Why AssetCentral for ITAM

AlphaPoint Technology, Inc. (OTCBB. APPO) Goes Freemium – Free Account and New Premium Plans Added, Enterprise Plan Remains

New York, NY – March 12, 2012 AlphaPoint Technology, Inc. (OTCBB: APPO.OB - News) has moved to a freemium pricing plan for their Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) and IT Asset Management Software (ITAM) software solution as a part of ongoing growth. With the new plans, businesses and organizations can enjoy either a free, complete basic version of the service or one of the new premium plans that offer advanced features and greater integration.

AlphaPoint’s new forever free (“freemium”) plan offers the tools needed to centralize an organization’s DCIM/ITAM initiative across applications, networks, servers and databases and track each asset through its lifecycle. Its ideal for those interested in taking that first step towards a more efficient and compliant organization.

In addition to the new freemium plan, the new premium plans are offered in several tiers with various pricing levels to fit specific needs from a basic plan targeted towards data center consultants up to an unlimited enterprise-level package. All premium plan customers will receive a 30-day free trial of their chosen plan.

“Our new freemium plan allows for organizations of all sizes to effectively manage and track their data center and non-data center assets,” said Gary Macleod, President and CEO of AlphaPoint. “We have always believed that IT asset tracking should not be reserved for only large company’s who could afford to pay the price. By allowing all to use our service, we can help raise the efficiency posture of the entire neighborhood.”

By signing up for the premium plans, customers will enjoy business-specific features including integration with additional tools and services, an open API, email & phone support, bug tracker integration, and much more. Additionally, tools such as custom fields and reporting will help businesses and organizations stay abreast of their overall vulnerability management performance. The pricing levels are specifically designed to create ideal niches for customers ranging from small and mid-market companies to enterprises with large-scale DCIM/ITAM needs.

AlphaPoint’s flagship DCIM/ITAM solution AssetCentral assists companies in managing and tracking thousands of their assets. Customers include a list of top brands that choose AlphaPoint for their unique approach to managing data center and non-data center IT assets.

About AlphaPoint Technology:

From its headquarters in Tampa, Florida, AlphaPoint aims to be a leading provider of DCIM and ITAM solutions. AlphaPoint Technologies, Inc. provides Data Center and IT Asset Management Software.  AssetCentral is a cutting-edge, easy-to-use, web-based IT Asset Management (ITAM software) and Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM software) solution that empowers IT professionals to simplify data center operations, streamline processes, implement best practices, improve service delivery, mitigate risk, and help drive Green Data Center Initiatives. To learn more, please contact AlphaPoint Technology.

Forward-Looking Statements:

The statements in the press release that relate to the Company’s expectations with regard to the future impact on the Company’s results from acquisitions or actions in development are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The statements in this document may also contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. When used in this press release, the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “may,” “intend,” “expect” and similar expressions identify such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in such statements. Such risks, uncertainties, and factors include, but are not limited to, future capital needs, changes, and delays in product development plans and schedules, or market acceptance.

Media Contact:
Jay Letendre
AlphaPoint Technology, Inc.
941-907-8822
jletendre@alphapoint-us.com
 

AlphaPoint Technology, Inc. Goes Freemium

AlphaPoint Technology, Inc. (OTCBB: APPO.OB) Receives Approval from FINRA to Begin Trading and Secures DTC Eligibility for Shares on the OTCBB

Tampa, Florida – (BUSINESS WIRE) – AlphaPoint Technology, Inc. (OTCBB: APPO.OB) is pleased to announce that FINRA approved its OTCBB application and it has attained DTC eligibility for its stock.

AlphaPoint’s strategy is predicated on its acquisition of targeted enterprises led by innovative management teams, which together can build upon a shared commitment to providing compliant, cost-effective and environmentally-responsible solutions for Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM software) and IT Asset Management Software (ITAM software). Through this platform of acquisitions, AlphaPoint expects to extend its reach and to offer existing and future clients a suite of enhanced services; to incorporate best practices in data center management solutions and to invest in state-of-the-art DCIM and ITAM technologies.

