Help convince CTO desktop peripheral are consumables and not assets to be tagged

[u/No-Barber964]

Our company has been asset tagging everything at a desk to ensure that we can control the full lifecycle of hardware from procurement to disposal.

I’m trying to shift our process for the desk level hardware to only tag monitors as an asset and make keyboards/mouse, webcam, docking stations as consumables that we wouldn’t asset tag and only classify as consumables to track inventory levels

Our cto is consented we will loose visibility into where things are going and why we have to continually purchase more hardware when the firm isn’t growing

Any advice ?

Edit.. to add more context on the dollar amount of each model as many are saying to set a $ threshold

Monitor - $350 Headset - $250 Webcam- $160 Docking station - $100 Keyboard/mouse - $60

[u/Candid_Ad5642]

Not sure Docking stations should be considered consumables though

[u/JudgeCastle → u/Candid_Ad5642]

Agreed. The dock stays on the desk regardless the person. The keyboard and mouse is new with every user. Could even do the cameras into.

IMO anything that gets replaced with new user isn’t an asset. It’s a consumable.

[u/Geno0wl → u/JudgeCastle]

...you replace keyboard and mice when people change positions? we just like...clean them.

[u/ozzie286 → u/Geno0wl]

You clean them?

[u/Randalldeflagg → u/ozzie286]

This how we clean them: 1) Into the IT recycle pile that gets picked up once a quarter. 2) Issue new unused keyboard, mouse, headphones. 3) Profit/Loss?

I've seen me eat at my desk, Yeah, no. user get new equipment for the things they will touch daily.

[u/LOLBaltSS → u/Randalldeflagg]

I worked at a place that let people chew tobacco, so many spit cups.

[u/Geno0wl → u/LOLBaltSS]

My previous boss used to use chewing tobacco constantly. He also used to drink multiple cups of coffee every day from this certain local place. That is relevant because he used to use his empty cups for the spit while also drinking a fresh cup, frequently right next to his spit cup. And yes if you guessed he would accidentally "drink" from the spit cup occasionally then take a prize. Somehow that gross thing didn't deter his daily routine though....

[u/paradox183 → u/ozzie286]

You give them keyboards and mice??

[u/Geno0wl → u/paradox183]

yeah we just moved to Apple Vision Pro for everybody

[u/nikomo → u/Geno0wl]

Encourage them to use them while driving to work, you'll get way less tech support requests after the first week.

[u/FaulteredReality → u/paradox183]

You guys are getting computers?

[u/MalletNGrease → u/FaulteredReality]

You guys get desks?

[u/saltysomadmin → u/MalletNGrease]

We give our new-hires a rock and a chisel.

[u/TinyNiceWolf → u/saltysomadmin]

A chisel? Don't they have fingernails?

[u/saltysomadmin → u/TinyNiceWolf]

Excellent point

[u/Xaan83 → u/TinyNiceWolf]

Still too expensive. Imagination-only shops would scoff at your IT budget

[u/Jaybone512 → u/saltysomadmin]

...a hole in the middle of the road!

[u/wild-hectare → u/ozzie286]

eeww

[u/KAugsburger → u/Geno0wl]

A cheap keyboard is ~$10. The savings to clean the keyboard versus replacing it aren't dramatic unless you are using some relatively pricey keyboards. Maybe it is worth reusuing if you have relatively high turnover and it is still pretty clean. You also cut down on complaints if you just always replace them.

[u/Torisen → u/KAugsburger]

It's the mountains of e-waste garbage we're trying to cut down on, they're not that hard to clean.

[u/teksean → u/Geno0wl]

Oh I just flashed back to when I had to clean mouse balls back in the 90s to get them working again. So freaking gross. As soon as the newer optical mice came out I tossed every one of those things in the trash and cut the cords to keep the users from bringing them back.

[u/rcp9ty → u/teksean]

Why didn't you keep the mouse balls for cube warfare... there may or may not be some holes in drywall that were the result of mice ... XD Also, I cut the cables on anything that doesn't work so its not confused with "used" working equipment.

[u/teksean → u/rcp9ty]

It was not that fun where I was. Yup, I chopped the cables, too many of them tried to keep the old mice as a backup.

