Executive summary
CDC Foundation, a global nonprofit driving public health initiatives across chronic diseases, infectious disease outbreaks such as COVID-19, and emergency response programs, operates in an environment where accountability, transparency, and operational efficiency are non-negotiable.
Before AssetSonar, their IT asset management processes were heavily reliant on spreadsheets and manual workflows, creating fragmentation, slowing audits, and limiting visibility across teams.
Since implementing AssetSonar in September 2023, the organization has transitioned to a centralized, integrated asset management system that connects IT workflows, improves audit readiness, and significantly reduces operational overhead. What once required days of manual effort can now be completed in hours, enabling CDC Foundation’s IT team to focus on higher-value work instead of repetitive administrative tasks.
The challenge: Manual processes at scale
As the CDC Foundation scaled its operations across programs and geographies, its asset management processes struggled to keep up across multiple locations and teams globally.
IT asset tracking was distributed across multiple spreadsheets, each requiring manual updates and validation. This not only increased the risk of duplicate or inaccurate records but also made it difficult for teams to trust the data they were working with. Locating assets, verifying ownership, or preparing reports often meant navigating disconnected systems and reconciling conflicting information.
Audits, in particular, became a major operational bottleneck. Preparing for an audit required teams to manually search for asset records, validate entries across spreadsheets, and physically verify inventory at both on-site and remote locations. What should have been a routine compliance exercise often stretched into multi-day or even week-long efforts.
“It was a nightmare… multiple spreadsheets, time-consuming, and difficult to maintain.”
— Ciro Lozada, IT Administrator
Beyond audits, day-to-day IT workflows were also impacted. Onboarding processes required manual coordination between HR inputs, ticketing systems, and asset assignment. For a distributed workforce, provisioning and tracking assets manually added another layer of complexity.
The solution: A centralized IT asset operations layer
To address these challenges, the CDC Foundation implemented AssetSonar as a centralized platform to manage the full lifecycle of IT assets.
Rather than treating asset management as a standalone function, AssetSonar was embedded directly into existing IT workflows. Through integrations with tools such as Zendesk and Dell, the platform became a connected system in which asset data, service workflows, and lifecycle insights converged in one place.
This shift allowed the organization to move away from fragmented tracking toward a structured, standardized operating model in which every asset interaction, from procurement to retirement, is documented, visible, and actionable.
Transforming IT operations with AssetSonar
Centralized asset operations with integrated workflows
The most immediate and impactful change for the CDC Foundation was moving to a single source of truth for all asset data. AssetSonar replaced multiple spreadsheets with a unified system where hardware, software, warranty details, and ownership information could be accessed instantly.
This centralization didn’t just improve visibility; it fundamentally changed how the team operated. Instead of searching across disconnected systems, they could now rely on one platform for accurate, real-time information, reducing delays and improving decision-making across workflows.
“The biggest benefit? Centralization.”
— Ciro Lozada, IT Administrator
At the same time, AssetSonar’s integration with Zendesk connected asset management directly to service operations. Asset check-ins, check-outs, and assignments are now handled within tickets, ensuring every interaction is automatically documented and tied to a user or request. This eliminated redundant steps and significantly reduced the risk of manual errors.
“We check in and check out inventory through Zendesk and AssetSonar together.”
— Ciro Lozada, IT Administrator
Faster audits and streamlined daily operations
One of the most significant transformations for the CDC Foundation has been the reduction of manual effort across both audits and day-to-day asset operations.
Previously, IT audits required extensive manual work, often taking 20+ hours spread across multiple days, along with significant rework and reconciliation. With AssetSonar, audits are now structured, scheduled, and supported by real-time data.
Teams can scan and verify assets, flag discrepancies, and generate reports directly within the system, reducing audit time to approximately 8 hours and enabling completion within a single working day.
“Before, audits took days… now they can be done in a few hours.”
— Ciro Lozada
This improvement in audit readiness is mirrored in everyday workflows. Previously, even routine processes like asset check-in and check-out required manual logging, validation, and cross-referencing, taking several minutes per transaction and accumulating over time.
Today, these actions are executed in seconds through integrated workflows. What once required approximately 12.5 minutes of manual effort per day has been reduced to near-instant execution, saving the team over 4 hours per month.
“Now, it’s just a button… everything is documented and linked automatically.”
— Ciro Lozada
Together, these improvements have significantly reduced operational friction, allowing IT teams to spend less time on administrative tasks and more time on higher-value, strategic work, while also improving compliance and confidence during audits.
Real-time visibility, better collaboration, and smarter lifecycle decisions
AssetSonar has fundamentally changed how the CDC Foundation understands, manages, and acts on its asset data, bringing visibility, collaboration, and lifecycle intelligence into a single system.
With the help of Custom Reports, the IT team can now instantly retrieve asset information based on category, location, funding source, or hardware specifications. Warranty details, installed software, and ownership records are all accessible in real time, eliminating the need to navigate multiple systems or manually reconcile data.
“We can now recall assets by category, funding source, hardware specs… all in one place.”
— Soliyana F. Ahmed, Technology and Business Solutions Manager
This level of visibility has not only improved access to information but also strengthened collaboration across teams. With centralized data and robust reporting capabilities, IT, compliance, and audit teams can now generate and share reports instantly, ensuring stakeholders have accurate, up-to-date insights into asset inventory and usage.
“We can quickly pull reports and share them… It’s much more collaborative now.”
— Soliyana F. Ahmed, Technology and Business Solutions Manager
In addition, AssetSonar’s integration with Dell has introduced real-time warranty visibility, enabling more informed lifecycle decisions. Instead of manually checking warranty details across external systems, teams can now evaluate asset condition, determine repair eligibility, and plan for repurposing or replacement directly within the platform.
“We don’t have to check with Dell manually… everything is in one place.”
— Ciro Lozada, IT Administrator
Together, these capabilities have enabled the CDC Foundation to move from fragmented visibility to a connected, data-driven operating model, where decisions are faster, collaboration is easier, and asset lifecycle management is significantly more proactive.
Business impact
The implementation of AssetSonar has delivered measurable improvements across the CDC Foundation’s IT operations.
Time savings have been one of the most immediate benefits. Daily asset management tasks have been streamlined, reducing manual effort and freeing up valuable IT resources. Audit processes, once a major time investment, are now significantly more efficient and predictable.
At the same time, data accuracy and reliability have improved, enabling teams to operate with greater confidence. The shift from fragmented systems to a centralized platform has also enhanced visibility across teams, supporting better collaboration and decision-making.
Perhaps most importantly, the organization now operates with greater control over its asset environment.
“We definitely feel more in control of our asset environment now.”
— Ciro Lozada, IT Administrator
Looking ahead: Expanding automation
While AssetSonar has already transformed core workflows, the CDC Foundation sees further opportunities to enhance efficiency through automation.
Future initiatives include automating device provisioning, particularly for remote employees, and streamlining onboarding and offboarding workflows. With AssetSonar’s automation capabilities, the team aims to reduce manual touchpoints even further and create a more seamless operational experience.
“The future is bright… It’s just about expanding automation.”
— Ciro Lozada, IT Administrator
Conclusion
For the CDC Foundation, AssetSonar has done more than improve asset tracking; it has redefined how IT operations are managed.
By centralizing data, integrating workflows, and reducing manual overhead, the organization has built a more efficient, transparent, and scalable asset management system. The result is not just better processes, but a stronger operational foundation to support its mission in global public health.
