Providing laptops to remote employees: A practical guide

Shipping laptops is the easy part. Securing them, managing them, and keeping remote teams productive? That’s where the real challenge begins.

Remote and hybrid work may not be new, but supporting it at scale is still a major challenge. IT teams need to deliver secure, high-performing laptops without relying on in-person support.

This guide walks you through how to provision laptops for remote employees, end to end. From hardware choices and secure configurations to scalable management strategies, we’ll cover what it really takes to do this right.

The goal? To help IT admins and decision-makers confidently build a laptop provisioning framework that is secure, sustainable, and future-proof.

Understanding the laptop provisioning models

Remote work may be flexible, but provisioning laptops for remote employees requires structure. Before you decide how to equip your workforce, it’s critical to understand the different provisioning models available. each with its own pros, risks, and IT control levels.

Choosing the right model doesn’t just affect hardware costs; instead, it shapes your entire device lifecycle strategy, including compliance, data security, employee privacy, and remote troubleshooting capabilities.

Let’s understand the three primary laptop provisioning models.

1. Company-owned, business only (COBO)

Under the COBO model, the organization fully owns, manages, and restricts the laptop for business use only. Employees cannot install personal apps or use the device for non-work-related activities.

Pros:

• Maximum IT control and security
• Simplified compliance with data protection regulations
• Easy device tracking and standardization

Cons:

• Lower flexibility for employees
• Higher administrative overhead for updates and support
• May affect employee satisfaction in remote setups

COBO is ideal for regulated industries like finance or healthcare, where endpoint security and data isolation are non-negotiable.

2. Company-owned, personally enabled (COPE)

COPE strikes a balance between IT control and employee flexibility. The company provides and manages the laptop, but employees can use it for personal tasks, within limits.

Pros:

• Controlled environment with room for personal use
• Strong security policies can still be enforced using UEM tools
• Encourages employee satisfaction while reducing shadow IT risks

Cons:

• Privacy concerns must be addressed clearly
• Slightly more complex policy enforcement

This model works well for distributed teams where a single device doubles up for work and light personal use, without compromising corporate data security.

3. Bring your own device (BYOD)

BYOD shifts device ownership entirely to the employee. The organization only manages work-related apps and data, typically through containerization or app-level policies.

Pros:

• Zero hardware costs for the business
• Faster onboarding, especially for contract or gig workers
• Employees prefer working on their own devices

Cons:

• High risk of data leakage if not properly managed
• The fragmented device landscape complicates support
• Legal and privacy concerns around remote monitoring

BYOD is suitable for lean teams, freelancers, or companies adopting a contractor-heavy workforce model, but it demands robust policies and mobile device management solutions.

Other ways of providing equipment for remote workers

Not every company wants to commit to full provisioning. Depending on budget, scale, and employee preferences, there are flexible alternatives to traditional laptop provisioning.

1. Offer a home office stipend: A one-time or recurring allowance that lets employees purchase a laptop and accessories. It gives flexibility, but needs clear spending guidelines.

2. Reimburse employees: Allow employees to buy a device of their choice, then submit receipts for reimbursement. Best for smaller teams, but must include device approval workflows.

3. Provide the device only: The company ships a pre-configured laptop but lets the employee set up the rest of their workspace. It reduces logistical complexity while ensuring device security.

4. Provide an entire office setup: For high-value roles, some organizations send a full setup—laptop, monitor, webcam, headset, chair, and desk. It improves productivity but demands more planning and shipping infrastructure.

Why should you provide laptops to employees working remotely?

When employees work remotely, the laptop becomes more than just a piece of hardware. It’s their digital office, lifeline to collaboration, and the main conduit for productivity. While some organizations allow personal devices, provisioning company-approved laptops is a strategic investment that pays off in more ways than one, for both the organization and the employees. 