“We are pleased to announce the approval from FINRA and the attainment of DTC eligibility,” Gary Macleod, Chairman and CEO, AlphaPoint Technology, Inc., states. “Our shares can now be traded through professional accounts giving access to liquidity and an expansion of the types of investors who can now consider our shares for investment.

About AlphaPoint Technology:

From its headquarters in Tampa, Florida, AlphaPoint aims to be a leading provider of DCIM and ITAM solutions. AlphaPoint Technologies, Inc. provides Data Center and IT Asset Management Software. AssetCentral is a cutting-edge, easy-to-use, web-based IT Asset Management (ITAM software) and Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM software) solution that empowers IT professionals to simplify data center operations, streamline processes, implement best practices, improve service delivery, mitigate risk, and help drive Green Data Center Initiatives.To learn more, visit www.alphapointtechnology.com.

Forward-Looking Statements:

The statements in the press release that relate to the Company’s expectations with regard to the future impact on the Company’s results from acquisitions or actions in development are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The statements in this document may also contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. When used in this press release, the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “may,” “intend,” “expect” and similar expressions identify such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in such statements. Such risks, uncertainties, and factors include, but are not limited to, future capital needs, changes, and delays in product development plans and schedules, or market acceptance.

Media Contact:
Jay Letendre
AlphaPoint Technology, Inc.
941-907-8822
jletendre@alphapoint-us.com
 

AlphaPoint Technology, Inc. Receives Approval from FINRA

Verifying Your Asset Repository

Jay Letendre, Vice President of Business Development at AlphaPoint Technology

So your organization has selected, deployed and populated an ITAM solution. As an organization you have designed and updated your internal policies and procedures to ensure that your current DC Installs, Moves, Adds and Changes have been dutifully entered into the new system. It’s been a few months now and things are moving in a positive direction.

Then comes the day when you log into your ITAM solution and look up information pertaining to a particular asset when you notice something…. Its not there…How can that be you ask. We have been vigilant in making sure we follow policy and procedures. I know it’s in our database…isn’t it?

No matter how diligent your data center team is, some assets will eventually fall through the cracks. How can you decrease the chances of something like this from happening? Verify your ITAM database regularly.
No matter what type of asset tracking system you use, you should audit/verify your database to ensure its accuracy from time to time. Eventually:

• Technicians will grab assets off the dock and install them to close tickets
• Hardware will simply be misplaced or never scanned into the system
• Assets will be moved without anyone updating the system

Unintended changes recorded to your asset database will happen and should be expected from time to time. Therefore your organization should establish an audit process/schedule to check the accuracy and “true-up” the database on a regular basis. This is especially important if regulations such as Sarbanes-Oxley and HIPPA need to be adhered to.

Defining the Scope and Setting a Schedule

A popular option would be a “rolling” audit process, where a portion of your asset database is audited on a regular schedule or cycle. The cycle and scope of your audits will be based on the size of your organization and resources available such as staff on hand to complete the project. A good recommendation is to perform a monthly audit of your asset database. Try dividing your repository into twelve groups, and audit one group every month and don’t repeat a group until all groups have been audited. This ensures your entire asset environment is audited each year.

Obviously, I am providing a simple example here and you will have to look at the physical layout of your environment and determine an audit schedule that suits your particular organization and resources.

Collecting the Data

Collecting asset information during an audit should be fast and accurate. Depending on how you have your system set up, if you use RFID or bar codes with scanners your collection methods may differ. For instance we have clients that rely on bar codes and scanners and we have some clients that rely on RFID and discovery. To keep things simple in this example let’s assume you have a barcode system and hand-held scanners that are integrated with your ITAM software.

That said, your verification team should be able to enter a room, stand in front of a device and quickly capture the asset tag number or barcode of the assets in that rack. In order to make this process as seamless and as quick as possible you need to be able to do this in a minute or less to minimize interruption and speed up the verification process.

Comparing the Data

Once the audit data is collected, it needs to be compared to the repository for accuracy. Your exact reporting tools will depend on what software you have deployed.

