4 uses for tamper evident materials

 

Tamper evident material has a number of uses in the office, in warehouses and in customers’ homes. It plays a vital role in keeping both people and products safe and could potentially save your business a lot of money.

This article explores the many uses of tamper evident materials and how they could help your business to protect its most valuable assets.

Prevent electrical tampering

Stopping electrical asset tampering is an important issue many businesses face. Keeping equipment safe for customers and staff members should be a number one priority, especially in sectors that deal with medical equipment and customer products (such as mobile phones, laptops, etc.).

By securing equipment with tamper evident labels, particularly those small enough to use over screws, employees can be certain whether or not equipment has been altered in some way.

 

Stop product swapping

Another benefit for the electronics industry is that tamper evident materials can prevent product swapping by untrustworthy customers. With void tamper labels, you can clearly see when a box has been opened, making it easier to decide whether or not a product has been swapped for another.

Unfortunately, this practice is something that’s becoming an increasing problem within the industry, as more customers buy and return their electronic devices online. By protecting your assets with tamper evident technology, you could potentially save yourself thousands of pounds in swapped or damaged goods.

Easier theft detection

No one likes to think about having their assets stolen but unfortunately, it can occur from time to time. Therefore, it’s still important to implement a solution to help make the situation less painful should it happen to you.

Whilst tamper evident labels aren’t going to help the authorities find stolen good any quicker, they can make the return process easier. Tamper evident material never comes off in one piece, which makes it easier for lost property to find its way back to you once it has been retrieved.

Unless you’re unlucky to encounter a very determined thief, most of your company name or serial numbers should be intact.

 

Supply chain protection

Supply chains can be busy and complicated, meaning products can change hands several times before reaching a customer. To minimise the risk of products being lost or put into circulation with damaged parts, tamper evident material can be used. Tamper asset labels aren’t only there to stop unauthorised access, they can be used to deter unlawful asset transfers and sift out damaged goods from supply chains too.

It only takes one dishonest person in a vast supply chain to cause significant financial damage to your business, which is why a small expense now could save you from a much larger one in the future.

The best methods for tracking fixed assets

What is fixed asset tracking?

Fixed asset tracking (also known as fixed asset management) is an accounting process that helps business to continually calculate the cost and volume of their fixed assets for a variety of reasons.

UV security marking for businesses

 

 What is UV marking?

UV marking is a technique that’s used in many industries to protect assets, money and documents. It uses an invisible substance, usually ink, to stencil on or write down important information that can only be seen under a special UV light.

The UV ink dries invisible, meaning that only the original owner knows it’s there and makes it easier to track items no matter where they end up. Many companies choose to use a combination technique of asset labelling and UV marking to ensure they have the ultimate protection for their goods.

Why should I invest in vaping tactile labels?

Vaping or the use of e-cigarettes has grown in popularity over the last 3 years, but consumers are getting very mixed messages about the effects on their health.

While vaping has helped many people give up traditional smoking even quitting for good e-cigarettes still contain nicotine which is listed as a toxic chemical. Correct labelling is therefore required by law to ensure the proper use of e-cigarettes.

Tracking portable equipment in schools and at work

 

Tracking portable equipment 

Keeping track of organisations assets within an office or school environment can be difficult for a number of reasons. However, this issue is especially a problem with equipment and goods that are portable. Whether it is cameras, laptops or phones, keeping track of equipment that has been loaned or hired out to a student and staff member can seem almost impossible.

This is made worse not only by the amount of equipment needed in many organisations but the confusion and issues that come with the use of similar, personal equipment brought in by students or staff members.

So, how can you solve the problem of effectively tracking portable equipment in your organisation?

Keeping your assets safe with an effective tracking system

 

With assets moving here, there and everywhere, having a manual inventory is not always the quickest and most effective way to track your equipment. Instead, you need something that allows you to combine physical labelling with computer and tablet tracking.