Benefits for organizations

Providing laptops to employees who work remotely offers organizations the following benefits, mainly for IT: 

a. Standardized hardware and software configurations

Issuing uniform laptops streamlines IT workflows. Every device adheres to the same operating system build, security patches, and productivity suite. As a result, help desk tickets decrease because troubleshooting follows a single reference configuration rather than myriad personal setups.

b. Enhanced security and compliance

Preconfigured laptops can include full‑disk encryption, endpoint protection agents, and enforced password policies. This minimizes the risk of data breaches that typically arise when employees use personal machines without proper safeguards. Managing devices centrally ensures real‑time visibility into patch status, software inventory, and compliance reporting—critical for industries bound by regulations such as GDPR, HIPAA, or PCI DSS.

c. Simplified asset tracking and lifecycle management

When every remote worker uses a company‑owned laptop, IT maintains a clear inventory of hardware assets. Tracking warranties, planning timely replacements, and cycling out aging equipment become predictable processes. Bulk procurement also unlocks volume discounts, lowering the total cost of ownership per device.

d. Uniform support model

With identical hardware models and OS images, IT support agents can develop a single set of runbooks and standard operating procedures. This reduces mean time to resolution (MTTR). Less hands‑on, ad hoc troubleshooting translates into fewer escalations, lower support costs, and a more predictable help desk workload.

e. Consistent corporate branding and licensing compliance

Company‑issued laptops can carry branded wallpapers, default VPN configurations, and licensed productivity tools. This enables the organization to enforce proper software licensing and maintain a consistent brand experience, even when employees are present on video calls or collaborate on shareable documents.

Benefits for employees

Provisioning laptops isn’t just about control. It directly impacts how remote employees work, feel, and engage.

1. Employee productivity improves

With the right tools in hand — pre-loaded apps, secure VPNs, and performance-ready hardware — employees can focus on work from day one. No delays. No setup guesswork.

2. It is seen as a valuable perk

Getting a high-quality laptop signals that the company values the employee’s experience. It’s also a subtle but powerful way to attract and retain top talent in remote-first or hybrid roles.

3. Reduces friction with IT and tools

Employees don’t have to troubleshoot compatibility issues or figure out what to install. It builds confidence in their tech stack and reduces back-and-forth with IT.

4. Ensures consistency in collaboration

Using standardized tools means smoother file sharing, fewer format issues, and better performance in team-based software like video conferencing or design tools.

Challenges of providing laptops to your remote employees

Providing laptops to remote employees boosts productivity, satisfaction, and collaboration. But it also introduces some critical challenges for IT. They can range from tracking company assets to enforcing security policies. The worst part? These challenges only grow as the remote workforce expands, requiring a centralized approach to mitigate them.

1. Device preparation is a complex process

Pre-configuration requires imaging devices with a standardized OS build, configuring BIOS/UEFI settings, deploying device certificates, and preloading endpoint security agents. Without automated provisioning tools like Windows Autopilot or Apple DEP, manual setup increases risk of misconfiguration, inconsistent compliance, and delays in deployment timelines.

2. Remotely managing and monitoring devices

Remote device management demands centralized visibility into device health metrics, OS and application patch status, security incidents, and user activity. Without a unified endpoint management (UEM) platform with real-time telemetry, IT teams lack granular control and timely alerts, reducing their ability to proactively remediate issues or enforce policies.

3. Ensuring device and data security becomes difficult

Remote laptops operate outside the protected corporate perimeter, exposing endpoints to insecure networks and potential attacks. Enforcing encryption (BitLocker, FileVault), multi-factor authentication, endpoint detection and response (EDR), and continuous vulnerability scanning remotely requires advanced policy automation and integration with identity and access management (IAM) systems.

4. Recovering devices is logistically challenging

When employees leave the company or upgrade their equipment, retrieving laptops remotely requires precise coordination. This involves managing return shipping logistics, ensuring secure transit, and enforcing strict data sanitization protocols to prevent data leakage. 

Without integrated asset tracking and IT service management (ITSM) workflows, organizations risk lost or unreturned devices, inventory inaccuracies, and prolonged device downtime. Additionally, verifying secure data wipe compliance during offsite recovery adds complexity, especially when relying on employees to perform returns properly.

5. Reassigning devices for new users

Reprovisioning a device demands secure data sanitization using standards like NIST SP 800-88 or DoD 5220.22-M, followed by redeployment of OS images, security profiles, and applications. Manual reimaging is resource-intensive and error-prone; automation via zero-touch provisioning reduces downtime and ensures consistency across devices. 

Best practices: How to set up laptops for employees working remotely

When organizations provide laptops to remote employees, following a set of non-negotiable best practices is critical. These practices ensure that devices remain secure and manageable while enabling users to work efficiently without friction. Striking this balance between device control and user experience is the basis of a successful remote provisioning strategy.

