Skyware Inventory is a web-based inventory tracking and stock management system designed to help organizations keep accurate counts of products, parts, supplies, tools, and equipment—without living in spreadsheets. It focuses on a simple, transaction-driven workflow (receive items in, send items out, move items around, and correct mistakes), plus real-time reporting and multiple inventory costing options.
1) Why inventory systems fail in real life (and what Skyware is trying to fix)
Most inventory problems are not caused by “bad employees” or “too many SKUs.” They happen because the business has no single source of truth. Items arrive, get moved, consumed, returned, or lost—and the records never catch up. Skyware Inventory tries to solve this with a simple set of consistent transaction types so every stock change has a traceable reason, timestamp, and history.
Instead of relying on periodic “inventory days” to correct numbers, the goal is day-to-day control: log what came in, what went out, and what moved. When the system is easy enough, people actually use it—and accuracy becomes routine instead of a quarterly crisis.
2) What Skyware Inventory is (in plain English)
Skyware Inventory is described as a secure, database-driven web application for online inventory tracking and stock management. It runs in the cloud and is meant to be accessed from common devices (desktop, laptop, tablet, phone) through the web.
The software is provided by Open Sky Software, Inc. and Skyware’s “About” page positions Open Sky as a custom software engineering firm (web/mobile, secure and high-performance applications).
3) The core workflow: Items + Transactions
Skyware’s feature set centers on two ideas:
A) Item management (how you define what you track)
Skyware supports practical item setup features such as images, models, barcodes, default categories/locations, serial numbers, variants, non-stock items, vendor/manufacturer tracking, reorder alerts, and custom fields.
This matters because inventory accuracy starts with item clarity. If your SKUs are messy (duplicate names, inconsistent units, no locations), no software can save you. A system that lets you attach images, barcodes, and structured fields reduces confusion at the moment of use.
B) Transaction types (how quantities change)
Skyware highlights a transaction-based approach using receipts, tickets, transfers, and adjustments to manage inbound, outbound, movement, and corrections. It also supports real-time quantity on-hand, backdated/future transactions, cost calculations for adjustments, and attachments (documents/images).
That transaction history becomes your audit trail. When someone asks, “Why did we run out?” you can stop guessing and look up what actually happened.
4) Reporting that’s meant to be used (not ignored)
Skyware emphasizes reporting with filters and drill-downs, including inventory cost reports (FIFO, LIFO, Average), plus export to Excel for analysis.
Its FAQ describes built-in reporting through modules like ITEMS (filter/sort current quantities by category, location, model, and custom fields) and TRANSACTIONS (filter/sort history by type, date, reference, and custom fields), both with Excel export. It also mentions an Inventory Report (quantities + costs) and an Item Report that breaks down historical transactions and costing calculations.
For many small and mid-sized operations, “export to Excel” is not a compromise—it’s a feature. It lets teams do quick pivots, share snapshots, and connect inventory to budgeting without needing a full BI stack.
5) Inventory costing: FIFO, LIFO, and Average (and why you should care)
Skyware states that it supports three costing methods—Average, FIFO, and LIFO—and that you can switch between them.
In the FAQ, Skyware explains the practical differences:
- Average costing tracks a rolling average and is described as widely accepted for tax reporting.
- FIFO removes the oldest items first and is described as widely used and broadly supported by tax jurisdictions.
- LIFO removes the newest items first and is described as potentially useful in rising-cost environments but not allowed in many jurisdictions for tax reporting.
Even if you’re not doing formal accounting inside Skyware, costing rules affect how you interpret margins, shrink, and replenishment decisions—especially when supplier prices move.
6) Barcode scanning and serial numbers (the “speed + accuracy” combo)
Skyware’s FAQ says you can scan barcodes using a webcam or a mobile phone, and scan into fields such as Model, Barcode, UPC, SKU, or Unique ID (after enabling scanning in setup).
It also distinguishes stock vs non-stock items and notes integrated serial number tracking that prompts users to enter or select serial numbers.
This is a big deal operationally: scanning reduces typing errors, and serial tracking adds accountability for high-value or regulated equipment (tools, devices, specialty parts).
7) Cloud reliability and security posture (what the vendor claims)
On its features page, Skyware claims a high-availability cloud setup with data centers in two geographic locations and resilience measures (load balancing, monitoring, redundant communications/power) delivering 99.99% uptime.
In the FAQ, Skyware also claims the application/database are distributed across two physically separate & secure tier 4 data centers, with PCI, HIPAA, and GDPR compliance, and that data is encrypted in transit and at rest.
Those statements are vendor-provided (so you’d still validate them against your internal requirements), but they show Skyware is positioning itself as more than a hobby tool—especially relevant if you store sensitive item notes, invoices, or customer-linked references in attachments.
8) Pricing: where Skyware fits financially
Skyware publishes per-user pricing with multiple tiers, including:
- Free: $0 for one user, “free forever,” and ad-supported.
- Simple: $5 per user/month (or $50 per user/year), includes no ads plus features like reorder alerts, serial numbers, images/documents, and an Android app.
- Pro: $8 per user/month (or $80 per user/year), adds items like item variants, additional reports, and average costing.
- Enterprise: $12 per user/month (or $120 per user/year), adds FIFO and LIFO costing (in addition to average) and other advanced features.
This structure is attractive for teams that want to start small (even solo) and only pay more when collaboration demands it.
9) When Skyware Inventory is a good fit (and when it isn’t)
Good fit (based on its positioning and feature set):
- Small/medium businesses that need clean inventory tracking across one or more locations.
- Teams that value simplicity, barcode support, transaction history, and exports to Excel.
- Warehouses tracking parts, supplies, materials, equipment, and tools—especially when they want a lightweight system rather than a complex ERP.
Potential mismatch (general decision guidance):
- If you need deep warehouse execution (bin-level directed picking, wave picking, labor management, advanced shipping integrations), you may need a dedicated WMS or ERP module. Skyware markets itself primarily as inventory tracking/stock management with “warehouse inventory management” positioning, but it doesn’t present itself as a full enterprise WMS suite on the pages above. 6
Conclusion
Skyware Inventory is built around a straightforward promise: make inventory control simple enough that people will actually keep it up to date. Its approach—items + standardized transactions + real-time on-hand counts + practical reporting—targets the day-to-day reality of inventory work: receiving, issuing, moving, and correcting stock with an audit trail.
What makes it especially approachable is that it combines a free one-user plan with clear per-user upgrades, letting organizations test real workflows before paying. Its published tiers also show a logical feature progression (ads removed, reorder alerts, serial numbers, Android support, then expanded reports and full FIFO/LIFO costing at higher levels).
Finally, Skyware positions itself as reliable cloud software, citing high-availability design and specific security/compliance claims (encryption in transit and at rest; PCI/HIPAA/GDPR; separated data centers). For many teams, that combination—simple operations + costing flexibility + barcode/serial support + cloud availability—is exactly what turns inventory from a recurring headache into a manageable system.