This is the most effective way to track portable equipment, as everything can be stored on a computer system, without the hassle of unreliable paper inventories.

How can you do this?

 

The easiest way to implement a fast track system such as this is with miniature asset tracking labels. Miniature tracking labels are small and discreet, meaning they can fit onto the smallest of assets and make tracking portable equipment quick and easy.

They work with your computer and laptop because they can contain serial numbers and barcodes, giving you ultimate control. You can use barcodes to log when equipment has been taken out and from what area, helping you to quickly resolve any problems that may arise.

Not only can asset labelling help you with tracking portable equipment that is on loan or missing, these little tags are also a great way to deter thieves and help you reclaim stolen equipment more easily.

The data, such as your barcode or serial number, is engraved onto each label, meaning it is resistant to chemical substances. These nifty little asset tags also break into tiny pieces if forced removal is attempted, making it impossible to remove all of the tag completely. This means that if equipment has been stolen, it can easily be identified by police and returned back to you without unnecessary hassle.

Whether you are worried about stolen equipment or simply need to ensure your loaned equipment is returned when it should be, you can save time and money using a unique asset labelling system.

Tracking Portable Equipment

Keeping track of organisations assets within an office or school environment can be difficult for a number of reasons. However, this issue is especially a problem with equipment and goods that are portable. Whether it is cameras, laptops or phones, keeping track of equipment that has been loaned or hired out to a student and staff member can seem almost impossible.

This is made worse not only by the amount of equipment needed in many organisations but the confusion and issues that come with the use of similar, personal equipment brought in by students or staff members.

So, how can you solve the problem of effectively tracking portable equipment in your organisation?

Keeping your assets safe with an effective tracking system

 With assets moving here, there and everywhere, having a manual inventory is not always the quickest and most effective way to track your equipment. Instead, you need something that allows you to combine physical labelling with computer and tablet tracking.

This is the most effective way to track portable equipment, as everything can be stored on a computer system, without the hassle of unreliable paper inventories.

How can you do this?

The easiest way to implement a fast track system such as this is with miniature asset tracking labels. Miniature tracking labels are small and discreet, meaning they can fit onto the smallest of assets and make tracking portable equipment quick and easy.

They work with your computer and laptop because they can contain serial numbers and barcodes, giving you ultimate control. You can use barcodes to log when equipment has been taken out and from what area, helping you to quickly resolve any problems that may arise.

Not only can asset labelling help you with tracking portable equipment that is on loan or missing, these little tags are also a great way to deter thieves and help you reclaim stolen equipment more easily.

The data, such as your barcode or serial number, is engraved onto each label, meaning it is resistant to chemical substances. These nifty little asset tags also break into tiny pieces if forced removal is attempted, making it impossible to remove all of the tag completely. This means that if equipment has been stolen, it can easily be identified by police and returned back to you without unnecessary hassle.

Whether you are worried about stolen equipment or simply need to ensure your loaned equipment is returned when it should be, you can save time and money using a unique asset labelling system.

Why you should be using asset stickers

Asset stickers should be an essential and important part of your organisation because of their many benefits. There are so many different reasons to consider the use of asset labelling but we’ve listed some of the best reasons below.

Quicker asset audits

Asset audits are an important and often essential aspect of managing your fixed goods but it can often be a very extensive process. It’s crucial to get an audit correct because the results can impact upon your finances significantly. To ensure this process goes as quickly and as smoothly as possible, you should seriously consider asset stickers with unique product numbers or barcodes.

Deter thieves

With the ability to print addresses, unique barcodes and contact details onto high strength labels, it’s no surprise that asset stickers are an excellent way to deter thieves. These simple but effective tags are almost impossible to remove, even for the strongest thief. In the unlikely event that something is stolen, an asset sticker will also help you quickly and easily identify what equipment has gone missing, so that you can give police an accurate description.

