How Mature Is Your Inventory? (Be Honest.)
Because if you're still using a spreadsheet from 2017, we need to talk.
In our last Benchmarks post, we talked about the chaos that comes from running IT without a living asset inventory—ghost devices, duplicate license spend, mystery software creeping in from the shadows. If you haven’t read that yet, go ahead. We’ll wait.
But if you’re here, let’s assume you’re past denial and are ready to ask the next question:
“Okay, how do we actually measure whether our inventory is working or worthless?”
Welcome to the Benchmark edition: how to track, score, and trend your asset visibility like a pro.
🧭 Why Inventory Maturity Matters
Having an asset inventory isn’t a checkbox—it’s a core benchmark that underpins everything else:
You can’t secure what you can’t see
You can’t budget for what you didn’t know you had
You can’t optimize licensing if you don’t know who’s using what
And you definitely can’t support long-term strategy if you’re guessing
So before you talk about zero trust, endpoint compliance, or cloud migration, check your foundation. That’s where inventory maturity lives.
📊 The IT Asset Inventory Maturity Scale (Now with Extra Truth Bombs)
Here’s how we break it down at Ferrous Equine Technologies:
🪦 Level 0: Spreadsheet Graveyard
What it looks like:
Someone created an Excel sheet once.
No one knows where it is. Or worse, everyone has a different copy.
Assets are missing serial numbers, statuses, owners, or even full names.
Nobody is responsible for keeping it updated.
It may list “Server Room – Big Dell Thing” as an actual asset.
What happens:
No one knows what's on the network.
Security and compliance are based on blind faith.
Budgeting? Total guesswork.
You’re basically one unexpected audit away from disaster.
✅ Score: 0/5
⚠️ Benchmark: You’re not tracking assets—you’re remembering them in prayer.
🧩 Level 1: Disconnected Tools & Tribal Knowledge
What it looks like:
IT has some asset info in a help desk tool.
Finance tracks hardware purchases separately.
Janet in HR has a list of laptops from onboarding… on a sticky note.
There’s no cross-system integration.
You ask 3 people what’s in use—you get 5 answers.
What happens:
Data conflicts cause procurement delays and duplicated spend.
No one knows what licenses are available or if devices are secure.
Offboarding is inconsistent, and devices walk away quietly.
Every hardware request feels like detective work.
✅ Score: 1/5
📉 Benchmark: Better than nothing. But still basically chaos with timestamps.
📋 Level 2: Manual Inventory with Process-ish
What it looks like:
There’s a designated spreadsheet or standalone inventory tool.
IT updates it when they remember—or when something breaks.
There’s a loose process tied to onboarding/offboarding.
Serial numbers, device types, and assigned users are mostly accurate.
Licenses are tracked manually or using Microsoft’s native reports.
What happens:
Asset data is semi-useful, but it gets out of date quickly.
Identifying unused or underused resources takes hours (or days).
There’s still a risk of overlap, waste, or security gaps.
You're not agile—you’re reactive.
✅ Score: 2/5
🛠️ Benchmark: Functional, but fragile. And your IT team hates maintaining it.
📡 Level 3: Active Inventory with Light Automation
What it looks like:
Asset data is pulled regularly from MDM/Intune, RMM tools, or discovery platforms.
Inventory updates are scheduled or automated.
Devices are tagged with owner, purpose, location, warranty, and license type.
Licenses are mapped to usage—maybe even tracked by department.
Some alerting for device retirement or renewal dates is in place.
What happens:
You can quickly answer: “Who has what?”
Orphaned licenses and devices are identified in a reasonable timeframe.
You’re positioned to make informed budgeting, refresh, and compliance decisions.
IT leadership can finally present real numbers to the CFO.
✅ Score: 3/5
🧭 Benchmark: Welcome to visibility. You’re not just surviving—you’re steering.
📈 Level 4: Fully Integrated & Operationalized
What it looks like:
Your inventory platform connects to help desk, procurement, HR, and licensing tools.
Device lifecycle, patch status, and compliance levels are visible in one place.
Software usage is tracked and cross-checked with license assignments.
Inventory feeds into onboarding/offboarding workflows automatically.
There’s a governance process and actual ownership (not just wishful thinking).
What happens:
You reclaim and reassign assets efficiently.
You reduce waste and can back it up with data.
You know your risk exposure and can prioritize mitigations.
Budget planning becomes realistic, not aspirational.
✅ Score: 4.5/5
💪 Benchmark: Mature, efficient, and scalable. You can finally breathe.
🧠 Level 5: Predictive, Preventative, and Near-Perfect (Unicorn Tier)
What it looks like:
Your inventory platform proactively flags unused licenses, aging devices, and risky endpoints.
AI/automation workflows revoke access when employees leave, reissue laptops, and kick off patching.
Assets are tagged by business unit, location, criticality, and lifecycle stage.
IT and Finance share dashboards that forecast needs before they happen.
Stakeholders trust your data because it’s consistently right.
What happens:
Asset visibility drives security, cost optimization, and operational resilience.
You avoid renewals and audits with confidence, not caffeine.
Strategic planning becomes fast, data-driven, and aligned to actual business value.
Your asset inventory is not just a list—it’s a living intelligence layer.
✅ Score: 5/5
🦄 Benchmark: Rare air. But absolutely possible—with the right tools and team.
🔄 Benchmarking Inventory Over Time
This isn’t a one-and-done thing. We recommend setting a quarterly or biannual review cadence where you:
Audit your current inventory status
Identify any drift or gaps in visibility
Compare actual asset count vs. expected
Validate inactive devices or licenses for return
Report asset maturity as part of strategic IT dashboards
Bonus: It gives you measurable progress to show stakeholders. Nothing says “we’re leveling up” like moving from Level 1 to Level 3 and cutting your licensing waste by 25%.
🐴 What We Do at Ferrous Equine
When we run assessments, we don’t just hand you a report—we benchmark your asset health against best practices and build an action plan to:
Consolidate inventory sources
Automate updates where possible
Integrate asset tracking into onboarding/offboarding
Establish a sustainable review cycle
And help you move up the maturity ladder without drowning in process
And yes, we do it all without judgment. We’ve seen everything from duct-taped spreadsheets to handwritten device logs. What matters is what you do next.
🎯 Final Thought: If You’re Not Measuring It, You’re Not Managing It
You wouldn’t run your finances without a ledger—or your horse without a saddle. (Okay maybe that one’s a stretch, but you get the idea.)
If your asset inventory is stuck at Level 0 or 1, it’s time to bring it up to speed. Not just so you can check a box, but so your entire IT strategy is built on real numbers, real visibility, and real control.
👉 Want us to benchmark your asset inventory and help you level up?
We’ll score it, clean it, and help you turn it into a living asset that actually earns its keep.