Applying Audit Data

Once the verification reports have been generated and saved, you should apply the collected data to your database to “true-up” the data. Your asset tracking system should provide the means to apply collected audit data after audit reports have been generated. You can save your reports to maintain a history of your ITAM system accuracy. By incorporating this type of internal verification your database can be maintained with a high degree of accuracy by knowing that all of your locations are on a regular “true up” schedule.

Verifying Your Asset Repository

IT Hardware Asset Lifecycle Part II

Jay Letendre, Vice President of Business Development at AlphaPoint Technology

In the first post we gave a high-level overview and example of the IT Asset Life Cycle. Using a simple diagram showing the various stages that are involved in this process, we discussed that before deploying an ITAM solution, it benefits an organization to discuss and define the various stages its hardware assets go through. By answering some simple questions such as:

• How are they purchased?
• How are they used?
• How to we decommission and dispose of them?

Once an organization has answered and identified the various stages and processes associated with their own Life Cycle they can start to implement solutions such as AssetCentral^TM to simplify and manage their IT Asset Life Cycle.

In Part II, using the examples from the previous blog post, we will demonstrate that by incorporating AssetCentral^TM or any ITAM Software into the various stages, management can simplify processes and provide organizational awareness that will ensure asset information is up-to-date throughout the Life Cycle.

Stages of the IT Asset Life Cycle

Purchasing

Typically, a hardware refresh cycle occurs every 18 months. Depending on the size of a data center the amount of assets that may be swapped or purchased can be enormous and keeping an accurate inventory of the newly procured hardware assets and disposed assets can be a challenge.  AssetCentral^TM gives Management and Administrators the ability to easily search and obtain financial and purchasing information about a particular make and model of a device or groups of equipment manufacturers. Retrieving this information can be useful when planning any hardware purchases for your organization.

Once hardware has been purchased from the manufacturer, AssetCentral^TM can be implemented immediately to start tracking and managing the equipment.

Shipping

Once an asset is in transit from the vendor to your company the process of recording that equipment in AssetCentral^TM can begin. A manufacturer, in some cases, will provide documentation as the assets are shipped. This can be sent to your company via e-mail, and recorded into AssetCentral^TM ahead of receiving the equipment.

The new equipment is now recorded into AssetCentral’s^TM Repository.  This enables the receiving team the ability to access the device’s Record Page from which they can then access information about the device that is being shipped such as:

• What devices and how many are we expecting?
• When should we expect it?
• What is its purpose?

Receiving

Once your receiving facilities take possession of the asset you can easily login to AssetCentral^TM and “Check In” the asset. Management at that point will, when they login, see that that the hardware was received.  After “Check In” it will be determined whether this asset is to be stored in inventory or sent to the Staging/Configuration department for installation.

Inventory

AssetCentral^TM not only tracks and manages assets that are in use and plugged in but those that are off-network. These assets are usable assets in a stock location or in inventory.  Before purchasing, the Fulfillment coordinators can check AssetCentral^TM for assets in inventory to determine what assets are available to fulfill new equipment requests before purchasing new hardware. The ability to track assets that are in inventory ensures that equipment purchases are necessary.

Installed Assets

Managing deployed assets is at the core of AssetCentral’s^TM capabilities. The entire Change Management Process can be managed from the system. Enabling access from any web-enabled device, users can easily record Moves, Adds and Changes easily.  Effectively logging and recoding an asset’s history during the Change Management Process ensures that an organization’s Asset Repository is kept up to date and populated with accurate device information.

Device Maintenance

In this example we have some devices in need of repair. AssetCentral^TM as we alluded to can track and manage devices that are taken off the network for repair or returned to the manufacturer. AssetCentral^TM in this instance can be utilized a few ways.

1. A user can login to the system and query the Collections Feature. The Collections Feature is used to create “Collections” or “Groups” of “Things”. In this case Spare Parts. AssetCentral^TM will enable the user to see if they have the parts or spare device in inventory or if they will need to notify purchasing.
2. Admins and users can also look up any Return or Warranty information from the Asset’s “Record Page”. AssetCentral^TM has the ability to attach scanned product information to any device in the system
3. Depending on the organization’s processes, Managers and Administrators can assign individuals “ownership” of equipment and in the case of maintenance or repair the system can provide contact information of the device’s “owner” to facilitate appropriate procedures.