Asset sticker as an investment

Asset stickers are strong, durable and really do stand the test of time. There are many different types of label to choose from depending on the needs and budget of a business but ultimately, they should be seen as a long term investment. Spending out on unique asset labels may seem like an unnecessary expense at first but they can save organisations large sums of money in the long term, as the need for replacing lost and stolen goods is minimised.

Prevent asset swapping

If you are selling goods, you might be concerned about the possibility of asset swapping. With a tamper evident asset sticker, you can say goodbye to those worries as they are designed to clearly show you if a product has been tampered with prior to use. These are fantastic for businesses selling electronic equipment such as tablets, phones and laptops and can save you serious time and money when dealing with dishonest behaviour.

Easily differentiate between identical goods

No matter if it’s a school, a large office or a warehouse, there’s always the possibility of identical equipment creating confusion. The best way to differentiate between each item is to give every piece a unique number or code and detail these within an online inventory. Asset stickers help you to do this with clear but inconspicuous markers on all of your goods.

What are tamper resistant stickers?

Tamper resistant stickers are an incredibly useful tool for many organisations who want to protect their assets. So if you haven’t heard of them yet, then you might want to find out what they’re all about.

Tamper resistant labels are designed for use with valuable assets that are owned by organisations. They are often used to prevent thieves from successfully stealing their goods and can be a fantastic cost-effective alternative to extra security lights and cameras.

How do they work?

The way that tamper resistant stickers work is simple but quite ingenious. Using the latest high-end technology, the text and data you need is laser engraved onto the sticker for a permanent, hard to damage finish. These stickers can withstand impressively high temperatures, as well as dish washing, microwaving and more.

Alongside this, tamper resistant stickers can also be designed to shatter or break apart when forcefully removed, making it impossible for thieves to fully remove the label. This ensures that even if your assets are still stolen, they can be identified far more quickly and easily.

What types can I get?

There are a range of different tamper resistant stickers out there to cater to the varying needs of organisations. All tamper resistant products are incredibly strong and are almost impossible to remove, but there can be variations depending on what you need.

Small anti-tamper asset stickers are perfect for those worried about the intrusiveness of labels on their product. They can be round or square and offer the same amount of resistance as their larger counterparts. The only disadvantage of a smaller label is that they cannot hold as much information but depending on your needs, this may not be an issue.

Barcoded tamper resistant stickers are larger and are the perfect choice for organisations that are looking to cross link their asset labels with an online system. This option offers both security and enhanced management benefits, making them perfect for larger organisations with large volumes of assets.

 

Are they right for me?

Tamper resistant stickers are perfect for any organisation that wants to protect assets with heavy, everyday usage. This includes cameras, laptops, high value machinery, lab equipment and so much more. Alongside this, it’s good to know that anti-tamper labels aren’t overly intrusive and will not significantly ruin the aesthetics of an asset.

Both private companies and public organisations can benefit from this extra layer of security. So no matter if you’re a school or a global business, you can use tamper resistant products to prevent serious company losses and keep thieves at bay.

Use Asset Tracking with Asset Labels

It can be highly irritating to lose company equipment at any time and expensive too.

In cases where the assets are essential to the continuing running of your business’s operations, the impact can extend to quickly outweighing the costs of replacement.

More frustration can come when it becomes hard to track how the loss occurred and what prospects there are for the original assets recovery.

While you may never be able to fully prevents items going missing there are steps you can take to reduce this from happening and in the cases were it does happen have a system that both aids your understand of how the loss occurred and improves your chances of item recovery.

Using asset tracking can do all this and that’s why many people have decided to undergo better asset tracking with asset labels to make sure they know exactly where their equipment and assets are.

The Uses of Asset Labels

When an item goes missing that’s more or less the scope of it. Unless it somehow shows up again having been accidentally taken home by an employee or returned after it had been stolen, then there’s not a lot the company can do to track it down again. Likewise if it’s damaged in a fire or accident. It is quite simply lost.

