Asset tagging is fixing a durable label with a unique ID to each device. The label shows it as text and a barcode or QR code; your record holds the same ID. Look up a scanned ID to see what the device is, who has it, and where it belongs.
We build SherpaDesk, a helpdesk and PSA (professional services automation) a small IT team can run alone. For MSPs and internal IT teams: No contract. No implementation project. No dedicated admin. The steps below work with a spreadsheet or any asset tool.
Key takeaways
Definition
Asset tagging is giving each device a unique ID, fixing that ID to the device as a label people and scanners can read, and storing it on its record. The label and the record then point to each other, one to one.
An asset tagging system is the tags plus that record. GS1, the barcode standards body, defines an identifier for this job, a computer included. NIST ties preventing duplicate accounting of components to "a unique identifier for each component." A laptop already carries two other identifiers, each built for a different job.
| Identifier | Who sets it | Does it change? | Where it lives |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asset ID | You | By your rule, never, even when the device moves | The tag, your record, optionally the BIOS or device console |
| Serial number | The manufacturer | Rarely; long, and the format varies by brand | The maker's label and your record |
| Machine name | Your naming rule | Often, with renames and rebuilds | The OS and your RMM |
The record holds the rest: model, user, location, status. Our IT asset inventory guide covers those fields; this guide covers the label.
California's state property manual gives four purposes: designate ownership, "facilitate accounting for the property," aid identification if it's lost or stolen, and discourage theft. Add a fifth: faster helpdesk calls, because "AF-0017" is easier to read out than a long serial.
Asset tagging with one ID also helps prevent duplicate records, one filed by serial and one by machine name.
Not everyone uses asset tags. One r/sysadmin member's team dropped them. Their reason: "Intune and our asset tracking system removed the need for tags for ID purposes since, as you said, serial numbers are clearly visible these days." That works when every device reports into one console. Tag anything that doesn't, and anything a person signs for.
Material and build are separate choices: a metal or polyester tag can also be tamper-evident. For asset tagging an office fleet, pre-printed metal or metallized tags fit most devices; for student Chromebooks, add engraving or the console ID.
| Option | Choose it when | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Paper label | A stopgap until the real tag arrives | Not made for daily handling |
| Polyester or vinyl from your own printer | You add devices weekly and want same-day tags | Wears where hands rest |
| Pre-printed metallized polyester or foil | You buy in batches and can order numbered rolls | Reorder before the number range runs out |
| Anodized aluminum or metal | Gear that should keep its tag for life | Hard to remove at resale or recycling |
| Tamper-evident (VOID or destructible) | You need to see that a tag was removed | Shows removal; doesn't stop it |
| Engraving or etching | Student devices where stickers vanish | Permanent; hard to undo at resale |
On durable labels, an r/sysadmin reply noted: "The metal ones are really hard to get off in one piece." Another: "The tamper evident ones remove 100x easier than the metal ones".
Barcode or QR code. Either works if it encodes the ID and nothing else. A QR code carries error correction that can "restore data if the code is dirty or damaged." Print the ID in text beside the code.
Example: Alder & Finch, an accounting firm your MSP supports, starts asset tagging 42 laptops, three printers, two switches, and a firewall.
California asks each agency to weigh cost against benefit and include sensitive or high-risk property. A workable rule: tag what leaves the building, what a person signs for, and what sits in a rack.
Example: 48 tags. Shared monitors and docks stay untagged; an issued dock would get its own ID.
Common mistake: tagging every mouse, then giving up by week three.
Use a short prefix and a fixed-width number: AF-0001, not AF-1. The number never changes when the device moves; California writes that rule into its manual. Never reuse a retired number. Stay at ten characters or fewer with no spaces, Dell's limit for the BIOS asset tag.
Example: AF-0001 to AF-0048. The next laptop order starts at AF-0049.
Common mistake: a room or user in the ID. AF-ACCT-JSMITH is wrong the day John changes desks.
Print the ID large, its barcode or QR code, and, if you want finders to call, an owner line. One r/sysadmin member at a 1,000-user company: "We keep it to 5 digit numbers + company name and main tel #."
Leave off the user's name, the machine name, and the warranty date; they change. Another member warned that a branded tag plus a name on the lock screen ties a lost laptop to a person and a company. If that worries you, print the ID and a phone number only.
Example: "Property of Alder & Finch", AF-0017, a QR code holding only "AF-0017", and the firm's main number.
Common mistake: encoding a link to your current tool. Change tools and the codes break.
California wants tags "in plain sight and easy to read." A label manufacturer in an r/sysadmin thread advised: "Put it in the lowest wear area that is still easily visible on each asset." The placement table applies that per device. Clean the spot as the label maker directs.
