AssetSonar allows you to effectively check out Devices to new users or vice versa in bulk using the data collected through the user and device integrations provided by the software. This streamlines the process of onboarding new users and checking out new Devices, especially in the case of new hiring and mass procurement of Devices.
1. Getting started
A recurring problem with an extensive list of new users and Devices being added to AssetSonar is that they have to be manually checked out if the device source is a third-party integration e.g. Jamf, SCCM, Intune, and Google. With the Auto Checkout feature, you can streamline the checkout process and easily check out Devices in bulk. To enable Auto Checkout, go to Settings → Add Ons → Auto Checkout and click ‘Enabled’.
2. [How-to] provide users the ability to checkout Devices automatically
The Auto Checkout feature provides the opportunity for users to allow automatic checkout of Devices in the following cases:
1. If a new user comes onboard AssetSonar
2. If a new Device is provisioned into AssetSonar
Note: A user or a Device will be considered new if it has no previous check-in/checkout history.
3. Use cases of Auto Checkouts
3.1. Bulk importing Devices while users are already provisioned
Once you have imported the Devices in bulk, you would be able to view a listing of newly imported Devices from More → Asset Provisioning → Auto Checkout as shown below:
Once imported, you will be able to take mass action on the new Devices. You can do so by selecting the relevant Devices and clicking on the Actions button as shown below:
Once you click on the Actions → Checkout, a dialog box pops up which allows you to add the return date and other details.
The Devices will be automatically checked out to the detected users. You’ll also receive an email notifying you that the Auto Checkout has been successful.
3.2. Importing users from an Active Directory while Devices are already provisioned
There may also be a case where the Device has a check-in/checkout history but the user has just been imported into AssetSonar.
In this case, if the Device is Available, then it will be checked out normally. However, if the status of the Device is being shown as Checked Out, then the system will notify you immediately. You will also have to enter additional details as shown below:
Once you click ‘Checkout’ and the Device is checked out to another user, then its custody will be transferred to the new user.
You should keep in mind that the custody of the checked out Devices will only be transferred if you have the Transfer of Custody setting enabled from Add Ons. You are expected to see the following pop-up:
3.3. Provisioning users and Devices after deployment
If a deployment has already taken place and a new user is provisioned at a later date, then with the help of third-party data, the user and relevant Devices will automatically be presented into a listing for Auto Checkouts.
Alternatively, if a new Device is provisioned and the user email in the custody information retrieved is also provisioned in AssetSonar, then that user and the Device will also appear in the listing for the Auto Checkout feature.
3.4. Auto-update asset location
You can automatically assign assets’ locations to the checked-out user’s location. AssetSonar fetches user location from the third-party data it comes from. All new assets coming in from agents or different MDM integrations and checked out to this user will be associated with the same location as the checked-out user’s location.
To enable these settings, go to Settings → Company Settings & AddOns → Auto Checkout and enable update location.
You can update the location by selecting either:
- Run Assignment rules to set the Asset’s location or
- Assign the location of the checked-out user to the asset’s location
Please enable assignment rules, i.e., location assignment rules based on user location.
Note: If the user location doesn’t exist, the user’s location will not be assigned.
4. Auto Checkout enhancements
With its new Auto Checkout enhancements, AssetSonar enables you to carry out the following actions:
- Filter and mass checkout Devices based on their Source — third-party device integrations or the AssetSonar ITAM Agent
- Filter Devices by their status and attributes
- Edit/delete the user in the ‘Checkout To’ column in case the intended Custodian of a Device is different from the user recommended by the system.
- Ignore checkout recommendations suggested by the system
Below, we detail how you can carry out the different actions with our enhancements.
4.1. Filtering and checking out Devices based on Source
On the Auto Checkouts page, AssetSonar now gives you the option to filter your imported Devices based on their Source. You can choose between Integrations or Agent as the Discovery Source.
Scenario 1: Filtering and checking out Devices by Integrations
If you filter by Integrations, all the Devices that are imported via third-party device management tools like Google, Intune, Jamf Pro and On-Premise, or SCCM will get listed. In this case, users in the ‘Checkout To’ column are recommended based on the ‘Detected User Email’ as shown below:
If no users are recommended for certain Devices due to missing Detected emails, you can manually assign a Custodian by clicking on the ‘+’ icon.
Once all the Custodians have been assigned, select the Devices, go to Actions → Checkout, and provision the Devices en masse.
Scenario 2: Filtering and checking out Devices by Agent
If you filter by Agent, all the Devices imported via the AssetSonar ITAM Agent get listed as shown:
In this case, users in the ‘Checkout To’ column are recommended based on the ‘Last Logged In User’ field.
You can then mass check out the selected Devices in the manner mentioned above.
4.2. Filtering Devices by their status and attributes
Now, AssetSonar also gives you the ability to filter Devices by their status and attributes. Let’s say, you want to mass checkout Devices with the Model ‘Macbook’ to your news hires.
You can filter the Devices from the ‘Filter’ icon as shown.
Select the relevant Model from the dropdown and hit ‘Apply’.
Now, you can check out Devices from the filtered search.
4.3. Editing or deleting the recommended user(s)
In case the pre-populated recommendations of users in the ‘Checkout To’ column are different from the intended Custodians of imported Devices, you can edit or delete the recommended users using the icons highlighted below.
4.4. Ignoring checkout recommendation(s)
There may be cases where the system shows checkout recommendations for some obsolete Devices that you do not wish to check out to employees. You can ignore such recommendations.
For this purpose, select the relevant Devices and click on Actions → Ignore.
The ignored Devices are moved to a new state titled ‘Ignore’. You can filter the Devices by the Ignore status as shown.
If you want to add the ignored Devices back to the Auto Checkout recommendations, you can do so by clicking ‘Undo Ignore’.
Read more: Use Packages for Checkouts with IT Asset Tracking Software