The easiest way to ensure that this does not occur is, of course, to keep careful track of where your equipment and who is responsible for it.

In the absence of more sophisticated methods, such as proximity alarms or GPS tracking, the most efficient is to carefully catalogue each item, where it is and who is responsible for it.

By giving your company assets a visible and permanent marking like an asset label, you can in addition demonstrably verify that an item is most certainly yours. Many also come with individual serial numbers and markers, which also allow each item to be clearly distinguished from each other. 

This is great if you buy equipment in bulk that then goes out on loan either internally or externally.

Asset Tracking System

While asset labels on their own can show item ownership the real powers comes when they are linked to an asset tracking system. Easy to create an asset tracking system can be used to note down information about each asset and in its simplest for can be a spreadsheet.

This has all sorts of value including:

·         Tracking item location

·         Tracking value, condition and lifetime cost to the company

·         Tracking responsibility

This makes tracking down individual items much, much easier than they would have been otherwise. It also provides a physical history of where the asset has been, helping you to retrace it to its last known location.

As you can imagine systems like this are very popular with insurers!

Easier Administration

Having unique numbers and codes also makes administration of items easier in general.

If you can afford it, setting up an electronic logging system can make the recording of items in your company inventory quick and painless. This is not only time efficient, but more secure than physical copies too. In the event that a log book or similar is lost, electronic tracking allows for a digital copy to be kept and backed up on company computers instead.

Theft Protection

Having your company assets marked with a tracking label also provides something of a deterrent for thieves. This is not the same as immunity, of course. Simply that anyone looking to steal the item will now know that it’s capable of being tracked, as well as physically marked as belonging to a company.

While it doesn’t mean much if it was stolen for the thief’s own use, it does make resale difficult if not impossible and can often aid recovery.

It’s worth investing in asset tracking using asset labels as in the long run it will improve how you use and manage your assets plus save you money.

Asset Tracking Systems and Their Uses

There’s nothing more irritating for a classroom than to find that very valuable equipment has gone inexplicably missing. 

At a time when schools are becoming harder and harder pressed to adequately provide for the academic needs of all their students losing valuable equipment can be a terrible blow. 

Currently a lot of the equipment that schools need to conduct their business isn’t cheap. So coming up with effective asset tracking systems is crucial if you wish to maintain your school’s hold on its assets.

Sadly lost equipment isn’t exactly a rare occurrence either. A study conducted by the School of Education Admission found that as many as four fifths of schools have, at some point through the year, will suffer from theft of school equipment. 

Often, these thefts were from the school’s ICT department, and more occasionally the audio-visual hardware from media studies classes.

Naturally this equipment is very expensive to replace, and its loss can also be damaging to the students whose courses rely on access to that equipment. 

It’s hard to learn about computer technology without ready access to a computer, after all. 

Of course keeping track of your school’s laptops, microscopes and video recording equipment isn’t something you can do in a day. It takes a lot of work, effort, and not a small amount of proper financial investment as well.

Asset Tracking Systems Made Easy

The easiest way a school can keep track of where its equipment is going is to properly catalogue and record the things it has to begin with. 

One way this can be achieved is to give each piece of equipment its own serial identification number, which would be unique to that item. To make things easier, you can also give that equipment tamper-proof number ID tags to further improve their security and reduce the chances of theft.

It may be an idea to create the system in such a way that objects are not only divided by type, but also by department and storage area as well. 

So, for example, if you have a video projector that’s used by the science department in Building Two, you could have a three-part code that reflects all this information. 

Suddenly it’s become tremendously easier to figure out where everything is supposed to fit in, which also helps prevent accidental claims of theft when, in fact, a piece of equipment was simply returned to the wrong storage cupboard. 

This saves on valuable time and frayed nerves.

Furthermore, you can also give each piece of equipment its own unique barcode. This means that when equipment is taken out, it can be recorded on a computer database as well as a physical logbook for greater accuracy in bookkeeping.

