves and mark the large label.
• Place the manuals in the plastic sleeves (one per sleeve, covers facing out) according
to the categories you’ve designated.
• Mark the large label as “Instruction Manuals” and stick it to the front of the binder.
5. Store the binder in a save location
• 29 Store the binder in a safe and convenient location.
 Glossary
Inventory Technical/User
documentation
Software
Documentation Inventory Equipment
Occupational
Hardware Health & Safety Peripherals
Inventory (OH&S) Devices

Technical manuals Software licensing

 Definitions
Inventory
• Inventory is a detailed list of items(goods and materials)
held available in stock by a business.
Documentation
• Documentation is the information that describes the
product to its users or it is simply the instructions for
using a computer device or program
Technical/User Documentation
• Technical/User Documentation is the collection of
documents that are designed to help people who need to
manage, operate or maintain computer hardware or
software.
 Definitions
Hardware Inventory
• Hardware Inventory is a very large array of hardware such
as CPUs, hard drives, network cards, printers, routers,
monitors, video cards and cables that can be used in a
computer network.
Equipment
• May include workstations, personal computers, modems
or other connectivity devices, printers, hard drives,
monitors, switches, hubs, personal digital assistants and
other peripheral devices