From Excel Chaos to 100% Digital IT Inventory at Össur

Össur is one of the world's leading companies in the field of non-invasive orthopedics. With innovative technologies such as prostheses and orthotics, the company is improving people's mobility. The company operates globally and employs thousands of people at various locations, which involves a complex IT and hardware infrastructure.

‍

Flying blind in Excel chaos

Laptops, smartphones, monitors and special equipment for hundreds of employees: For a long time, Össur managed all these items in the same way as in many other companies — using manual Excel spreadsheets.

For IT support and facility management, this meant an enormous amount of maintenance work. When an employee moved locations or needed a device to be repaired, the list was often not immediately updated. As a result, the big search began during the annual inventory or upcoming audits. There was no central overview of who is currently using which device, exactly where it is and what condition it is in. This lack of transparency not only cost time, but also led to unnecessary double reorders of hardware that was actually still available in-house.

‍

A system that makes everyday life easier — not complicated

The decision was made: The stand-alone solutions and error-prone tables had to be removed. Össur was looking for an asset management system that would fit seamlessly into everyday work. The most important requirement, however, was usability. The new solution could not require weeks of training.

The choice fell on seventhings. The cloud-based platform impressed the Össur team in particular with its simple approach: Each asset gets its own label and is therefore digitally accessible.

‍

From import to first scan: Implementation

The change went smoothly. As a first step, the existing — albeit incomplete — Excel data was simply imported into seventhings to create a basis. The physical inventory was then provided with appropriate RFID and QR labels.

From this point on, the way IT works changed noticeably. When a new laptop is released today, the team simply scans the label with the smartphone using the seventhings app. The device is assigned to the appropriate employee in seconds, and the central database is immediately up-to-date for all authorized persons. With the function of attaching images, information or entire files, the objects could be created with a large amount of information, which was previously associated with a great deal of additional effort.

‍

The result: Save budgets thanks to full transparency

Today, the tedious task of compiling information at Össur is a thing of the past. The IT department benefits from 100 percent data transparency. With just a few clicks, you can filter when the warranty periods of certain computers expire or what equipment is in a specific office building.

The return on investment is particularly clear when it comes to inventory: Instead of comparing lists for days, simple scans are now sufficient. The error rate dropped drastically. At the same time, Össur was able to optimize its IT budget, as the reliable inventory overview means that new hardware is no longer purchased “on suspicion.”

conclusion With seventhings, Össur has successfully mastered the transition from manual lists to agile, digital asset management. The result is a noticeable relief for the entire team — and the good feeling of knowing exactly where the company inventory is at all times.

‍