InvGate Asset Management Smart Tags: Automate Your Asset Groups

Keeping an IT inventory organized is harder than it sounds. As environments grow, assets quickly multiply across locations, owners, statuses, and lifecycles. Manually grouping devices becomes time-consuming and error-prone, often leading to outdated inventories and teams spending valuable time building lists instead of taking action.

That’s where InvGate Asset Management’s Smart Tags come in. Smart Tags automatically group assets based on rules you define, such as device type, status, warranty dates, or even custom fields. Unlike manual tags, they update automatically, ensuring every asset is always in the right group without ongoing effort.

In this article, we’ll explain what Smart Tags are, how they work in InvGate Asset Management, and share practical automation examples to help you turn your inventory into actionable insights.

What are InvGate Asset Management's Smart Tags?

Smart Tags in InvGate Asset Management are a flexible tool for automatically classifying and cataloging assets based on conditions defined by each team. Once a Smart Tag is created, any asset that meets its criteria is grouped under that tag. This means asset groups stay constantly updated without manual effort, making it easier to organize inventories and act on accurate data.

Teams can build Smart Tags using both standard asset attributes, such as type, status, or location, and custom fields created specifically for their organization. This makes the possible grouping criteria virtually unlimited. As a result, Smart Tags adapt to different priorities, workflows, and business goals, allowing every organization to structure its IT inventory in a way that reflects how it actually operates.

Smart Tags vs. Tags

Tags in InvGate Asset Management are static labels that help classify and catalog any Configuration Item (CI) within the platform. This includes assets (like hardware and software), but also users, locations, contracts and vendors (among other things).

They are applied manually and remain assigned until someone removes them. This makes them useful for basic categorization or one-time grouping, but they require ongoing human intervention to stay accurate as assets change over time.

Smart Tags, on the other hand, are dynamic and automated. Instead of being manually assigned, they rely on conditions defined in advance, such as asset type, status, location, warranty dates, or custom fields.

Any asset that meets those criteria is automatically included, and removed when it no longer does. This turns Smart Tags into living asset groups that stay up to date, making them ideal for reporting, and large-scale automated Inventory Management.

How do Smart Tags work?

InvGate Asset Management’s Smart Tags group assets that share one or more predefined criteria. Unlike regular Tags, which can be applied to different types of CIs (such as users or software), Smart Tags are exclusively available for assets. Their operation is very simple.

The team responsible for organizing the IT inventory defines the rules an asset must meet to belong to a Smart Tag. They then create the tag and assign those conditions. From that point on, whenever an asset matches the configured criteria, it is automatically included in that group.

How to configure InvGate Asset Management's Smart Tags?

There are two main different ways to create a Smart Tag in InvGate Asset Management:

1. Create a Smart Tag from scratch in the Settings section.
2. Filter a group of assets based on one or more conditions and create a Quick Smart Tag directly from the Explorer.

#1: How to create a Smart Tag from the Settings section

To create a Smart Tag from the Settings section, follow these steps:

1. Go to Settings > General > Tags.
2. Click “Add”.
3. Fill in the fields:
   1. Name: Select a name for your Smart Tag.
   2. Description: Add context for your Smart Tag.
   3. Color: Pick a color to visually identify the tag across the platform.
   4. Smart tag: Enable this option so it updates automatically based on your conditions.
4. Choose the type of asset the Smart Tag applies to.
5. Set up the conditions depending on what you want to track.

#2: How to create a Quick Smart Tag from the Explorer

A Quick Smart Tag works the same way as a Smart Tag, but it’s created differently. To create one from the Explorer, follow these steps:

1. Go to Assets.
2. Click the “+” button to create a new view.
3. Add specific conditions to filter assets.
4. Click “Update” to make sure there are assets with that condition.
5. Click “Applied filters” and then click “Quick Smart Tag”.
6. Fill in the fields:
   1. Name: Select a name for your Smart Tag.
   2. Description: Add context for your Smart Tag.
   3. Color: Pick a color to visually identify the tag across the platform.
7. Click “Create” to create the new Smart Tag.

You can also start from an AI Smart Search and describe the assets you need in plain language. Once the results show the group you want, turn them into a Quick Smart Tag the same way.

