If you’ve had the bad experience of being a victim of theft – you
are probably aware of the expensive cost to replace
the stolen goods – as well as the frustration that comes with the territory.

If you want to enhance the security of your valuable assets, you should consider using asset tracking devices.

Using asset GPS tracking devices, it is now possible to track your assets in real-time , where some
models come with a blazing fast refresh rate of between 5 and 10 seconds. When it comes to the
accuracy of the asset GPS tracking device, you’ll be surprised to know that some models are
accurate to within 12 inches. The service plans are also affordable, where it will cost less than
£1 per day for real-time asset GPS tracking service.

Checklist
To determine if your business needs asset tracking or not – use the checklist below:

• Does your business have a lot of expensive asset and equipment?
• Do you leave the valuable asset and equipment unattended for a long period of time?
• Has there been any instance of theft of equipment or property before?

If the answers to the three questions above are a resounding yes, then the asset tracking device
is something that you need to consider. Getting the tracking device is different from insurance,
because the latter in this case never really reimburse your losses 100 percent. On the other hand,
the asset tracking device helps you track down the stolen or lost items and recover them.

Did you know that your insurance premium will go down significantly if you have a Asset tracking device
installed? This is just one of many benefits of using such device.

Check out how the tracking device can benefit your business.

• Instant notification when your asset is tampered with or moved from the designated
  location.
• Track stolen items
• Gives enough information of the location of the stolen items for the authority to
  recover the items

There is no denying the benefits that you get from installing asset tracking device will far
outweigh the initial investment.

Do what is necessary to protect your asset today and get in touch with a provider.

It’s not difficult to see why tracking is so difficult.
It’s not enough to capture when an asset was acquired
and its value at the time. To be tracked effectively,
the asset’s location, maintenance and usage need to
be recorded as well as its ever-changing value.
Traditional paper record keeping is not sufficient for
anything but the smallest businesses. For larger companies, there are
computer-based solutions specifically designed to track assets.
The challenge, however, is determining the solution that works best.

Benefits of asset-tracking solutions
Regardless of the specific solution, asset-tracking systems offer a number of
benefits over traditional methods. For instance, they store information in a
database that can be queried by fields such as name, address or value.
The value of assets also can be calculated very easily using formulas.
Similarly, any costs associated with an asset can be calculated quickly – even
recurring expenses.

Asset-tracking solutions also can generate a variety of reports on a particular asset
or class of assets. Most programs have easy-to-navigate screens that guide users
through creating reports detailing exactly the information they want to see.

Finally, an asset-tracking system saves time and money.  Businesses that know
what assets they have are less likely to waste money on redundant purchases.
They’re also more likely to make use of what they have – and not forget about
previous acquisitions.

Types of asset-tracking systems
There are several flavors of asset-tracking systems, and each uses its own set of tools.
Some rely on manual data entry via a handheld or a PC while others gather information
automatically via RFID tags, barcode scanners or GPS. Here’s a look at some of the
solutions available today:

• Barcodes: If your assets move around a lot, a barcode tracking system is a good fit. This solution involves affixing a barcode to every asset. With a scanner or even a PDA, employees can quickly pull up information on the item, note maintenance activities or location. All the information is stored in  a central database for easy reporting.
• GPS: GPS tracking is another option for monitoring mobile assets, especially large ones such as cars, trucks and trailers. This solution involves attaching a GPS transceiver to the asset. It reports information on the asset’s whereabouts, as determined by global-positioning satellites, to a central database that can be queried for up-to-the-minute information.
• RFID/Proximity Tags: Proximity systems involve affixing a small tag to an asset and installing sensors that detect when the tagged item passes by. Major retailers, including Wal-Mart, use such solutions to monitor inventory movement in warehouses and at stores. Often, proximity solutions are linked to access-control systems as well as databases for generating reports on asset movements and other variables over time.
• Tracking Programs for Computer Assets: Software-based asset tracking involves installing a program on computers that are connected to a central-monitoring system and database. Each time the computer is used, its activities are stored in the central database from which reports can be pulled. These systems can store information about the computers, including when they’re used and how they’re used.
• Software Tracking: Programs that run on your PCs also need to be tracked, and there’s specialized software for monitoring license compliance. If a user tries to install unlicensed software, this tracking software will block the installation and/or notify IT managers. These programs will help your company avoid audits and costly fines for running unlicensed software.

