Zaheer Dodhia, CEO of Logo Design, is a serial entrepreneur, heading projects like ZillionDesigns, PCStore and Hummingbird International.
Which is better: The ability to take your work with you anywhere you go? Or the ability to leave it behind without the need to think about it, preferably while you lounge on a beach in Costa Rica?
In an ideal world, the second choice would come first. But if the last decade or so has taught us anything, it’s that this world is far from ideal. The drive to have our work at our fingertips wherever we go has never been more vital. And that need is far from limited to startup owners and entrepreneurs—according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 35 million people in the U.S. worked remotely, for at least part of the week, throughout 2024. And despite the changing landscape when it comes to remote workers for big employers (e.g., Amazon, the U.S. government, etc.), it’s obvious that remote working isn’t going away anytime soon.
Remote work is just as subject to the onboarding/offboarding process as any other type of employment. With that comes some unique challenges. Chief among them is the question of managing IT assets.
IT Assets Required For Remote Work
It goes without saying that two things are key to the success of a remote worker: a device and a good internet connection. But only one of those things has to be returned in the event that the employer and employee decide to part ways.
According to Gartner, remote workers continue to strive to “[enhance] their productivity by using more device types,” among them desktop and laptop computers, smartphones and tablets. Laptops, however, are far and away the most common asset for remote workers, and for many companies, the onus is on the business to provide the tools to their employees.
Making sure your IT assets show up after you part ways with your employee is a bit of a process. Here are three keys to managing the return of your IT assets.
Clear Communication From The Start
The first best practice can be described in two words: transparency and communication. Employers should be clear on what will be required of employees well before the start of any offboarding process. In fact, offboarding requirements should be part of onboarding to make sure everyone is on the same page.
Transparency between employer and employee can actually increase employee engagement and decrease turnover, which may eliminate the need for offboarding requirements in the first place.
The bottom line is that employees need to be informed—and acknowledge that they were informed—that company laptops need to be returned once the job is finished.
Asset Tracking And Monitoring At All Stages
These days, it’s more common than not for companies to track activity on work computers. When so many are working remotely, it’s vital to the bottom line to ensure that work is actually being done.
In regard to laptop return, company tracking comes in handy in several different scenarios, such as if the laptop was stolen or if the former employee is delinquent in returning the device.
So, what happens if the laptop is not returned as requested? After a few friendly reminders, there are dozens of remote wiping programs out there; each answers a different need set, which should be analyzed by the company beforehand. Remote wipes can take anywhere from five minutes to half an hour, depending on connection speed and the amount of information that needs to be deleted.
Once any sensitive data has been confirmed as deleted, the unreturned laptop should be removed from the asset log.
The hope, of course, is that the former employer will follow through on the requested return of the laptop. Here, tracking is also key. Once the laptop has been packaged and sent back to the company, tracking the package throughout its journey is essential.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle IT Assets
The prodigal laptop has returned! Now that it’s back in the company’s hands, the next step is to get that asset back out into the field.
Companies should have robust in-house cleaning procedures to make sure sensitive information is completely eradicated. The common belief is that a factory reset will put a device back to its original factory settings, with all data eradicated. But in truth, as one U.K.-based data recovery firm notes, erased data can potentially be reconstructed using logical data recovery methods.
The process of factory reset “involves overwriting the storage space with new data, effectively erasing the previous information. In most cases, the data is not recoverable using conventional methods.” With the help of special software, though, concerns about sensitive information leakage remain valid.
Company protocol should, in effect, include a factory reset before sending the device to another worker, but it will likely include much more than that to ensure sensitive information remains under wraps.
From company to worker to company and back to worker, the “loaner laptop” cycle can be complicated. But in a remote-centered work environment, a wise company will make use of best practices to ensure the longevity and usability of all assets.
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