5 examples to boost ITAM automation with Smart Tags

Using Smart Tags helps keep your IT inventory accurate and up to date, strengthening your overall IT Asset Management (ITAM) strategy. Combined with InvGate Asset Management’s inventory capabilities, Smart Tags turn asset data into actionable groups that support ITAM automation, reporting, and operational control.

While the possibilities are virtually endless, here are five Smart Tags every growing organization should consider creating for more advanced Inventory Management:

1. Assets with incomplete essential data.
2. Computers with missing key Windows updates.
3. Shadow IT assets.
4. Assets approaching End of Support.
5. Devices out of warranty.
   
   

Note: Smart Tags don’t have to be permanent. You can also create temporary Smart Tags for specific security situations or internal and external compliance requirements. For example, Windows Server 2016 reaches End of Support on January 12, 2027, and a Smart Tag with the condition Assets > Operating system > contains > Windows Server 2016 keeps a live list of the servers you still have to migrate before that date.

Remember that for each of these Smart Tags, you’ll need to define a name, tag color, and description. We recommend keeping this process as organized as possible to support better Inventory Management.

#1: Assets with incomplete essential data

Assets with missing or incomplete information are one of the most common challenges as IT inventories grow. When key fields are empty, it becomes harder to assign ownership, plan renewals, assess risk, or automate workflows. This Smart Tag acts as an ongoing data quality check, helping you quickly identify which assets need attention so your inventory remains reliable and actionable.

When you are creating this specific Smart Tag, make sure to add the following conditions:

1. Assets > Location > Is > None.
2. Assets > Owner Name > Is > None.
3. Assets > Warranty Status > Is > Not set.
   
   

Note: The attributes above are just examples. Each team can define its own set of essential fields based on internal processes, priorities, and business objectives. Smart Tags are fully flexible, so you can include any conditions that make sense for your organization.

#2: Computers with missing key Windows updates

Keeping operating systems up to date is critical for reducing security vulnerabilities and maintaining compliance. Devices running Windows with pending updates often represent one of the easiest entry points for threats, especially in growing environments where patching can quickly become inconsistent.

This Smart Tag helps surface computers that require immediate attention, making it easier to prioritize remediation and automate follow-up actions.

Create a Smart Tag that matches assets where:

1. Computer > Has pending updates > Yes.
   
   

#3: Shadow IT assets

Shadow IT often appears quietly, through unapproved or non-business software installed on company devices. While some applications may seem harmless, they can introduce security risks, licensing issues, and productivity concerns.

This Smart Tag helps identify computers running popular gaming platforms, a common indicator of unauthorized software, so IT teams can quickly investigate and take action.

Create a Smart Tag that matches assets where:

1. Computer > Software Installations > Contains > Steam.
2. OR - Computer > Software Installations > Contains > Epic.
3. OR - Computer > Software Installations > Contains > Battle.
   
   

Note: This list can include any software your team considers relevant. InvGate Asset Management also includes authorization policies, which classify software as allowed, under review or prohibited and flag unauthorized installs, making this process much easier.

#4: Assets approaching End of Support (EOS)

Tracking assets as they approach their End-of-Support date is essential for proactive replacement planning, budget forecasting, and reducing security risk. Once a manufacturer stops shipping fixes and updates for a model, every device that runs it becomes harder to protect and to repair.

InvGate Asset Management fills in that date natively through Atlas AI Agent, which brings the manufacturer's End-of-Support date for computers, servers, switches, routers, firewalls and databases into each asset record. To group every device that loses support in the coming months, create a Smart Tag that matches assets where the following condition applies (the 180-day window is only an example, so adjust it to the time your team needs to budget for and replace a device):

1. Assets > End of Support > is in the next (days) > 180.
   
   

Note: Atlas AI Agent is available in the cloud version of InvGate Asset Management and needs no configuration. The same field with the "is empty" operator finds the assets that still have no End-of-Support date, and in on-premises deployments a custom date field works with the same logic.

#5: Devices out of warranty

Devices nearing the end of their warranty period often represent increased operational risk and unexpected support costs. This Smart Tag helps you proactively identify assets whose warranty is about to expire, making it easier to plan renewals, prioritize replacements, or prepare mitigation actions. For Dell, Lenovo and IBM devices with a serial number, the Warranty APIs integration fills in the warranty expiration date automatically, so the tag stays accurate without manual data entry.