What to consider in asset-tracking solutions?
An asset-tracking solution will be a major investment for your business. Here are some questions to think about before settling on a system:

• Ease of Use: Is the user interface simple to use or too complicated? Is It easy or difficult to navigate through the various options to update assets or generate reports?
• Management: How difficult is it to edit data such as splitting assets or changing the description of an asset? Is it easy to make changes to formulas, such as the one used to calculate depreciation? How well does the management software integrate with in-the-field tools such as a barcode scanner or RFID system?
• Integration: Does the asset-tracking system play well with other programs, such as accounting or tax applications? Does it easily export data for analysis in a spreadsheet?
• Reporting: How difficult is it to generate a report detailing the type of information you need? Does the system support templates for easier report creation? How easy to use are the standard schedules and forms?

If your business does not adequately track assets, it’s throwing money away. Asset-tracking solutions can greatly simplify this task. But it’s important to research all the solutions available and make sure the one you select is a good fit for your business. Most importantly, select a system that will grow with your business.

Here is what you need to know in order to tell whether one of these systems will
help your company and how having them in your vehicles can help you
streamline your vehicle usage and reduce some vehicle-related expenses.

How do vehicle tracking systems work?

While these systems may seem complicated, they are not as complex as
one may think. A tracking device is located inside a vehicle.
This device then communicates with a server that is maintained by the company.

This server uses software which records where the GPS devices are broadcasting
from and can put together a picture or record of where vehicles traveled during the
day and which routes they used.

How they can help your company

There are a number of ways that a vehicle tracking system can help your company.

• More efficient route and journey planning

By recording where a vehicle travels, how long it takes them to travel their
assigned routes and whether there were any delays, a company can begin to
find ways to make a vehicle’s route much more efficient.

Doing so can help minimize the fuel consumption of a vehicle fleet,
help reduce delivery times and also help prevent loss or theft by making it possible for
a company to know exactly where their vehicles are at all times.

• Fuel Savings

One major delivery and shipping company used vehicle tracking systems in
order to follow their fleet of trucks. They discovered that by eliminating left turns,
they were able to reduce the amount of time a vehicle would idle in an intersection.

This allowed them to reduce their delivery times and substantially reduce their
fuel consumption. This, in turn, saved the company a substantial amount of
money on a yearly basis. A vehicle tracking system may be able to
have a similar impact on your company’s expenses.

• Vehicle maintenance can also be simplified

If a vehicle’s lifespan is going to be maximized, it is critical to service it properly.
Many service milestones are based on the distance that a vehicle has travelled.

By using a GPS vehicle tracking system, it can be easier to
record exactly how far a vehicle has travelled. Because of this,
it can be serviced on a regular basis and vehicles will not be sent in for
servicing more frequently than is required.

• Customer service benefits

It can also be easier for a company which uses a vehicle tracking system to
improve their customer service. Because a company is able to tell exactly where
their vehicles are and what the status of any delivery or service call would be at
any given moment.

If there are likely to be any delays, it is possible to contact a client and
notify them so as to avoid developing a negative reputation.

The ways that these systems can benefit your company will vary depending on
what the nature of yourbusiness is and how you are using your fleet of vehicles.

The basic function of fleet management is to minimize the risks associated with
a company’s managing of their fleet. It also helps to improve all-around productivity,
efficiency, and helps to reduce the costs of transport.
Fleet managers can be outsourced or provided by the company…

One of the best ways to manage a fleet is to employ the use of vehicle trackers.
This is the most basic and core component of fleet management as a whole.
The tracker chosen by fleets is usually a Global Positioning System (GPS) device.
Some fleet management systems connect with a vehicle’s onboard computer to
gather different types of data and return it to the source for inspection.

The data gathered includes mileage, fuel usage, and more.
The collected data is then combined and it becomes possible to
create a profile for any driver/operator of the vehicle.
These profiles are vital in the success of
various types of fleets such as limo and taxi services.

There is some GPS fleet management software available that enables companies to
accomplish a host of tasks in the management of aspects relative to
the company’s fleet of vehicles. These tasks are usually very specific and
serve the purpose of covering operations such as vehicle acquirement, disposal, etc.

These GPS systems also work to build driver profiles, trip profiling, dispatch, and
vehicle efficiency. Some advanced models provide remote controls features like
Geo-fencing and active disabling. Vehicle diagnostics can be connected to
a fleet management site depending on the type of GPS installed in the vehicle.

Fleet management, usually thought of to only encompass vans, trucks and cars,
can also cover a great deal more. Ships on the open ocean can also
benefit greatly from fleet management. These ships are usually given to
various fleet managing companies that will handle various obligations
such as maintenance, crewing, and other daily operational functions.

This enables the owner of a particular ship to focus on other aspects like
cargo booking and various services which ships provide.

It has been proven that fleet management is an extremely effective tool for businessv.
Not only does it save time and money, but it helps a company to run far more efficiently.
Fleet management has evolved into a high-tech,
low-cost marvel that no fleet should be without.