AssetCenter
Asset systems of record
Turning scattered spreadsheets and purchase records into a dependable source for identity, custody, location, cost, and condition.
Author
Jeremy Francis
Founder & CEO, AssetCenter
Jeremy Francis is the founder and CEO of AssetCenter and writes practical guides about asset records, equipment custody, and lifecycle management.
Jeremy Francis on XFirst-hand perspective
Jeremy Francis is the founder and CEO of AssetCenter, a timeline-first asset tracking platform for teams managing equipment, devices, vehicles, tools, people, locations, and subscriptions.
He writes from the first-hand work of building AssetCenter and documenting how asset inventories, assignments, maintenance, costs, and lifecycle events fit together for small and midsize teams.
Equipment custody and lifecycle
Designing practical receiving, assignment, checkout, maintenance, recovery, and retirement workflows.
Identification and scanning
Connecting asset tags, barcodes, and QR codes to records that preserve the full history of an item.
Published work
Guides by Jeremy Francis
Introducing AssetCenter for iPhone and iPad
AssetCenter is now on the App Store. Scan asset tags, record what happens to your equipment, and keep every timeline current from your iPhone or iPad.
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IT onboarding checklist: devices, accounts, and access for new hires
An IT onboarding checklist for new employees: what to prepare before day one, the device handoff and policy acknowledgment, accounts and access, and week-one checks.
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Depreciation methods: the four types, with formulas and examples
Straight-line, declining balance, sum-of-years' digits and units of production compared, with formulas, one asset worked through each, and how to choose.
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Depreciation journal entries: how to record depreciation, with examples
How to record depreciation in the general journal: the periodic entry, partial years, and the entries for selling, scrapping or retiring a fixed asset.
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Fully depreciated assets: what it means and what to do next
A fully depreciated asset has reached its salvage value and takes no more depreciation. See how it stays on the books, how to retire one, and what to check.
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Net book value: formula, examples, and what it means
Net book value is an asset's cost minus accumulated depreciation. See the formula, worked examples, and how it differs from market value and tax basis.
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Is inventory a current asset? Classification, examples, and exceptions
Inventory is a current asset because it is held for sale within the operating cycle. See what counts as inventory, how it differs from equipment, and the exceptions.
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Appliance life expectancy: how long appliances last in a rental
How long refrigerators, ranges, dishwashers, washers, water heaters and HVAC equipment typically last, why rentals differ, and how to plan replacements unit by unit.
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Church inventory: what to track, with a free template
How to take a church inventory: what to list room by room, the fields insurers and trustees need, how to record donated items and loans, and a free template.
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Equipment loan agreement: free template for lending equipment
A free equipment loan agreement for lending cameras, laptops, AV and tools to students, members or staff, with the clauses on return, damage and loss to include.
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Rental property inventory checklist and condition form
A free rental property inventory and condition form for move-in and move-out, what to record in each room, and how to keep appliance details from unit to unit.
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Tool inventory spreadsheet: free template and what to record
A free tool inventory spreadsheet for Excel or Google Sheets, with the columns insurers, theft reports and warranty claims need, and how to keep it current.
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Tool sign-out sheet: free template and the rules that make it work
A free tool sign-in and sign-out sheet for Excel or print, the columns it needs, and the rules that make crews fill it in so tools come back from jobs.
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Tool tracking systems: how contractors keep track of tools
Sign-out sheets, barcode custody, Bluetooth tags, GPS and RFID compared: what each tool tracking system answers, what it costs, and where it breaks down.
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What are business assets? Types, examples, and how to list them
Business assets are what a company owns that has value: cash, receivables, inventory, equipment, property and intangibles. Types, examples and how to list them.
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Introducing the AssetCenter CLI: your inventory, in your terminal and in your AI agent's hands
The AssetCenter CLI puts assets, people, locations and subscriptions in your terminal, and gives AI agents a safe, scoped way to work with your inventory.
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Tool crib management: how to run a tool crib that keeps its tools
What a tool crib is, staffed versus self-service cribs, how to issue and return tools, inspections and calibration, and the records that stop tools going missing.
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How to run a medical equipment loan closet
A practical guide for volunteers and nonprofits running a medical equipment loan closet: what to stock, intake, cleaning, lending records, and getting items back.
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What is a fixed asset? Definition, examples, and how they are accounted for
A fixed asset is a physical item a business owns and uses for more than a year. See examples, what does not count, capitalization thresholds, and depreciation.
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How to determine the useful life of an asset
Useful life is how long a business expects to use an asset. Learn the factors, a step-by-step method, reference lives for common assets, and how to revise it.
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Depreciation expense: what it is, how to calculate it, and where it goes
Depreciation expense is the part of an asset's cost charged to one period. See whether it is an operating expense, the formula, a worked example, and the entry.
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Loaner laptop program: how to run one without losing devices
Set up a loaner laptop pool with a clean build, a checkout record and return date, a copyable loan agreement, and a return check that gets devices back.
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Company device policy: acceptable use rules for laptops and phones
What a company device policy covers for laptops, phones and tablets, with a copyable template, example clauses, and how to tie it to device handoffs.
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Accumulated depreciation: what it is, how to calculate it, and where it goes
Accumulated depreciation is a contra-asset with a credit balance that reduces equipment on the balance sheet. See the formula, a worked example, and entries.
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Hardware asset management (HAM): a practical guide for small IT teams
Hardware asset management tracks every laptop, phone, and device from purchase to disposal. Learn the lifecycle, the data to keep, and the tools for small teams.