Decommissioning

Retired or decommissioned assets can also be managed in AssetCentral^TM. These are assets that are no longer of use to your company but have not yet been properly disposed of or destroyed. An accurate history of these devices must also be kept for compliance and audit purposes. In some cases these assets may be retained for a certain time to keep sensitive data secure while a new asset is used. In most cases retired assets must be properly disposed of before they are taken off the books.

Disposed

Compliance requires that a disposed asset is one that has been officially wiped of data, transferred to a disposal company and the disposal company has provided an official certificate of disposal ensuring the asset has been properly disposed of.  AssetCentral^TM provides a secure and accurate repository to store all disposed documentation and accurate history of the device throughout its entire Life Cycle for reporting purposes.

We hope that the above examples, as simple as they may be, demonstrated some effective use cases for incorporating a simple, cost effective solution such as AssetCentral^TM in your IT Asset Life Cycle process.

Let us know how your IT Asset Life Cycle is implemented in your organization. What similarities and differences do you see between your life cycle and ours?

IT Hardware Asset Lifecycle Part II

AlphaPoint Technology, Inc. Appoints Peter Breen to Board of Directors

TAMPA, Fla.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– AlphaPoint Technology, Inc. (OTCBB: APPO.OB - News) is pleased to announce today the appointment of Peter Breen, General Manager of Broadridge Financial Solutions (NYSE: BR - News), as a new member of the Company’s Board of Directors. Mr. Breen will begin his tenure immediately and brings to the Board more than 20 years of financial industry experience at the highest levels.

Mr. Breen is currently General Manager and Business Owner responsible for all day-to-day operations, overall management, growth and innovation for the Corporate Issuer Solutions division within Broadridge Financial Solutions (NYSE: BR - News). Broadridge is a $2.4BN NYSE Company with 6,000 employees worldwide.

Prior to his arrival at Broadridge, Mr. Breen served as a Managing Director at The Bank of New York-Mellon (NYSE: BK - News) and oversaw all business development for BNY Mellon’s Shareowner Services business, and served as a member of the Senior Management Team of that business unit. Additionally, Mr. Breen also had the distinct pleasure and honor of serving on BNY Mellon’s Revenue Growth Board, a permanent body of 22 officers, reporting directly to the CEO and Executive Committee. The Board was formed to oversee all revenue related efforts across the entire enterprise.

Mr. Breen commented, “I am pleased to be able to join the AlphaPoint Technology Board of Directors and trust that I can make a contribution to the continuing success of the company.”

“We are delighted to welcome Peter as a member of our Board of Directors,” said Gary Macleod, President and CEO. “His experience, which crosses multiple industries, brings breadth and additional perspective to our Board.”

AlphaPoint Technology, Inc. provides Data Center and IT Asset Management Software. AssetCentral is a cutting-edge, easy-to-use, web-based IT Asset Management (ITAM software) and Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM software) solution that empowers IT professionals to simplify data center operations, streamline processes, implement best practices, improve service delivery, mitigate risk, and help drive Green Data Center Initiatives.

AlphaPoint Technology, Inc. Appoints Peter Breen to Board

Weekly Webinars Starting January 17th

Jean-Marc Krikorian, Director of Strategic Alliances at AlphaPoint Technology

Data Center Professionals oftentimes carry the weight of the world on their shoulders. They ensure all assets within their data center are functioning properly and are quick to act when an asset needs to be added or replaced, thus ensuring their business users have little to no downtime. Isn’t it about time that productivity enhancements that are so commonplace for business users are also available to data center professionals? AssetCentral is your solution. Join us to witness how AssetCentral can make your busy and arduous daily efforts in the data center, simpler. We’ll walk you through a typical “Day-in-the-Life” of a data center professional and how AssetCentral is the IT asset management software you’ve been waiting for.

Please visit the AssetCentral webinar registration to reserve your place. Join us every week!