Here’s a list of the essential best practices IT admins must follow when setting up laptops for remote workers:

1. Select the right operating system: Choose an OS that aligns with your business applications, security requirements, and user familiarity. Whether it’s Windows, macOS, or a Linux variant, consistency simplifies management and support. 

2. Provide employees with a proper hardware setup: Invest in laptops with reliable processors, sufficient RAM, and durable builds. Ensure peripherals like webcams, microphones, and docking stations align with the job needs to optimize productivity.

3. Enable connectivity to essential network devices: Configure VPNs, Wi-Fi profiles, and access to cloud services to ensure seamless, secure connections. Remote users must have uninterrupted access to shared drives, collaboration platforms, and internal tools.

4. Implement a company laptop policy: Clearly define acceptable use, data handling, and remote working expectations. The company laptop policy for employees should: 

• Detail all regulatory obligations to ensure compliance with industry standards.
• Cover personal use restrictions, software installation rules, and security responsibilities.
• Emphasize cybersecurity best practices, such as regular antivirus updates, prompt response to security alerts, and reporting of incidents to the IT support team.
• Clearly outline the scope and methods of monitoring to ensure transparency and uphold employee privacy rights.
• Include a detailed employee equipment agreement that employees sign at the beginning of employment.

5. Enforce security protocols for employees: Mandate multi-factor authentication, strong passwords, disk encryption like BitLocker for Windows and FileVault for macOS, and endpoint security software like Veltar.

6. Keep the devices updated, always: Automate OS and application patching to eliminate vulnerabilities. Schedule updates and patches as regular updates are necessary for maintaining device integrity and protecting against emerging security threats.

7. Provide employees with the necessary applications and software: Pre-install all business-critical software to avoid delays and compatibility issues. Use centralized deployment methods to ensure consistency and licensing compliance.

8. Implement zero-trust access policies: Adopt a zero-trust approach where every device and user must be authenticated and authorized at each step of accessing resources, from device login to accessing corporate apps such as Office 365, Google Workspace. This limits lateral movement in case of breaches. You can also establish SSO (Single Sign On) to eliminate device fatigue and provide employees with one-click log-in experience. 

9. Ensure that endpoints connect only to secure networks: Configure laptops to block unsecured or public Wi-Fi connections. Where possible, enforce and use Business VPN to protect and secure data on the go.

10. Offer seamless IT support to remote workers: Provide instant remote troubleshooting and timely IT assistance to remote employees. This minimizes downtime and causes less disruption to employees on ongoing work. 

11. Use a UEM solution: Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) platforms centralize device provisioning, policy enforcement, software updates, and security monitoring. Enroll company-owned laptops in a UEM solution. This will help you apply these best practices at scale, while ensuring control, while not letting your employees feel restricted.

Providing laptops to employees working remotely? Do it right with Scalefusion

Empowering your remote workforce starts with providing the right laptops, and Scalefusion makes it effortless. With automated provisioning, centralized control, rock-solid security, and hassle-free device recovery, Scalefusion’s UEM platform gives IT full confidence over every laptop, anywhere. Ready to streamline your remote device management? 

Discover how Scalefusion can transform your laptop provisioning today.

FAQs

1. Why do tech companies give free laptops to their employees?

Tech companies provide laptops to employees—especially remote employees—to standardize hardware, ensure security, and enable seamless productivity. Company-provided laptops simplify IT support, allow pre-configured software and security setups, and reduce compatibility issues. It’s also a strategic investment in employee experience, especially in remote work setups where dependable hardware directly impacts performance and output.

2. What security measures should be in place on company-provided laptops?

When providing equipment for remote workers, companies must enforce full disk encryption, endpoint protection, MFA, zero-trust access, VPN, limited admin rights, and regular patching. A UEM ensures these are applied consistently.

3. How can companies track and manage laptops distributed to remote workers?

Using a Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) tool is the most effective way to track, secure, and manage devices. It centralizes updates, policies, and remote troubleshooting for all laptops provided to employees.

4. What should be done before giving laptops to employees?

Before providing laptops to employees, companies should enroll them in a UEM solution, pre-configure them with the necessary security policies, apps, and software needed by the employee.  Organizations must also document a company laptop policy that is consistent for all employees working remotely. This standardizes how to set up laptops for employees and ensures manageability from day one.