Of course asset tracking systems aren’t any good if you pay no attention to where the assets in question are being moved to. 

Whenever equipment is removed from the storage cupboard, make sure that the identification tag is noted and marked off on a register, with a note detailing when it was borrowed, by whom and for how long. 

This can be used, then, to track where the equipment was last held before it went missing.

Protect Your School’s Assets

No solution is entirely fool proof. 

One of the main quirks of using security ID tags for valuable equipment is that it’s meant to deter thieves, but this doesn’t always work as planned. 

Instead, asset tracking systems can be used to get an idea of when items when missing and where they could have gone, all of which can greatly speed up the process by which it can be safely returned.

Design and Order Asset Labels Online

Which One – Equipment ID Marking Confusion

How can you find the right ID asset marking solutions to help you keep track of laptops, tablets, mobiles, musical instruments and more…?

Great as portable items and equipment  are they are also prone to being lost or stolen. A good way to prevent this is to make sure each item is clearly marked with who it belongs to.

However, with such a wide selection of marking solutions it’s important to choose the right asset identification product for you so you get something that works without costing you the earth.

In a hurry call Dantech on 01354 688488 to find the right asset marking solution for you.

Tough to Remove - Permanent Labels

Your first choice is to decide the size of the asset mark you want as this will often limit the asset marking products you can use.

If your equipment is very small you might need a more specialised tag, label or sticker. These often use 2D or QR codes to help track key information about the item on a much smaller label or tag.

Dantech Minimark Labels are a great example of these small asset tags.

The quality of your asset marking is also important, you want your labels, tags, stickers and plates to stay put permanently. So your asset marking needs to use top quality adhesive to make sure it stays in place and can’t be easily removed.

Cheap asset marking products often use low quality adhesives and this can be a false economy as they need to be replaced more often.

Long Lasting Asset Marking

So you know the size of equipment marking you need and understand you want a quality solution, but to this you also need to think about how your equipment is being used.

How equipment is used effects the type of asset marking material selected for example it’s no surprise in industrial settings metal or tough acrylic plates are used to security mark equipment due to their ability to last in these tough situations.

If your equipment is handled a lot of subject to changing or tough environments including high or low temperature, outside in all weathers or close to harsh chemicals you want to be sure your asset marking isn’t going to be worn away or damaged.

A great example of this are aluminiumfoil id labels suitable for both indoor and outdoor use plus high temperature resistance, up to 150ºC short term, and down to - 40ºC.

While no asset marking solution is 100% resistant to being removed or damaged the best are extremely tough and can even leave behind a permanent sign of any tampering. It’s no surprise that this acts as a very strong deterrent to equipment theft.

With Dantech tamper voidlabels if someone tries to remove the label the word VOID remains on the surface clearly showing evidence of tampering.

Conclusion

Quality asset marking of equipment and items such as laptops, tablets, mobiles and musical instruments is really worth the investment in deterring items from being lost or stolen.

It’s important to think carefully about the size, permanency and environment that any asset marking is going to need to survive. In addition talking to a specialist like Dantech (call on 01354 688488) can help you find the best asset marking solutions for you, which will last and protect your equipment over a long period of time.

About the Author

Dantech are suppliers of quality asset and equipment security and ID marking solutions.

Find out more by visiting:

•  www.idassetlabels.co.uk – Wide select of Asset Labels, Tags and Stickers
•  www.idmark.com – Identify and security marking solutions
•  www.expresslabels.co.uk – Design and order your asset labels and stickers online

The Label that Never Comes Off

What is the first thing you must do when introducing a new security system for laptops, tablets, cables, musical instruments, etc?

Quite simply the answer to that question is, “tell everyone”.

By which I don’t mean, tell everyone in assembly that you have a new security system, because that of itself could be seen as a challenge to those of a somewhat darker personality.

Rather I mean that as the items which are secured are loaned out to students you give them, and their parents, a note saying that the school has introduced a new tracking system for these items, and that if any item is lost it is important that you should be told at once. You just need make them aware that the items are protected.

