IT Asset Tracking: Keeping Track of Every Laptop and License

Audit prep is when many startups discover they can’t list their laptops. Auditors want serial numbers and assigned users. What the company has is an old spreadsheet, a folder of Apple receipts, and a Slack thread about who has the old MacBooks. So where do you begin?

Most startups track hardware informally until someone outside the company asks for proof. A simple IT asset management startup routine fixes that. Asset tracking just means knowing what the company owns, who has it, and what condition it’s in. At 50 to 100 people, that’s often about 70 laptops, some phones, a stack of monitors, and a long list of software seats.

We’d build one inventory and retire the old spreadsheet. Each device gets a record. It lists the serial number, model, purchase date, user, and status. Software gets the same, with seat count, owner, and renewal date. Old Apple receipts are actually useful here, since they list serial numbers.

A device management tool keeps that list honest after it’s built. Enrolled laptops check in on their own, so the list stays accurate, and a lost one can be locked or wiped.

The part most companies skip is tying the inventory to onboarding and offboarding. A new hire gets a device and the right licenses. When someone leaves, the laptop comes back and gets wiped, and their seats are removed. Skip that, and you pay for unused software and lose laptops.

Auditors will likely ask again next year, so we’d review the inventory quarterly. A good IT asset management startup process turns that request into a ten-minute export.

At Sentant, we provide IT asset management for startups and investment firms as part of our managed IT, including device setup, onboarding and offboarding, and help desk support.

George Esquivel

George Esquivel is an electrical and home systems writer who focuses on electrical safety, installations, maintenance, and energy-efficient solutions. He shares practical information that helps property owners better understand and maintain essential electrical systems.