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What is a perpetual license, and how is it different from a subscription?
A perpetual license lets you use one version of software indefinitely after a one-time purchase. Compare it with subscriptions and learn what to record.
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Salvage value: definition, formula, and examples for business assets
Salvage value is what a business expects to recover from an asset at the end of its useful life. Learn how to estimate it and how it affects depreciation.
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Asset disposal: process, checklist, and recordkeeping
Build an asset disposal process with clear approvals, data sanitization, transfer evidence, accounting handoff, and a copyable disposal form.
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Introducing the AssetCenter API
The AssetCenter API is here. Connect your tools to assets, people, locations, and subscriptions, automate workflows, and get started with our developer guide.
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Equipment maintenance log: free spreadsheet template and example
Build an equipment maintenance log with the right service, cost, meter, evidence, and follow-up fields. Download the Excel template or print the PDF.
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7 Best Asset Management Software Platforms in 2026
Compare seven physical asset management software platforms by operating model, lifecycle records, field workflows, implementation, pricing, and fit.
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Fixed asset depreciation schedule: guide, example, and template
Build a fixed asset depreciation schedule with cost, salvage value, useful life, annual expense, accumulated depreciation, and book value.
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Is equipment a current asset? Classification, examples, and exceptions
Operational equipment is a non-current asset. The exceptions are equipment held for resale, items expensed under policy, and assets held for sale. See examples.
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Free IT inventory management software: 6 options compared
Compare six free IT inventory tools by what the free tier actually includes, where the asset and user limits bite, and which ones are really trials.
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GPS tool tracking: when it works, and what to use instead
Work out which tools justify a GPS tracker, where Bluetooth tags and custody records do the job better, and why tracking the container usually wins.
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RFID asset tracking: what it costs, and when barcodes are enough
Work out whether RFID asset tracking earns its infrastructure, what a real system costs beyond the tags, and when printed barcode labels do the same job.
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Software license management: a guide for small IT teams
Keep a software license register that survives renewals: the records a small IT team needs, who owns each one, and where a spreadsheet stops being enough.
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GPS tracking for construction and heavy equipment
Match GPS trackers to excavators, loaders, attachments and small tools by power source, reporting cadence, coverage and the workflow behind them.
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How to automate employee offboarding without losing the equipment
Identity offboarding is automated; equipment recovery usually is not. What offboarding automation covers, where it stops, and how to close the gap.
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What is Apple Business, and how does it help with employee onboarding?
Apple Business replaced Apple Business Manager in April 2026. What it does for device onboarding, where it stops, and how it fits an asset record.
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GPS tracking devices for equipment: a buyer's guide
Compare GPS tracking devices for equipment by power source, reporting interval, coverage, installation, software, and total operating cost.
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Trailer GPS tracker: selection and rollout guide
Choose a trailer GPS tracker by battery life, reporting frequency, coverage, mounting, software, and total cost, then pilot a practical rollout.
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Employee offboarding checklist for IT and operations
An employee offboarding checklist covering the full sequence, with the equipment half in depth: assignments, returns, condition, and unresolved exceptions.
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Asset audit: how to run a physical inventory count
Run an asset audit end to end: plan the physical count, record observations and discrepancies, reconcile them with the register, and approve corrections safely.
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When and how to migrate an asset spreadsheet into a managed system
Recognize when an asset spreadsheet has been outgrown, then clean, map, import, validate, and reconcile it without losing identifiers or custody history.
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7 best IT asset management software platforms in 2026
Compare seven IT asset management platforms by inventory method, lifecycle depth, service workflows, deployment model, pricing, and best-fit team.
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IT asset lifecycle management: stages, controls, and checklist
A small-team IT asset lifecycle: plan, receive, deploy, support, recover, and retire devices with a named owner and required evidence at every handoff.
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Equipment checkout software: a buyer's guide
Learn how equipment checkout software tracks custody, returns and condition, which features matter, and when a simple checkout system is enough.
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What is IT asset management (ITAM)? A guide
What IT asset management means for a small IT team: which assets and records to track first, the lifecycle, the tools involved, and a practical ITAM process.
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Asset tags for equipment: materials, barcodes, and placement
Choose durable asset tags for equipment, compare barcode, QR and RFID options, create a numbering system, and avoid common placement mistakes.
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How barcode asset tracking works: labels, scanners and setup
Learn how barcode asset tracking connects labels to records, which hardware small teams need, and how to pilot scans, updates, and exceptions.
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What is an asset register? Guide + free template
An asset register is the maintained record of what an organization owns and who holds it. See which fields to keep, an example row, and a free template.
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Simple asset management: a five-step process that lasts
Keep asset management simple with five steps: limit the first scope, name one owner, standardize the record, update during real work, and review exceptions.
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Nonprofit asset management software: a selection guide
Choose nonprofit asset management software for durable equipment, custody, program locations, funding context, maintenance, and disposition records.
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How to choose fixed asset management software for a small business
Compare what fixed asset management software for small business should track, when a spreadsheet is enough, and where accounting software still fits.
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7 best construction asset management software platforms in 2026
Compare seven construction asset management platforms for tool tracking, telematics, equipment maintenance, job costing, published pricing, and best-fit contractor.
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Asset tracking for schools: a rollout guide
Plan school asset tracking across campuses with clear ownership, durable tags, checkouts, repair evidence, physical checks, and year-end recovery.
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