How to choose IT asset management software

The questions to ask

Most tools cover the basics: a record per device with a status, a location and a person. The differences show up in where the data lives, what the bill looks like in three years and what happens when you stop paying. Ask these before you read a feature list.

Where does the data live, and who can reach it?

Self-hosted on your own server, or hosted in the vendor's cloud. Either can be right, but know which you are buying. If it is hosted, ask where the data is held, who at the vendor can see it, and what the product sends home. If it is self-hosted, ask what it needs from the network and whether it sends telemetry.

Can I export everything, at any time?

The register is a map of your estate. You should be able to take a complete copy in a plain format such as CSV or JSON, on any tier, without asking the vendor. Check whether history and attachments come with it, or are at least covered by a backup you control.

What does it cost as the estate grows?

Pricing is usually per asset, per device, per seat or per organisation. Per-asset pricing means the bill rises each time you record more of what you own, which discourages recording it. Work out the cost at twice your current size before you sign.

Does it feed itself?

A register that depends on someone typing every new device falls behind. If your devices are in Microsoft Intune, Jamf or another management system, ask whether the tool can pull from it, whether that pull is read-only, and what happens to a device that is already in the register: does it match on serial number, or create a duplicate?

Labels and scanning

Can it print labels with a code that opens the record, and can a phone read them? Labels for rooms as well as devices make a location auditable from its doorway.

Audits

Ask how a physical audit is recorded: whether each confirmation is dated, whether there is a list of what is due, and whether that list can be worked from a phone rather than a printout.

Renewals

Warranty end dates and licence renewals should chase you. Ask what it sends, when, and where to: email, a chat webhook, a calendar feed.

Roles and single sign-on

Who can see, who can edit and who can administer. If you use Microsoft Entra ID or another identity provider, ask whether sign-in can go through it and whether roles come from your directory groups. Ask what the break-glass path is if the identity provider is down.

Backups and restore

Ask how it is backed up and, more usefully, how it is restored. A backup that has never been restored is untested. Encrypted archives and an offsite copy are worth having.

What happens when you stop paying?

Read this part of the terms. The answer you want is that the data stays readable and exportable, and that any lock is on paid features rather than on the register itself.

Is there a mobile app?

A browser on a phone is fine for lookups. Scanning, audits and adding kit from the shelf are much easier in an app. Ask which platforms, whether it needs a separate account, and whether it costs extra.

What is the licence model?

For self-hosted software, ask whether it phones home, how often, and whether it works on an isolated network. Ask what a key is tied to and how you move it to a new server.

How Tagaris answers each

The same list, with our answers and the page that gives the detail.

Where the data lives. In your own PostgreSQL database on your own server. No telemetry; the one default outbound call is a daily version check, which can be turned off. See security and data control.
Export. On every tier: the whole register to CSV or JSON, and a full organisation export from Settings. Backups cover history and attachments.
Cost as you grow. Priced by seats, never by asset. The free tier is the owner plus unlimited view-only people, with every feature and no asset limit; Team licences add seats for the people who change things. See pricing.
Feeding itself. Device sync pulls managed devices from Microsoft Intune and Jamf, read-only, matched by serial number into a review queue. Free, and still in testing. See integrations.
Labels and scanning. Printable QR label sheets for assets and rooms. Any phone camera opens the record, and the mobile app scans in place. See QR labels and scanning.
Audits. A stock-take page lists what is due and records each confirmation on the asset with the date. The mobile app has an audit mode.
Renewals. A daily digest emails warranties, licences and domains due, kit past its replacement age and low stock. It can also post to a Slack or Teams webhook and publishes a calendar feed.
Roles and single sign-on. Single sign-on with Microsoft Entra ID, Okta, Google Workspace or any OpenID Connect provider, with directory groups mapped to roles, is on every plan. Admin, Editor and View only roles, access groups for particular jobs and site limits are built in; view-only people are free, and each person who can change things uses a seat. The owner account stays a local login as the break-glass path.
Backups and restore. Scheduled backups with in-app restore, passphrase encryption and offsite copies to S3-compatible storage, on the free tier.
When you stop paying. Every feature keeps working. After a 14-day grace period the seat holders are paused, not deleted, and come back on renewal; the owner and view-only people carry on. Export keeps working. See licensing.
Mobile app. Tagaris for iOS (iPhone and iPad) is on the App Store and Tagaris for Android is on Google Play. Both sign in with your own account and work on the free tier. See the mobile app.
Licence model. Keys activate once, then verify offline. Air-gapped servers use a licence file, and annual licences make no further licensing calls. See licensing.

Common questions

Is per-seat or per-asset pricing better for a small IT team?

For most small teams the number of people who need to sign in is small and stable, while the number of assets grows every time you record more of the estate. Per-seat pricing keeps the cost tied to the team. Per-asset pricing is only worth it if the tool does something per device that you value, such as agent-based monitoring.

Do I need a tool that scans the network?

Not for a register. Network discovery and monitoring tools find what is switched on and reachable. A register records what you own, who has it and what it cost, including kit in a drawer or with a leaver. Many organisations run both. Tagaris is a register and installs no agents; monitoring is the job of its sibling product, Fodaris.

Can we start on the free tier and upgrade later?

Yes. The Tagaris free tier is the owner plus unlimited view-only people in one organisation, with every feature and no asset limit, and it is not a trial. A Team licence adds seats for the people who change things. There is a 30-day Team trial on the pricing page. If a licence later lapses, every feature keeps working and the seat holders are paused, with the data intact.