Example: every laptop gets its tag beside the serial label on the bottom panel.
Common mistake: covering the serial label, a vent, or a hatch opened for repairs.
Scan each tag into its record before picking up the next one. One r/sysadmin member's routine: "You put the asset tag on, scan the bar code then scan the bar code of the serial number." For Chromebooks, turn on Asset identifier during enrollment, and Google prompts for the asset ID and location. For Dell PCs, Dell Command | Configure sets the asset tag in the BIOS.
Example: AF-0017 scanned, serial scanned, user and location set in one pass.
Common mistake: tagging all 48 devices on Friday and typing the list on Monday.
Scan the tag back right away and search by that ID. It must find the right record, and the serial there must match the device's label. At later checks, FSU's guide asks you to confirm the tag is "firmly attached and not faded or torn" and the location on record is accurate.
Example: 46 of 48 scans match. AF-0013 and AF-0031 sit on each other's laptops, fixed on the spot.
Common mistake: counting beeps instead of checking records.
Placement decides whether asset tagging survives a school year. Sam Houston State puts tags on top of desktops, the bottom of laptops, and the back of tablets. The University of Illinois often places them near the serial number.
| Device | Where | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Staff laptop | Bottom panel, beside the serial label | Low wear; both IDs in one look |
| Laptop users read out by phone | Back of the lid | Readable with the lid closed |
| Student Chromebook | Bottom, plus the ID in the Google Admin console | Visible tags get peeled |
| Desktop | Front or top of the case | Readable without moving it |
| Tablet or phone | Back of the device, under the case | Cases get swapped |
| Rack gear | A fixed spot on the front | Scannable without unracking |
| Printer | Front or side, clear of trays and doors | Readable where it stands |
| Monitor or dock, if issued | Back of the monitor, top of the dock | Out of the way, still visible |
Every asset tagging program loses tags. Reprint the same ID: the number belongs to the device. Note the date and reason on the record.
In schools, students peel asset tags. One r/k12sysadmin poster had "to replace over 200 tags on a fleet of 700 devices" in a year. The top answer: store the number where students can't reach it. Google's asset ID field holds it, and Alt + V before sign-in shows it on an enrolled device. Its author's verdict: "That way if they peel the sticker off, it doesn’t matter."
Another reply called it "a behavioral/discipline issue." Put the rule on removal in the student handbook before the next handout. For 1:1 programs, see our school asset management software guide.
At disposal, remove the tag and retire the record; our asset lifecycle guide covers the rest.
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Send this with every order, so roll 3 matches roll 1.
Track three asset tagging numbers per site or school, each term or quarter:
With no neutral benchmark, compare each site with its last check.
How this works in SherpaDesk
It's a helpdesk and PSA a small IT team can run alone. In Asset Manager, every asset has a unique ID, a Category, Type, Make, and Model, and any custom fields you add. You assign it to an account, a location, and a user, and it keeps its log history. The asset management page says you can scan a barcode or QR code to locate, update, and assign assets.
Chromebooks sync from Google Device Manager with serial number, MAC address, and device ID mapped. An asset auditor assigned to a location verifies its assets or marks them missing.
For MSPs and internal IT teams, Asset Manager comes with High Camp: $55 per agent per month ($50 billed annually). No contract, 14 days free, no card.
Schools are priced by student enrollment; ask sales for a quote.
Who this isn't for
This asset tagging guide doesn't cover fixed-asset tags for depreciation or live tracking by RFID or GPS. For the records, compare tools in our IT asset management software guide.
An asset tag is a label that carries an ID you assign, printed in text and encoded as a barcode or QR code. The same ID sits on the device's record. Unlike a serial number, you choose its format; unlike a machine name, it never changes.
Yes, when every device reports into one console and nobody reads IDs aloud. Serials are long and vary by maker, so a short ID such as AF-0017 is easier for users, teachers, and auditors. Record both (step 5).
On the bottom panel beside the manufacturer's serial label: low wear, and both IDs read in one look. If users read the ID to your helpdesk by phone, use the back of the lid. Don't cover a vent or the regulatory label.
Either works if it holds only the ID. A QR code's error correction can restore data from a dirty or damaged code, which helps on handled devices. Print the ID in text beside either, for the day the scanner is elsewhere.
Move the tag to the bottom and enter the same ID in the Google Admin console's asset ID field, at enrollment or later. Alt + V before sign-in on an enrolled device then shows it. Also consider engraving and a handbook rule on removal.
Patrick co-founded SherpaDesk and has led it as CEO since 2013. He has worked with IT service providers since 1998, first on network projects for schools and government offices, then on the helpdesk software their technicians use every day.