Asset Manager 2012 Enterprise Edition

by: CNET staff on July 28, 2010

Businesses, organizations, and others who have a lot of stuff going out all over the place need to know who's got what stuff where, not only to make sure it doesn't go missing, but also to maximize its usefulness and your return on investment; stuff isn't cheap. Kaizen Software's Asset Manager 2010 Enterprise Edition has an easy-to-apply answer to the problem of keeping track of stuff. This bar code label printer and manager creates custom bar codes that you can attach to equipment, materials, tools, supplies, and anything else that is all too portable. You can also attach manuals, service logs, and other records to maintain an easily accessed and updated database of all your assets.

At first run, Asset Manager searches your system and creates a database. The program's main window shows all bar codes issued for each category in a configurable tabular display. An icon-based toolbar makes it simple to edit bar codes and generate new ones. Tabs also call up categories in the navigation panel: Assets, Personnel, Vendors, and Reports. Each category displays tracked items in detail; for instance, Assets are displayed by Type and Location, and Types include Electronics, Furniture, Hardware, and, of course, Miscellaneous. The Reports tab has a series of common categories you can simply click to select; Asset Manager generates and prints an accurate, business-quality report for you. Though some might see this as an extra, we feel it's just the sort of primary feature that has potential to save time in actual use and helps make Asset Manager more of a productivity tool than simply a bar code application.

Like Kaizen's other software, Asset Manager is geared toward business users, but it has a wide range of other potential applications, such as clubs and community groups. The program is also available in a Standard Edition; the chief difference between the two editions is in refinements and extras, such as the ability to set automatic backups. Asset Manager isn't cheap, but it has the potential to pay for itself in protecting assets and improving productivity.

Editors' note: This is a review of the full version of Asset Manager 2010 Enterprise Edition 1.0.1092. The trial version is limited to 10 records.

With Asset Manager 2012 Enterprise Edition, you can check out computers and equipment to employees and always know who to call when you need an item returned. Set a due date during the check out process, and then run reports to find the overdue assets. It features track an unlimited number of assets, attach pictures, owner's manuals, and other files easily, print barcodes for your assets, or use existing barcodes to identify your assets, check items out to employees, and maintain a full history of ownership, print and save asset reports in a variety of formats, perform a fixed asset stock take, and track related vendors and contacts.

What's new in this version: Version 1.0.1148 adds a new "Paper Size" option, "Auto Continuous", for cases in which the print driver doesn't list a suitable paper size for printing barcode labels to a continuous feed printer.

From CNET. Electronics product reviews and advice for best reference

Posted in: Asset,Edition,Enterprise,Manager