Product Functionality and Features

AG Product Wheel

Asset Guardian is pre-configured with a number of useful sections as described below. Each section can be individually enabled or disabled depending on your needs.

Each section can also be customised to exactly meet your exact requirements and whole new sections can be added.

Software backup repository and revision control

  • Provides a secure, central repository for the backup files of all types of control equipment software
  • All software is under full revision control, where previous revisions are kept, but the latest revision is always clearly identified
  • The integrity of the backup files are protected through industry standard MD5 checksums being recorded and files checked for corruption both in transit and while at rest
  • Manage the test, release and installation of your software so it is carried out under properly controlled conditions
  • For software you have purchased, Asset Guardian can be used to monitor and control software license usage

Change Management

  • Full details of changes carried out are logged and available to all permitted users
  • Workflow is built in to provide distinct stages of change from request through approval to implementation and close out
  • Notifications and reminders are sent to relevant users at each stage, and when overdue
  • Generates a fully auditable history of all Configuration Changes
  • Provides instant collaboration in the Change Management process by users across remote sites
  • Supporting documentation files can be attached giving users complete information about the change
  • Changes can be linked to individual and multiple software revisions so changes made between revisions can be reported

Forces, bypasses, overrides and inhibits

  • Records forces, bypasses, overrides and inhibits both permanent and temporary
  • Tracks approval to apply and remove these forces, and the date and time of these actions
  • Multi-user visibility of current status for all permitted users, even from remote sites
  • Analysis and reporting of currently active forces including length of time and frequency of application
  • Full auditable history of forces applied and approvals for regulatory compliance

Fault logs

  • Fault events can be centrally logged for any aspect of the control and functional safety systems
  • Workflow can be built in to trace faults, from detection to resolution and close out
  • Automatically generates management status reports via email
  • Faults can be linked to forces/bypasses.
  • Root cause analysis of faults can be carried out to detect systematic and common mode failures.
  • Fault history acts as searchable knowledge base of faults and their resolutions for future reference.

Documents

  • Centrally logs all documents and associates them with a system for fast retrieval
  • Document files can be logged in and controlled with full revision history
  • Hyperlinks can be used to link Asset Guardian to existing document management systems

Hardware and Obsolescence Management

  • Full hardware inventory can be entered and linked to associated assets
  • Installation registers of hardware components and installed software revisions can be kept to give all information needed for a full hardware re-build
  • Separate Hardware Parts List linked to components allows for stock control and Obsolescence Management

Correspondence

  • Creates and stores Correspondence files against relevant asset
  • Emails can be dragged and dropped from mail client to be logged in
  • Shares correspondence in multi-user environments, such as vendor information, obsolescence notifications, firmware updates and product recalls

System passwords

  • Centrally stores system password details, including usernames and associated systems
  • Provides full access control of who can view and edit passwords on a system by system (or even password by password) basis
  • Allows a secure, structured approach to password generation and to properly control access to your critical systems

Searching and filtering

  • All data is arranged and associated with systems or assets in the tree hierarchy, allowing relevant data to be found quickly
  • All lists of data can also be filtered quickly within the current context to refine further the results you need
  • There are also comprehensive search functionality to search the whole database for specific keywords to fully utilise the knowledge base potential of the data stored in the system

Reporting and exporting

  • All data contained in Asset Guardian can be reported on in PDF format or exported to third party tools such as Microsoft Excel
  • Users can configure custom reports on the fly and save them to be run again or shared with other users
  • Advanced reports can be configured to present the data in any format including graphs, charts and tables
  • Custom and advanced reports can be run manually on demand or else scheduled to be automatically run and emailed to a distribution list of people

Audit history

  • Every action undertaken in Asset Guardian is recorded in an audit history
  • The audit history is check-summed in the database to prevent tampering and can serve as evidence of compliance with relevant standards
  • Although the audit history is “read-only” it can still be reported on like any other section

Form customisation

  • A form customisation tool is included which allows your system administrators to customise any form design without having to revert to AGSL
  • Fields can be added, edited or removed from forms and terminology, layout and behaviour can be configured to meet your specific needs
  • Whole new sections can even be added to store your data
  • End users can use the tool to customise the forms and AGSL can also assist with larger projects.