[u/wazza_the_rockdog → u/teksean]

I can imagine a dedicated user dredging the cut-cable mouse out of the bin, stripping the cables back and twisting them together to get it working again....and still putting in a support request that it isn't working properly.

[u/teksean → u/wazza_the_rockdog]

That is why they went in my bucket. I thought the same thing and them tossed the mouse balls in a different barrel. As they brought in laptops I would just grab the old mouse and give them the new one. No returns. It was a whole thing. Way more bother than it should have been.

[u/netburnr2 → u/Geno0wl]

A new kb is cheaper than the labor rate to clean them store them and retrieve them.

[u/Saritiel → u/netburnr2]

And the companies demanding this are always the ones who provide thin little membrane things made out of the cheapest plastic known to man that come with pre-stuck keys out of the box so you don't have to spill soda on them yourself.

[u/netburnr2 → u/Saritiel]

We have piles of Dell ones, I think they multiply when you put them in the closet together.

[u/Geno0wl → u/netburnr2]

I mean I get that. But also we don't want to put even more plastic trash out into the world unless we have to

[u/Cold-Cap-8541 → u/netburnr2]

Also giving someone a new keyboard/mouse is the surest way to prevent a support desk call and dispatch to replace the old one in 6-12 months.

The total cost: employee down time, helpdesk call, dispatching someone to install the new mouse/keyboard, dragging back the damaged equipment. Plus now you need to replenish inventory - one off paperwork/approvals/shipping etc.

Great work 'saving' the company $50, while costing it $50 anyway + labour costs.

[u/primorusdomus → u/netburnr2]

This - and we don’t replace a keyboard or mouse every time a new pc goes out so yes we have lots. We order 300 pc’s a year so we get 300 each of new devices. And some need an ergonomic keyboard so we just went +1. And some need a wireless, a narrow one, etc.

We got rid of a couple of hundred new keyboards and we still have 500+.

[u/Taikunman → u/Geno0wl]

We've got a whole shelf stacked to the ceiling with those cheap keyboards that come with Dell workstations. Not worth my time to clean old ones so they just go in the garbage.

I sure as hell wouldn't want to use someone else's old peripherals.

[u/WhiskyEchoTango → u/Geno0wl]

I have seen some of my user keyboards. I'm allergic to most hand sanitizers, and I sanitize and wash after touching them. You cannot pay me enough not to replace a keyboard. I'm not paying people to spend an hour cleaning a keyboard when we have many more importanter jobs.

[u/af_cheddarhead → u/WhiskyEchoTango]

This is why I purchase my own keyboard and mouse, not to mention that the work procured ones are the cheapest, crappiest ones ever made.

Mine aren't even the most expensive out there, just a Logitech Wave Keys and MX Master S mouse.

[u/apoplexis → u/af_cheddarhead]

That's also my way in my shared desk environment. I am currently using an MX Master S2 and a G915 as daily drivers at work instead of the crappy Dell Mouse+Keyboard Wireless set that's provided.

[u/Geno0wl → u/WhiskyEchoTango]

it doesn't take an hour to clean a keyboard and mouse with a Cloxor wipe. If something was THAT dirty we would just pitch it.

[u/Johnny_BigHacker → u/Geno0wl]

I like to spitshine them with my toungue

[u/avowed → u/Johnny_BigHacker]

They're the best flavor savers! So many nooks and crannies!

[u/Legionof1 → u/Geno0wl]

hurk

[u/TravestyTravis → u/Legionof1]

Right?!

[u/RoosterBrewster → u/Geno0wl]

All the gunk under keys and built up sweat residue in the plastic seams too?

[u/BigSlug10 → u/Geno0wl]

if you've ever taken apart a keyboard/mouse and looked at the filth... God no.

I'm not a what I would consider an 'overly clean' person by any means. But I don't want second hand stuff with years of someone else's (or multiple peoples) caked up oil, hair and skin on my stuff. gross.

To the OP. Just take off all the keys on an older one and stick it on your bosses desk, they will change their mind set real quick

[u/ilrosewood → u/Geno0wl]

Gross