How to Set Up Computer Equipment for Other Employees

Getting new hires up and running quickly is a must in today’s fast-paced workplace. A big part of that is supplying them with the right computer equipment while ensuring everything is properly configured and best practices are followed. 

Whether an employee works in-house, remotely, or hybrid, we’ll show you how to set up computer equipment step by step with minimal friction. 

How to Set Up Computer Equipment for Other Employees

1. Procure Laptops and Computer Equipment

First, you must acquire the right IT assets, which can include:

• Laptops
• Desktop monitors
• Keyboards
• Mice
• Power cables
• HDMI cords
• Accessories

There are three ways to go about this. 

• Source computer equipment from a supplier yourself.
• Provide new employees with existing equipment from your inventory.
• Use IT procurement services to source the equipment for you.

If you have the time and manpower, handling it yourself can make sense and is often a cost-effective solution. 

Otherwise, if you don’t have the time or internal staffing or simply don’t want to deal with the logistical complexities, a third-party service like allwhere is usually the best choice. 

This is the most hands-off solution and allows you to get quality computer equipment to your team without having to do any of the heavy lifting. 

2. Organize and Track Company Devices

Regardless of your inventory size, it’s crucial that you maintain a bird’s-eye view of computer equipment, as well as all other IT assets at all times. This provides you with the transparency you need to monitor, manage, and optimize your assets throughout the entirety of the lifecycle. 

Here are some specific things to track:

• Equipment purchase date
• Device model 
• Serial number
• Operating system
• Which employee has the equipment
• Location
• Last maintenance date
• Warranty expiration

Software is best for this, as it helps keep information accurate and up-to-date. However, if you only have basic needs and don’t want to invest in software, a traditional spreadsheet may be sufficient for some companies. 

3. Set Up Device Software and Programs

Rather than having an employee set up software and programs on their own, we suggest pre-configuring each device for four main reasons. 

One, it saves time, so an employee can dive right into more pressing aspects of onboarding to decrease their ramp time. Two, it reduces errors because there’s always the potential for mistakes when an employee handles setup. 

Three, your team can make sure that you have the right software licenses in place to remain compliant. 

And four, this increases security, as you can ensure the correct VPN, antivirus software, and other security features are properly installed. 

4. Set Up Employee Profiles in Software Programs

The main purpose of having your team handle setting up employee profiles is to expedite onboarding and maximize security. 

Rather than struggling with setting up profiles on a CRM, collaboration tool, or project management app, everything will be ready to go, so a new hire can jump right in. 

And by pre-configuring logins and permissions, this allows you to keep tighter control of what an employee can and can’t access, which is important for keeping software programs secure. 

Note that around “60% of data breaches are caused by insider threats,” so this can have a significant impact on your overall cybersecurity. 

5. Automate Laptop Updates to Maintain Security and Productivity

Also, when configuring computer equipment, you’ll want to enable automatic updates so an employee doesn’t have to deal with this later. Doing so is necessary because it helps protect against security vulnerabilities that can occur when a device becomes out of date. 

Besides that, it increases productivity because an employee won’t have as many disruptions from having to make manual updates, and their system will always be up-to-date with the latest features and improvements. 

6. Encrypt Data and Enable Backup for Long-Term Security

Research has found that roughly a third of sensitive data loss situations are the result of a lack of encryption. To protect your company’s data, a mix of thorough encryption and enabling backup on cloud platforms like Google Drive or Dropbox is recommended during setup. 

Encryption is key because it protects sensitive data from being viewed by individuals with unauthorized access. And backup safeguards data from issues like important information accidentally being deleted because of human error, hardware issues, and viruses. 

7. Ship Equipment to Remote Employees

Contrary to many return-to-work narratives, Statista data found that “the share of employees working remotely worldwide increased significantly in recent years, rising from 20% in 2020 to 28% by 2023.” 

To reduce ramp time for remote employees, it’s important to have an efficient equipment shipping process, which involves the following steps.

• Sending computer equipment in a sturdy box through a fast, reliable shipping service
• Providing tracking information
• Including all relevant accessories
• Including easy-to-follow instructions
• Offering a personalized point of contact for quick answers to questions

If this isn’t something you feel comfortable doing on your own, a service provider like allwhere can handle it for you. 

