Skip to content
KeystoneOps KeystoneOps Docs

Asset categories

For the helpdesk team

Asset categories

Section titled “Asset categories”

A category is the bucket an asset lives in. Categories drive defaults — when you create a new asset and pick a category, the lifespan, depreciation profile, and replacement-due calculation all come from the category’s settings.

Standard categories

Section titled “Standard categories”

The seeded set:

  • Laptop — staff or pupil; 4-year refresh
  • Desktop — typically office machines; 5-year refresh
  • Tablet (iPad / Chromebook) — 3-year refresh
  • Phone — 3-year refresh
  • Projector — 7-year refresh
  • Smartboard / Interactive display — 7-year refresh
  • AV equipment — speakers, mics, mixers; varied lifespan
  • Server — 5-year refresh; usually subject to a separate hardware refresh
  • Network — switches, APs, routers; 7-year refresh
  • Printer / MFP — usually leased; 4-year cycle
  • Other — catch-all

Trusts can add custom categories (kiln, sound desk, sports equipment with PAT requirement, etc.).

What a category configures

Section titled “What a category configures”
  • Default lifespan — used to calculate replacement_due_date from purchase_date
  • Default warranty — usually 1-3 years; a starting point per supplier
  • Compliance type — does this category need PAT testing? An EICR? A specific maintenance schedule?
  • Assignment mode — to a person, to a room, or either
  • Disposal route — WEEE recycler, manufacturer take-back, sold, destroyed
  • Tag prefix — for auto-numbering (e.g. LP- for laptops)

Refresh planning

Section titled “Refresh planning”

The “Replacement due” report groups by category. Looking at the next 24 months by category lets you plan refresh budgets:

  • “800 laptops due replacement in 2027 → refresh budget”
  • “Year 7 iPads due replacement summer 2026 → procurement starts now”

Categories with longer lifespans cluster in lumpy refresh years (a single year where 200 smartboards all retire). Plan ahead — the cashflow is the constraint, not the ordering.

Renaming

Section titled “Renaming”

Renaming a category is safe — category_id is the key. Renaming changes only the label. Be careful renaming if you have automation or saved views that filter by category name (slug-based filters won’t break).

Archiving

Section titled “Archiving”

Archive a category instead of deleting if you’re discontinuing it. Existing assets keep the category reference; new assets can’t pick it.