SCOPE

The purpose of this document is to establish a standardized naming convention for computing assets, to allow those assets to be quickly and positively identified so, they may be serviced and/or secured in a timely manner.

INTRODUCTION

This standard is mandatory for all new system purchases and will be applied when each system is received and configured by technical personnel. This standard is recommended and encouraged for all other existing systems. Full compliance with this standard will be accomplished through the attrition of existing computers.

RESPONSIBILITY

All personnel responsible for managing DEPARTMENTAL computing assets, specifically, desktop computers and mobile computing devices, and all personnel responsible for maintaining the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of those assets on the Company’s network.

REFERENCES

None

NAMING BEST PRACTICES

Consistency

For your organization, determine:

1. Which abbreviations will be used and how to use them correctly,
2. How to name repeating Assets
3. Remember that metadata you choose to include
4. Correlation with any related paper records will aid in the usefulness and access of these records.

Unique Names

Names should be distinctive. The examples below do not represent all available options. The standards chosen by your organization will depend on your business purpose and the types of Assets.

Use only Alpha-Numeric Characters

Avoid using special characters such as: &! % / \& ? # , – : < > in Asset Names.

While the software may allow them, these characters may make it difficult to integrate between Systems.

Be Aware of Spaces

Spaces are often reserved for operating system functions and might be misread when integrating between application programs or into proprietary systems.

Where possible, you can remove spaces altogether and capitalize each word.

Keep it Short

• Names should be short, descriptive, and easy to understand by people not familiar with the Asset.
• Names should make sense over time, not just to people currently working with the Asset.
• The length of the file name is important.
• Overly long names can cause issues with Legacy technology with a limited number of characters available to use in naming (Ex. Wins).

Document the use of Abbreviations

Abbreviations are a great way to shorten names and still provide some context for the Asset.
It is critical however that you document the appropriate use and meaning of abbreviations in your naming conventions, so they are applied consistently across the agency and understood across time.

Sequential Numbering, make sure to use Leading Zeros

Sequential numbering allows for multiple objects to sort correctly which will help you find things quickly. This becomes particularly critical for items containing large numbers of records such as Active Directory.

PROCEDURE

New Systems:

When a purchased system arrives, it will be delivered to End User Support (EUS) to be configured with the appropriate disk image (operating system, image, etc.), encrypted, and joined to the Company’s active directory domain. As part of being on the domain, EUS will assign a name to the device and create the active directory account related to the device.

Once delivered to the department, the system and domain account may be renamed, but they must meet the standard described in the Mandatory requirements below. Any costs associated with renaming the system are the responsibility of the department.

Existing Systems:

Renaming systems already in use at the Company are encouraged to support service and security for those systems. Those new names must meet the Mandatory requirements described below for both the device and the active directory account.

The Company’s management client should also be installed at this time if it has not been already.

Contact the Service Desk for more information on the management client and for assistance with name changes. Like renaming new systems, any costs associated with renaming existing systems are the responsibility of the department.

Server\Appliance Naming

Definition

Any Device that will Services Multiple Department and\Or Divisions. Devices will only be Maintained by IT Personnel and are Department\Division independent.

Examples:

1. Physical\Virtual Server\Switch\Router\Firewall
2. Wireless Access Point
3. Printers and Accessories
4. Security Devices (Biometrics, Cameras, DVR, Etc.)
5. PDU\UPS

Structure

The Structure of a Server\Appliance Name will be as follows:

1. Physical Location
   1. CC = Country Code
   1. BBB = Three-Digit Abbreviation of Closest International Airport
   1. NN = Numerical number of an associated Branch
      (Document with Regional Branch Location must be Maintained for Each Country)
2. Server Purpose
   1. EEE = Environment being Serviced
   1. FF = The Function of the Server
   1. NNN = Numerical Value to distinguish between similar Functional Servers
3. Server Hardware
   1. H = Device Hardware Type
   1. T = Device Type

Examples

Server in South-Africa Datacenter (01) used for all production environment Active Directory Authentication run on a Virtual Server

CC	BBB	NN	EEE	FF	NNN	H	T
ZA	ORT	01	PRD	AD	001	V	S

A Switch in the Pretoria (02) Branch in Production the third switch installed, and it is a physical appliance

CC	BBB	NN	EEE	FF	NNN	H	T
ZA	ORT	02	PRD	SW	003	P	A

A router installed in Johannesburg (03) Branch used in the Development environment installed as a Virtual Appliance

CC	BBB	NN	EEE	FF	NNN	H	T
ZA	ORT	03	DEV	RT	001	V	A

End User Device Naming

Definition

A device that has been assigned to a Specific user\Department for Use in their Day to Day work.