8. Create a Company Laptop Policy for Remote Work Compliance

Overseeing compliance with an in-house employee is fairly straightforward. But it becomes significantly more complex when you’re dealing with a remote worker. 

To minimize issues, it’s smart to create a company laptop policy that covers the following:

• Computer equipment usage guidelines
• Security protocol
• Access control
• Whether or not a company laptop can be used for personal use
• When and how to report damage or issues
• Equipment return procedure

Also, it’s best to have an employee sign an electronic document before sending out their equipment, so you have their agreement in writing. 

9. Train New Employees on IT Best Practices and Company Policy

While most of today’s employees (especially those who work remotely) will be at least somewhat tech-savvy, you shouldn’t assume that they know the ins and outs of IT. 

To equip them for success, it’s ideal to offer formal training on IT best practices like properly using company software platforms, protecting sensitive data, troubleshooting (more on this later), and staying compliant with company policy. 

Also, it’s smart to have a centralized resource that new employees can access to find answers to common questions and report technical issues. 

Troubleshooting and Maintenance

Identify Common Issues

Pinpointing the specific issues that occur most frequently should allow you to 1) address those problems in advance during setup, to reduce the odds of them happening, and 2) swiftly resolve them when they do occur. 

Because every company is different, you can figure out the most common issues at your business by maintaining an accurate log and using analytics to identify patterns and trends. 

Note that these are the 10 most common computer issues across the board, according to Erie Institute of Technology.

1. Overheating
2. Slow PC
3. Dysfunctional USB port
4. PC disconnects from WiFi
5. The laptop's touchpad causes the cursor to jump randomly
6. Fan noise
7. Hard drive failure
8. Memory issues
9. Motherboard issues
10. Viruses

Develop a Troubleshooting Process

You can never predict exactly when computer issues will occur, but you can develop a standardized troubleshooting process that lets you move through the resolution workflow quickly and efficiently. 

Here’s an example of what that may look like. 

1. Gather details on the nature of the issue from an employee
2. Prioritize the severity
3. Identify potential reasons
4. Isolate the cause
5. Explore potential solutions
6. Execute the fix
7. Test to confirm the issue has been resolved 
8. Document the resolution 

Perform Regular Maintenance

This overlaps with organizing and tracking company devices, where you keep tabs on things like a computer’s purchase date, current operating system, and last maintenance date. 

The goal here is to maintain full visibility of its condition and be proactive about maintenance to avoid disruptions and having to replace equipment prematurely. 

Some specific tasks include:

• Performing software updates (or having them done automatically)
• Running security scans
• Monitoring storage capacity
• Cleaning hardware 
• Checking accessories like chargers and cables for fraying

Use Remote Monitoring Tools 

When managing a remote workforce, remote monitoring tools are invaluable for providing a detailed overview of what’s happening in real-time. 

For example, this technology allows you to track computer performance, manage software installations, make system updates, and troubleshoot issues regardless of location. 

With it, you can manage IT equipment just as easily from across the globe as you could if it were in the office. 

Provide Employee Training

Working with today’s IT assets is faster-paced than ever and always evolving. Therefore, employee training shouldn’t be treated as a one-off process. 

Instead, ongoing training on topics like data security, software platforms, and IT best practices can go a long way in preventing disruptions. 

This should help your employees become more capable of using computer equipment efficiently in their day-to-day operations, handling minor issues without needing outside intervention, and substantially reducing the potential for security threats. 

Manage and Set Up Team Equipment Seamlessly Through the allwhere Dashboard

There’s a lot that goes into setting up computer equipment for other employees — nine steps to be exact. If this sounds a little overwhelming or you don’t have the time to handle the process yourself, another viable option is IT management through a provider like allwhere. 

At allwhere, our mission is to create a best-in-class workplace from anywhere in the world. To accomplish that, we offer end-to-end IT asset management for all phases of the equipment lifecycle. 

We can procure, configure, deploy, manage, store, and retrieve assets while maintaining top-of-the-line security. Our platform also offers seamless monitoring through a centralized dashboard so that you can keep close tabs from any location. 

Ready to get started? Schedule a time for one of our experts to assess your needs and walk you through a platform demo.