Next you need a label on each item before its given out on loan and that raises two questions.

1. How can one label particularly small items of equipment, 
2. How can one ensure that there is no way that anyone can remove the label?

The way to do this is via the use of a label in which the school name is cut out and painted with UV ink so that it will show up should the label be removed.  Plus, by simply letting everyone in the school know that this is the case, you can reduce attempts to remove the label by well over 90%.

For larger items, ID Silver Mark are precision cut stencil labels which are ideal for labelling IT equipment (including iPads, tablets and mobiles) as no one can remove the label without it fragmenting, and even if they get peeled off the UV paint still shows the school name and postcode.

Find out more: ID Mark - ID Silver Mark Labels

For smaller items there is the ID Mini Mark Label which is not only hard to remove, but can also incorporate a serial number and/or barcode thus making it possible to include data in a small space.
Additionally should anybody attempt to remove the asset label or switch the label onto some other equipment, the material will break into small pieces, thus visibly announcing the fact that the label has been interfered with.

Furthermore, because the data is engraved into the surface of the label it cannot be removed with chemicals and cleaning materials.

Mini Mark labels are also ideal for musical instruments as the text won’t come off the label even with the continuous handling of an instrument.  The labels can be provided with white text on black or silver material with black text.

Find out more: Asset Labels - Mini Mark Labels

Dantech also has a full range of ‘traditional’ printed asset marking labels with the schools name, asset number and bar code. Using asset numbering enables the school to maintain a detailed register with an instant view of which equipment is available and where.

View our full asset label range

Alternatively, please call us on 01354 688 488 or email us sales@dantech.co.uk for free and unbiased help and advice.

Tactile Triangle Labels

Our world is full of chemicals. Whether it is oven-cleaner, paint, ink, bleach or hair spray, the every-day chemicals around our homes have the potential to become highly dangerous substances. If treated improperly or mishandled accidentally, these ordinary materials have an ability to harm and damage both people and other objects.

Tactile Danger Warning Label

It therefore makes perfect sense to have dangerous objects labelled clearly and for liquids and pressured gases, such as aerosols, to be marked as toxic or harmful. However, the standard yellow triangle plastered in a corner of the product does not aid those with visual impairments to recognise its dangerous nature, and nor does it comply with the new European Standard BS EN ISO 11683:1997.

Labelling Chemicals to Protect the Visually Impaired

Health and Safety Regulations in the United Kingdom have long prescribed that any dangerous or harmful material must be labelled as such, to prevent accidental damage and injury. Many of the rules and regulations pertaining to ‘Health and Safety’ can be seen by the public as over protective for toxic substances, the warnings are absolutely necessary.

Traditionally these warnings have been displayed as yellow triangles with a black depiction of the hazard – e.g. Test tubes and corroded fingers for corrosive liquids. However, almost two million people in the United Kingdom live with partial or full sight loss. It is therefore absolutely crucial that the visually impaired community are equally warned of the potential hazards and dangers. This is why tactile triangle warning labels were introduced.

Tactile triangle labels are raised outlines of triangles, made from a transparent plastic and 18mm in size. It functions as a warning in the same way as braille – the visually impaired individual runs their finger over it and perceives that this object is either ‘toxic’, ‘corrosive’, ‘extremely flammable’ or ‘harmful’ and as such should be used with caution.

The transparent tactile warning label means that a complete redesign of your company’s products is not necessary; instead, the label can fit discreetly anywhere on your product without interfering with the design.

If your company or business supplies products or materials which are required by law to display a yellow warning triangle, then they will also be legally required to affix a tactile triangle label in addition. Click here to view a complete range of order sizes from Dantech Ltd.


Dantech Ltd are market-leading specialists in product labelling solutions. They also produce a series of industrial labels for identification and metal asset marking plates.