Weekly Webinars Starting January 17th

IT Hardware Asset Lifecycle Part I

Jay Letendre, Vice President of Business Development at AlphaPoint Technology

In this multi-part series we will discuss how AssetCentral can be incorporated into your organizations Asset Lifecycle process. The first entry we will discuss the basic description and processes involved with the Asset Lifecycle.

Before deploying an ITAM solution, it benefits an organization to discuss and define the various stages its hardware assets go through. By answering some simple questions such as:

• How are they purchased?
• How are they used?
• How to we decommission and dispose of them?

By answering these questions you have already begun to define the “Asset Lifecycle” within your organization. Once this has been defined, you will quickly see the places where your company will need to deploy tools and apply processes, that will over time keep your asset repository up to date and in compliance.

The asset lifecycle defined below has several stages, which are specific IT equipment assets. In a generic sense, the following lifecycle applies to any fixed asset you bring into the IT landscape from desktop to data center.

Asset Lifecycle Diagram

The following diagram shows an example of the various stages of an Asset Lifecycle:

In most cases a device or asset starts off as being On Order or Procured and then moves through the various lifecycle stages shown above until the asset is eventually Disposed of or Decommissioned. The difference in the color-coding indicates which organization has physical possession of the asset with each stage. The arrows between lifecycles are the business processes that you should consider to ensure your asset database is properly updated as the status of assets change. The above is only one of the many examples of how an Asset Lifecycle Diagram may look. Your particular organization may differ.

In Part II of the series we will discuss how AssetCentral can be incorporated into the Asset Lifecycle to provide your organization the solutions it needs to have an up-to-date Asset Repository and how each business unit can use AssetCentral to ensure accurate information is maintained on each asset.

IT Hardware Asset Lifecycle Part I

By: Mobile Enterprise

AlphaPoint Technology – Honorable Mention

Tracking IT Assets With an App

Software firm develops a cross-platform application that enables IT pros to manage their assets via smartphone and tablet.

AlphaPoint Technology, based in Bradenton, Fla., is an IT asset management software company. “In order to have an accurate and precise count of your IT assets, the data collection and inventory management procedures should be as efficient as possible,” explains Gary Macleod, CEO. In the past, data collection and inventory management procedures were a very manual process. “We would have on-site audit teams, which would take physical inventories of data centers,” he continues.

AlphaPoint worked with the Warshaw Group to develop a front-end mobile software solution to integrate with AssetCentral, AlphaPoint’s flagship product, which makes it easy to track and manage IT assets.

AlphaPoint selected the mobile inventory functionality of Mobile Validity, Warshaw’s mobile app development platform, to enhance the overall user experience of AssetCentral. The app is compatible with iPad, BlackBerry, and Motion Computing’s F5 tablet. It was rolled out in November 2010.

“Now, it is more of a one-person process, where a technician goes up to a server and inputs the information into an application, using a form that is built onto the device,” explains Macleod. “The device also takes photos. It is a more advanced way of tracking the data.”

Mobilization of the data collection process has provided a number of benefits, including an increase in the accuracy of the data, which reduced the need for re-inventory by more than 75%. There’s been a 55% reduction in time spent on initial inventory, and reporting capabilities have improved and allowed for better decision-making.

Read the full article by clicking here.

2011 Best In Mobilizing Business Applications

DCIM: Key area of interest for Data Center Managers

Jay Letendre, Vice President of Business Development at AlphaPoint Technology

Last month Data Center Knowledge recently conducted its 2011 survey of enterprise class data center operators and found that data center design is still the top area of interest. The survey has be conducted in each of the last four years, and in 2010 data center design moved to the top of the list and remains a key topic of interest for 2011.

DCIM

“The newest and fastest rising area of interest at 70% is Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM). This technology helps integrate the management of facilities and IT ensuring the optimal use of the overall facility. DCIM plays an even more strategic role for operators with multiple data centers that leverage cloud technologies and real time energy pricing.”

You can read and download the survey here on Data Center Knowledge.

DCIM: Key area of interest for Data Center Managers