The impact of remote work on IT asset management

The lasting shift towards remote work has also significantly affected IT asset management. As the physical boundaries of workplace blurs, the lifecycle management of IT devices becomes a more complex topic.

In this blog, we dive deeper into the changes and offer concrete tips for managing the lifecycle of IT devices within remote and hybrid environments.

How does remote work affect IT asset management?

In short, remote work makes asset tracking significantly more demanding. The location and status of IT assets now change far more frequently than in a traditional office environment.

Laptops and other equipment regularly move between home, office, and even summer cottages, making it nearly impossible to maintain a reliable asset inventory through manual updates alone. To remain secure and compliant, companies need proper tools for IT asset management.

Devices have moved outside the office

As mentioned, employees seamlessly move their work between the office, home, and even summer cottage. Managing assets that often move location is much more complicated. In addition to computers and laptops, an employee may have a docking station, separate monitor, headset, electric desk and ergonomic work chair.

In the worst case, not even the employee knows where a particular asset is currently located. If ITAM is handled manually with e.g. spreadsheets, a lot of assets will almost certainly be forgotten. 

When different devices are spread between home and the workplace, managing spare stock and reorganizing them as needed becomes more complex. It can be difficult to transfer unused devices to the next employee if the device's status is unknown. This can easily lead to purchasing a new device, while the unused device is forgotten in a storage room or someone's home. 

Offboarding is also something that remote work has affected. When an employee leaves, companies must ensure that all assigned devices are returned. Lost IT assets are not only a financial loss. They also create a potential security risk. Modern ITAM solutions can simplify this process by automatically detecting and alerting your IT team when assets remain assigned to users who are no longer employed. This helps prevent overlooked devices, reduces risk, and keeps your asset inventory accurate and secure.

Ordering and inventorying new devices

If a new device is sent directly to an employee’s home, there might be delays in returning the old one. It is easy for the old device to end up sitting unused in a drawer or on a shelf, losing about 5 percent of its value every month.

An IT asset management system can help prevent this by sending reminders to both the employee and the IT team until all devices are returned. The software can detect when a device has not been used for a while and flag it as overdue.

This makes it much easier to collect old devices and decide whether it should be reused, repaired, or recycled. With clear reminders and better tracking, companies save money and keep their inventory accurate.

Recycling falls on the employee's shoulders

When a new device is sent directly to an employee’s home, there might be delays in returning the old one right away. The old device can easily end up sitting unused in a drawer or on a shelf. This is a problem because the device loses about 5 percent of its value every month, so delays can become expensive.

A good IT asset management tool can help with this. It can spot devices that are no longer being used and alert your IT team. This makes it easier to collect the old devices and decide whether they should be reused, repaired, or recycled. With better tracking, companies save money and keep their inventory up to date.

An easy way to solve asset management

In addition to consistent processes, an easy way to improve IT asset management is a dedicated ITAM software. With a proper ITAM in place, you do not need to look for data from various disconnected systems. Instead, you have one source of truth, automated processes and a real-time view into all assets despite their location.

If your ITAM software is integrated with IT device resellers, purchasing and registering new assets to your ITAM can be fully automated. A good ITAM software can also streamline your EOL (End-of-life) processes for recycling and/or returning assets to your leasing company.