Lessons for Schools in Asset Tracking

While preparing for the new school year ahead many schools will be reviewing their assets and equipment. Sadly during this process many schools will fine missing or damaged items that will need replacing.

While planning assets and equipment for the coming year it make sense to also look at ways to reduce assets being damaged or lost to minimise the cost of future replacement and maximise what are often very tight budgets.

Clear asset identification

A sensible first step is to look for ways to mark all school assets and equipment to clearly identify them as belonging to the school. Such asset marking helps discourage items from being misplaced or stolen, but only as long as the marking is clear and permanent.

Using quality asset labels or identification plates can be extremely useful in this regard plus they also allow for additional information to be associated with the item.

Tracking and tracing assets

By adding a bar code, sequential numbering or QR code for smaller items schools can also track additional key pieces of information including:

·         Who is responsible for each asset

·         Where each asset should be located

·         Condition and maintenance details

·         Lifetime costs associated with the asset

Holding this additional information helps schools maintain proper chains of responsibility, these help to reduce assets being damaged or misappropriated.

The right asset label in the right place

Just as the assets within a school will range in size and type so a different appropriate asset label or plate will be required to mark each item. Schools should consider using a range of asset labels tailored to the assets and equipment needing to be tracked.

Talking to an expert like Dantech can help schools find the right asset labels and marking products for them. Visit ID Asset Labels or call 01354 688 488 for free advice and support.

Tips on Recovering Stolen Items

Being burgled is a terrible experience, but it can be a wake-up call for many of us about how poorly protected our assets can be.

While insurance can help cover the cost of replacing items most of us would rather have our property back. However, even if police recover stolen goods one of the hardest issues can be proving who the real owners are of each item. If you don’t have records and your items aren’t security marked then it can at times be virtually impossible to prove ownership.

Using Identifying Security Marks 

Many people don’t know how to protect their items in the event of a burglary therefore fail to do so. To be safe, keep item descriptions, serial numbers, and photos of your valuables. You can also place identifying security marks on your property, so they can be quickly recognised as belonging to you.

Try marking your soft items, such as leather, or cloth with a marker and use a UV security marking pen to mark high valued Items with ‘shiny’ surfaces such as iPads, tablets, laptops, projectors, cameras, mobiles, bikes, garden utilities - where chemical etching won't penetrate.

Call the Police 

The first thing to do when you find that your home has been broken into is do call the Police. Filing a police report and providing as much information as possible about your stolen goods will help the police in their investigation.

Check in with the police weekly to see if they’ve made progress on your case. Reminding the police about your case will keep it fresh in their minds.

Check out local pawn and second-hand goods Shops 

It is not uncommon for thieves to take stolen goods to a pawn shop or second hand goods store in your local area and surrounding towns. Ring around and visit some of these shops immediately after the event.

If you find your goods in a shop don’t demand your good back or attempt to buy them back. You should ask the shop to reserve them for you and contact the police straight away.

Browse through the eBay listings 

EBay is another popular method used by burglars to get rid of hot items. If you happen to stumble across your missing items on eBay, print a copy of the listing, complete with the eBay site address, date, item number, and User ID.

Print one copy for yourself and one for the police. By giving the police the listing, they can then go about recovering your items. Hopefully these tips will be able to help you recover your stolen items in the unfortunate event of a burglary.

Remember by security marking your items, this will increase your chances of recovering them.

Security Marking for Business and Industry 

If you’re an organisation or business then your security marking needs to be more organised than a simple UV pen and the method you use can vary across your different assets and equipment.

Specialists in asset and security marking Dantech Ltd can help you find the right security marking system for you including UV security marking stencils suitable for shiny surfaced equipment like iPads, ID security plates for big or high value equipment and asset labels for smaller items, tools and equipment. For more information visit www.idmark.com.

Protect Your Classroom Equipment with Asset Labels

Protecting Class Room Equipment

When maintaining a class room, it is essential to know where your school equipment is and to ensure that it can easily be tracked and catalogued.