Create a Smart Tag that matches assets where:

1. Assets > Warranty expiration date > Is > Next 30 days.
   
   

Note: The time range is fully customizable. You can adjust it to 7 days, 15 days, or any period that fits your processes, and you can also create additional Smart Tags to identify assets with already expired warranties or combine this rule with other conditions as needed.

What to do with a Smart Tag group

Smart tagging pays off once the group starts driving work. Because the tag updates itself, everything you build on top of it follows the assets that meet its conditions at any given moment, with no list to maintain.

See the group and filter by it

Every tag is one click away from the tags shortcut in the top bar of InvGate Asset Management. Selecting a Smart Tag there opens a search filtered by that tag, with every asset it holds at that moment.

Tags also work as a filter in the Asset Explorer, so you can combine a Smart Tag with other conditions, such as a location or an owner, and save the result as a view. That view becomes the working list for whoever has to fix, replace or review those assets.

Send the group on a schedule

Some groups need to reach people who don't work in the platform every day, such as a security lead or the finance team. Save a view filtered by the Smart Tag and automate its delivery, so the current list of assets reaches the recipients you choose on the schedule you set.

Since the view reads the tag each time it goes out, recipients always get the assets that meet the conditions on that date. A weekly list of servers approaching End of Support, or of devices with incomplete data, keeps the follow-up going without anyone rebuilding the report.

Target software deployment plans

Software deployment can use Smart Tags to decide which computers a plan reaches. When you create an execution plan under Software > Deployment, you include computers by Smart Tag, so a plan that removes or updates an application reaches every Windows computer in the group and none outside it. That's how an Office 2016, 2019 and 2021 End of Life cleanup works: one Smart Tag per version and a single plan that uninstalls Office from every tagged computer.

Administrators can also lock a tag, Smart Tags included, so only they can use, assign or manage it. A locked tag gives them control over which devices enter a deployment plan, and users without administrator rights can't add or remove assets from that group.

Plan hardware refresh with the Financial Planning & Refresh dashboard

InvGate Asset Management includes a predefined Financial Planning & Refresh dashboard that brings together the residual value, accumulated depreciation, refresh spend and chargeback by cost center of the hardware fleet. Two of its indicators, Flagged for decommission and Overdue retirement, count the assets in two Smart Tags that the system creates and evaluates automatically.

Flagged for decommission groups the assets that meet at least one replacement criterion, such as a current value at or below 25% of the acquisition cost, a warranty that expires within 90 days or an End-of-Support date within the next 180 days. Overdue retirement groups the assets already past that point, for example with an expired warranty or an End-of-Support date that has passed. Both tags also work in the dashboard's Tags filter and across the rest of the platform, so the same group can feed a view or a deployment plan.

Final thoughts

InvGate Asset Management Smart Tags turn your IT inventory into a living system that stays organized, adapts to your priorities, and supports automation at scale. Whether you’re improving data quality, strengthening security, or planning asset lifecycles, Smart Tags give you a simple way to move from visibility to action.

To see how this works in practice, start a 30-day free trial and build your first Smart Tags in just a few minutes. If you prefer to plan how they fit your inventory first, talk to Sales.

Frequently Asked Questions

These are the questions IT teams ask most often about Smart Tags in InvGate Asset Management. Each answer sums up what the sections above explain in more detail.

What are Smart Tags in InvGate Asset Management?

Smart Tags are tags that InvGate Asset Management assigns automatically to every asset that meets a set of conditions defined by your team. When an asset stops meeting those conditions, it leaves the group, so the list stays up to date without manual work.

What are the benefits of using Smart Tags for asset management?

Smart Tags keep asset groups accurate without manual upkeep and surface issues such as missing data, pending updates or approaching End of Support. The same tag can filter a view, feed a scheduled delivery, scope a software deployment plan or drive the Financial Planning & Refresh dashboard.

What is the difference between Tags and Smart Tags?

Tags are static labels that someone assigns and removes by hand, and they apply to many types of Configuration Items. Smart Tags work only on assets and are assigned automatically by rules, so assets join and leave the group as their data changes.

Can Smart Tags be applied to software, people or locations?

Smart Tags are exclusive to assets. Software, people, locations, contracts and other Configuration Items can carry regular tags, which you assign manually.

Can I restrict who manages a Smart Tag?

Administrators can lock any tag, Smart Tags included, so only they can use, assign or manage it. This is useful to control which devices enter actions such as software deployment plans.