Example:

1. Workstation (Computer, Laptop)
2. Phone (Desk Phone, Mobile)
3. PDA\Tablet
4. Projector

Structure

The Structure of an End User Device is as Follows:

1. Physical Location
   1. CC = Country Code
   1. BBB = Three-Digit Abbreviation of Closest International Airport
   1. NN = Numerical number of an associated Branch
      (Document with Regional Branch Location must be Maintained for Each Country)
2. Device Use
   1. DD = Department\Division
   1. NNN = Numerical Value to distinguish between similar Devices
3. Device Type
   1. UU = End-User Device Type

Examples

A Laptop used in South-Africa, in the Pretoria Branch by Finance

CC	BBB	NN	DD	NNN	UU
ZA	ORT	02	FN	001	LP

A Projector in South-Africa, in the Durban Warehouse

CC	BBB	NN	DD	NNN	UU
ZA	KSI	02	WH	001	PJ

Abbreviation References

Codes Used in Naming Convention Breakdown

Short Code Description	Short Code
Country Code	CC
Device Function\Service\Purpose\Role	FF
Department\Division	DD
Environment	EE
Device Hardware Type	H
Device Type	T
End User Device Type	UU

Country Codes

Short Code: CC

Name	GENC 2A Code	GENC 3A Code
Afghanistan	AF	AFG
Albania	AL	ALB
Algeria	DZ	DZA
Andorra	AD	AND
Angola	AO	AGO
Antigua and Barbuda	AG	ATG
Argentina	AR	ARG
Armenia	AM	ARM
Australia	AU	AUS
Austria	AT	AUT
Azerbaijan	AZ	AZE
Bahamas	BS	BHS
Bahrain	BH	BHR
Bangladesh	BD	BGD
Barbados	BB	BRB
Belarus	BY	BLR
Belgium	BE	BEL
Belize	BZ	BLZ
Benin	BJ	BEN
Bhutan	BT	BTN
Bolivia	BO	BOL
Bosnia and Herzegovina	BA	BIH
Botswana	BW	BWA
Brazil	BR	BRA
Brunei	BN	BRN
Bulgaria	BG	BGR
Burkina	BF	BFA
Burma	MM	MMR
Burundi	BI	BDI
Cabo	CV	CPV
Cambodia	KH	KHM
Cameroon	CM	CMR
Canada	CA	CAN
Central African Republic	CF	CAF
Chad	TD	TCD
Chile	CL	CHL
China	CN	CHN
Colombia	CO	COL
Comoros	KM	COM
Congo	CG	COG
Costa Rica	CR	CRI
Côte d’Ivoire	CI	CIV
Croatia	HR	HRV
Cuba	CU	CUB
Cyprus	CY	CYP
Czechia	CZ	CZE
Denmark	DK	DNK
Djibouti	DJ	DJI
Dominica	DM	DMA
Dominican Republic	DO	DOM
Ecuador	EC	ECU
Egypt	EG	EGY
El Salvador	SV	SLV
Equatorial Guinea	GQ	GNQ
Eritrea	ER	ERI
Estonia	EE	EST
Eswatini	SZ	SWZ
Ethiopia	ET	ETH
Fiji	FJ	FJI
Finland	FI	FIN
France	FR	FRA
Gabon	GA	GAB
Gambia	GM	GMB
Georgia	GE	GEO
Germany	DE	DEU
Ghana	GH	GHA
Greece	GR	GRC
Grenada	GD	GRD
Guatemala	GT	GTM
Guinea	GN	GIN
Guinea-Bissau	GW	GNB
Guyana	GY	GUY
Haiti	HT	HTI
Holy See	VA	VAT
Honduras	HN	HND
Hungary	HU	HUN
Iceland	IS	ISL
India	IN	IND
Indonesia	ID	IDN
Iran	IR	IRN
Iraq	IQ	IRQ
Ireland	IE	IRL
Israel	IL	ISR
Italy	IT	ITA
Jamaica	JM	JAM
Japan	JP	JPN
Jordan	JO	JOR
Kazakhstan	KZ	KAZ
Kenya	KE	KEN
Kiribati	KI	KIR
North Korea	KP	PRK
South Korea	KR	KOR
Kosovo	XK	XKS
Kuwait	KW	KWT
Kyrgyzstan	KG	KGZ
Laos	LA	LAO
Latvia	LV	LVA
Lebanon	LB	LBN
Lesotho	LS	LSO
Liberia	LR	LBR
Libya	LY	LBY
Liechtenstein	LI	LIE
Lithuania	LT	LTU
Luxembourg	LU	LUX
Madagascar	MG	MDG
Malawi	MW	MWI
Malaysia	MY	MYS
Maldives	MV	MDV
Mali	ML	MLI
Malta	MT	MLT
Marshall Islands	MH	MHL
Mauritania	MR	MRT
Mauritius	MU	MUS
Mexico	MX	MEX
Federated States of Micronesia	FM	FSM
Moldova	MD	MDA
Monaco	MC	MCO
Mongolia	MN	MNG
Montenegro	ME	MNE
Morocco	MA	MAR
Mozambique	MZ	MOZ
Namibia	NA	NAM
Nauru	NR	NRU
Nepal	NP	NPL
Netherlands	NL	NLD
New Zealand	NZ	NZL
Nicaragua	NI	NIC
Niger	NE	NER
Nigeria	NG	NGA
North Macedonia	MK	MKD
Norway	NO	NOR
Oman	OM	OMN
Pakistan	PK	PAK
Palau	PW	PLW
Panama	PA	PAN
Papua New Guinea	PG	PNG
Paraguay	PY	PRY
Peru	PE	PER
Philippines	PH	PHL
Poland	PL	POL
Portugal	PT	PRT
Qatar	QA	QAT
Romania	RO	ROU
Russia	RU	RUS
Rwanda	RW	RWA
Saint Kitts and Nevis	KN	KNA
Saint Lucia	LC	LCA
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	VC	VCT
Samoa	WS	WSM
San Marino	SM	SMR
Sao Tome and Principe	ST	STP
Saudi Arabia	SA	SAU
Senegal	SN	SEN
Serbia	RS	SRB
Seychelles	SC	SYC
Sierra Leone	SL	SLE
Singapore	SG	SGP
Slovakia	SK	SVK
Slovenia	SI	SVN
Solomon Islands	SB	SLB
Somalia	SO	SOM
South Africa	ZA	ZAF
South Sudan	SS	SSD
Spain	ES	ESP
Sri Lanka	LK	LKA
Sudan	SD	SDN
Suriname	SR	SUR
Sweden	SE	SWE
Switzerland	CH	CHE
Syria	SY	SYR
Tajikistan	TJ	TJK
Tanzania	TZ	TZA
Thailand	TH	THA
Timor-Leste	TL	TLS
Togo	TG	TGO
Tonga	TO	TON
Trinidad and Tobago	TT	TTO
Tunisia	TN	TUN
Turkey	TR	TUR
Turkmenistan	TM	TKM
Tuvalu	TV	TUV
Uganda	UG	UGA
Ukraine	UA	UKR
United Arab Emirates	AE	ARE
United Kingdom	GB	GBR
United States	US	USA
Uruguay	UY	URY
Uzbekistan	UZ	UZB
Vanuatu	VU	VUT
Venezuela	VE	VEN
Vietnam	VN	VNM
Yemen	YE	YEM
Zambia	ZM	ZMB
Zimbabwe	ZW	ZWE