 It may actually be surprising just how much valuable equipment a single class room can have, and this goes double to class rooms geared towards specialised subjects, such as science or technology.

As such, using security marking methods such as asset labels coupled with equipment inventories and bar codes or ID numbers to track your equipment is a very good way to keep abreast of where they are and when they’re not where they’re supposed to be.

Tracking Equipment in Schools 

It can be very tricky to keep tabs on equipment in a school setting, as it’s frequently the case that there are more students and more classes than there is equipment for lessons. As such, items often rotate classrooms, winding up in rooms without proper authorisation.

While writing the schools name in permanent pen might seem like a cheap and effective solution it seldom works as a real security measure. The easiest way to mark your classroom equipment is to use an asset label with a proper bar code or ID number.

Asset labels are dedicated permanent labels containing key security or identity details for the item of equipment. Good quality ones are near impossible to remove and can withstand regular use and harsh environments. In addition for very small equipment there are even mini labels using 2D or QR codes.

Asset Lists 

By assigning each piece of school equipment a code or number you can link a database of equipment details directly to an item via the asset label number. As such, asset labels allow equipment to be quickly identified by other members of staff or students and promptly returned to where they should be.

Carefully written and tracked equipment lists can be used during class set up to note what is being used, where it is being used and who is responsible for it. After the class, the list can then be used to track if any items are missing, where they are likely to be and, in worst case scenarios, who will be held responsible for its damage or loss.

For more details on asset labels visit ID Asset labels or for UV security marking and ID plates visit ID Mark.

Security Marking Tablets To Protect Your Property

Perhaps the greatest irony of the 2008 Recession is that, even during its height, sales of highly expensive personal items continued to grow, such as the latest models of mobile phone, laptops and tablet computers.

Many of us now carry around several hundred pounds worth of electronic devices that simply help us function in an increasingly cyber-dependent world. Indeed it’s actually become very common for someone’s entire life to be held on a single hard-drive, from baby photos to e-invoices to personal contacts.

Increased Risk

Of course, with all this lovely expensive tech comes as increasing need for security and sadly a side effect of recession periods can be an increase in theft. While many security measures work to lock down a device or protect the data stored inside what most of us would like is deterrent to prevent the theft in the first place.

It is a sad fact that even the best locks can be broken, and that determined thieves can eventually overcome most security measures. Something like a Kensington lock or an alarm rather than a form of immunity against theft; is rather more akin to a delaying action or a deterrent. If a thief does decide to pinch your locked and alarmed laptop, you can be reasonably sure he also has the determination to break or circumnavigate the other security measures.

So what do you do if the locks fail and the thief gets away with your company tablet computer, one which potentially holds a vital work files and information?

Sad to say, but there isn’t a lot you can do yourself, however if your company had security marked your tablet they would have improved your chances of the police finding, identifying and returning your tablet to you safe and sound.

 Security Marking

When we talking about security marking tablets, laptops and other tech, what we’re actually doing is marking such devices with a small security label, stencil or plate. These create a permanent mark of ownership in many cases a company name and can include a unique security number for identification, and maybe even other informational titbit's such as contact details. 

While security labels can be made from a number of materials a tamper evident material break into small pieces when attempts are made to remove them. This makes it even harder to remove and clearly shows tampering. Products like ID Silver Mark and ID Mark leave a permanent UV identification which can be clearly seen under the correct lighting, This makes security marked items harder for thieves to sell on (fences and dealers are usually unwilling to accept “hot” goods) and easier for them to be identified if recovered.

While security marking cannot guarantee that your tech will be returned with any due swiftness, it can help improve the chances of the item being found, and that in itself can be well worth the investment. 

For more information about security marking tablets, phones, laptops and other devices, or security tag IDs in general, visit Dantech - ID Mark security marking, a company that specialises in security marking for business, industry and organisations. You can also contact them directly by phoning 01354 688 488.