Yes we have considered cost benefit analysis. Small Business typically means you employ less than 50 people and have assets worth less than £ 5 Million. Below are the 6 tips for your next asset management system.

1. Get an asset management system that can take care of your Fixed (Including Asset Tracking) and IT Assets
2. Involve all the users right from the start to ensure you get a good adoption of the asset management software
3. An Out-of-the-Box configurable software is more suitable unless you are in a niche industry which requires software customisation
4. Pay close attention to ongoing costs of your asset management systems.
5. Choose an asset management system supplier who will value your business
6. Get clear idea (quality) of Software Support and Ongoing Costs

In the asset management systems market you will find that some suppliers focus on Fixed asset management and some on IT Asset Management. For a small business a more profitable approach is to choose an asset management system that allows you to manage fixed and IT Assets. This will enable you to get more return from your investment but also ensure that you have more visibility/control over most/all of your assets.

Most small businesses do this anyway but worth mentioning to involve your asset management system users right from the start. Most asset management systems have good user interface but your users are the best judge. So, please don’t cut corners here, as a small business full user adoption is very important to the successful management of your assets. Involve users during search, shortlist and demo stages of the selection.

Asset Management Systems comes in various configurable and customisable options. Just to be clear, configuration is changing field names and minor tweaks like getting the right reports. Customisation is deeper; it may involve adding small software features to incorporate your workflows in the Asset Management System. For a small business a standard software with almost negligible customisation would be more cost effective. Just to be clear, there are cases where customisation will save you significant overheads and in some cases even give you competitive advantage. Customisation comes at a higher cost and should only be considered if the return and the rewards are clear and tested.

From a supplier relationship perspective, choose an asset management system supplier who will value your business. Most companies have good account management protocols, as you know protocol is one thing and genuine care is another. Push hard on the small business references from your potential asset software suppliers to see if the supplier really cares.

Even after training, (like it or not) your users will require asset management system support. It is best to get stats of support team from the supplier before you sign the deal. Support will make a big difference to your asset management success so get those support stats. Ongoing Costs sometimes are hidden, just get every detail out and map out a 5 year journey with the supplier - additional users, cloud storage limits, support limits, training limits, new location, and customisation costs. Get clarity on all the possible future costs

Off course, all of this is hard and long work but your initial shortlist and comparison of asset management systems ( http://www.comparesoft.co.uk ) can be easy. Just visit us – it’s the easiest way to compare asset management software ( http://www.comparesoft.co.uk ) . You will even get video demonstrations and product brochures.