Device Function\Service\Purpose\Role

Short Code: FF

Short Name	Description
DB	Database
DC	Domain controller
AP	Application (Middleware, Database)
FS	File Server
PS	Print Server
SQL	SQL Database
EXH	Exchange
CTX	Citrix Server
ESX	VMware ESX Server
WS	Web Server (Proxy, Mail, FTP)
MG	Management Server
TS	Terminal
FW	Firewall
RT	Router
PR	Printer
PD	Power Distribution
UP	UPS

Environment

Short Code: EE

Short Name	Description
Dev	Development
TST	Testing
STG	Staging
PRD	Production

Device Hardware Type

Short Code: H

Short Name	Description
V	Virtual
P	Physical
C	Cluster
O	Outsourced or vendor supported system

Device Type

Short Code: T

Short Name	Description
S	Server
A	Appliance

Department\Division

Short Code: DD

Short Name	Description
IT	Information Technology
FN	Finance
AD	Administration
CR	Creditors
DT	Debtors
MK	Marketing
PR	Procurement
PD	Productions
SL	Sales
MG	Management
SY	Systems
WH	Warehouse
LG	Logistics

End User Device Type

Short Code: UU

Short Name	Description
LP	Laptop
PC	Computer
3D	3D Printer
MP	Mobile Phone
PJ	Projector
DP	Desk Phone
SC	Scanner

Documentation and Reporting

To be done as required