Top PC Naming Conventions for System Admins

As a system administrator, choosing the right naming convention for the PCs you manage is crucial for staying organized and keeping your IT environment running smoothly. With so many devices to keep track of, having a clear and consistent naming scheme can save you time and headaches down the road.

In this article, we'll explore some of the most popular and commonly used PC naming conventions favored by IT pros. We'll look at the pros and cons of each approach and include plenty of examples to help you find the perfect fit for your organization. Finally, we'll reveal our recommended best practice for modern PC management.

Naming Schemes Ranked by Popularity

Based on an analysis of naming conventions discussed by system administrators online, here are the most frequently mentioned approaches, ranked in order of popularity:

1. Location-based names

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Naming PCs based on their physical location, such as office code, floor number, room, etc. is the most common convention. It helps techs quickly identify where a problematic machine is located.

Examples: NYC-001, LON-W10-099, CHI-ACCT-050

2. Department or function

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Another popular method is including the business unit, department or employee role the PC is used for in the name. This provides insight into how the machine is utilized.

Examples: MKTG045, HR-WS-188, ENG-TEST-003  

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3. Hardware details

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Some admins like to build hardware specs like model, CPU, RAM and disk size right into the PC name. This makes it easy to determine system capabilities at a glance.

Examples: DL380-16GB-250SSD, T480s-i7-1TB, 7040-32-512-DOCK

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4. Employee name or ID

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Naming the computer after the employee who uses it, either by name or employee number, is another frequently used convention. However, this requires updating names when employees leave or switch machines.

Examples: JSMITH-PC, bjones-lt, 55123-dt

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5. Themed names

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While less common overall, some organizations opt for a themed naming scheme using categories like celestial bodies, comic characters, foods, etc. This can add some personality and fun compared to just using numbers.

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Examples: Planets (mars, jupiter), Superheroes (hulk, thor), Fruits (apple, banana)  

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Other Naming Considerations

In addition to the specific naming format, there are a few other factors to keep in mind when devising your PC naming convention:

• Allowed characters: Stick with letters, numbers and hyphens. Avoid spaces, underscores and special characters which can break things.
• Static vs dynamic: Will names stay the same or change if a PC is repurposed? Location-based names can be static while user-based may need to be dynamic.  
• Case sensitivity: Many admins prefer all uppercase names for consistency and readability. Avoid mixed case which can lead to confusion.
• Leading zeros: For sequential numbers, use leading zeros (001 vs 1) so names sort properly in alphabetical lists.
• Scalability: Choose a format that can scale to accommodate future growth as you add more PCs over time. Don't box yourself in with a limited scheme.
• Name length: Aim to keep names relatively short, ideally under 15 characters total. Long names can cause issues with some software.

Ultimately, the best PC naming system is one that is simple, descriptive, unambiguous and fits the needs of your particular environment. Many organizations use a hybrid approach combining multiple elements like location + number or department + hardware details.

Real-World PC Naming Examples

To further illustrate these different naming conventions, here are some concrete examples shared by real system administrators (extracted from analyzing a discussion on a forum specifically discussing this:

"We do 3-4 char location code, OS, hardware type, number. Like this:
CHI-W10-LT-0001 = Chicago, Win 10 laptop PC #1."

"ComputerType-Dept-Location-MachineIteration, so something like:
LT-MKT-FL3-045
DT-HR-EX-012
AIO-ENG-BLDG4-088"

"Asset tag for non lab, room-seat for lab machines. BIO 246-01, PHYS 305-22, 55432, 55987 etc."

"Floor - Department - Sequential number
Example: 02-MKT-054"

"My previous org used Mythology references:
Heracles, Athena, Odin, Raijin, Bast, Anubis, Osiris, Ra, Horus, Apollo, Zeus, Hercules, Neptune, Thor, Loki, Kratos, Artemis, Icarus."

"We use DEPT-serialnumber, e.g. MKTG-123098 or ACCT-445261."

"3 character site code + hardware model + number, like DAL-7040-001. Numbers roll over at 999."

Pitfalls to Avoid

While having some naming convention is generally better than having none at all, here are a few common mistakes to watch out for:

• Cryptic codes: Don't make names so short or cryptic that you need a decoder chart to understand them. Names should be intuitive.
• Repeating numbers: Avoid reusing the same number in different segments of the name, like ACCTG-0234-0234. This causes confusion.
• Redundant info: Including both model number and model name is redundant, i.e. 840G2-EliteBook. Choose one or the other.
• Hyphens galore: More than 1-2 hyphens tends to make names hard to read quickly. Use sparingly to separate core elements.
• Obsolete info: Don't include details that will quickly become outdated like OS version, IP address, employee title, etc.
• First name basis: Using just an employee first name can cause mixups, especially with common names. Use full or last name if needed.

Keep It Simple for Easier Management

At the end of the day, the key to an effective PC naming scheme is simplicity. Overcomplicated names confuse both IT staff and end users. A location + device type + number format (NYC-DT-0234) is a solid go-to for many organizations.

However, modern IT asset management systems like Shelf.nu (the website you are visiting right now) eliminates the downsides of spreadsheets and manual tracking. With a centralized cloud database, it's easier than ever to keep tabs on your growing PC fleet even with just bare bones names.

So if devising the perfect naming convention feels like more trouble than it's worth, that's a good sign you're ready for a purpose-built IT management platform to lighten the load. Naming PCs will always be important - but it doesn't have to be painful. Find a format that works and let smart software handle the heavy lifting of keeping your computer fleet visible, organized and under control.

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Want to see the discussion of IT admins where these insights were generated from? https://www.reddit.com/r/sysadmin/comments/1d8piwf/lets_talk_about_pc_naming_conventions/