A Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up a New Employee’s Laptop

Onboarding new employees is one of the most common tasks we handle for our clients here at help4IT, and the laptop is usually at the centre of it. Done well, a new starter can log in, find their files, and be productive within minutes of arriving. Without a clear process, businesses can find the first day is spent waiting for software to install and chasing passwords, or that a device has been issued without proper security controls and quietly becomes a risk sitting on the network for years.

In our experience, a methodical, repeatable process removes almost all of this pain, which is why we follow a consistent approach for every client. Below is that approach, broken down into clear steps you can apply in your own business.

Start before day one

The work should begin well before the new employee arrives. Trying to build a laptop on the morning someone starts almost always leads to shortcuts.

• Order hardware early. Lead times on laptops can run to several weeks, particularly for specific models or configurations, so order as soon as a start date is confirmed.
• Agree on a standard build. Decide on a small number of approved laptop models, rather than buying whatever is cheapest at the time. A consistent hardware estate is easier to support, patch, and eventually replace.
• Confirm software licences. Check that you have spare Microsoft 365, antivirus, and any line-of-business licences available before the device is built, rather than discovering a shortfall on day one.

Build security in from the start

A new laptop is easiest to secure before anyone has used it, so this is the point to get the fundamentals right rather than retrofitting them later.

• Enable full disk encryption, such as BitLocker on Windows or FileVault on a Mac, so the data on the device is protected if it is lost or stolen.
• Enrol the device in mobile device management (MDM), for example Microsoft Intune, so you can enforce security policies, push updates, and remotely wipe the device if it goes missing. Microsoft’s own guidance on Windows Autopilot explains how a laptop can be shipped straight to a new employee and configure itself automatically on first boot.
• Install and configure endpoint protection, and confirm that automatic updates are switched on for the operating system and for commonly targeted applications such as browsers and PDF readers.
• Follow recognised guidance. The National Cyber Security Centre publishes clear, practical device security guidance that is well worth reading, even if you outsource the technical work. If your business holds, or is working towards, Cyber Essentials certification, the scheme sets out specific baseline requirements for device configuration, patching, and access control that a new laptop build should already meet.

Set up identity and access properly

How a new employee logs in, and what they can access once they do, matters as much as the device itself.

• Create accounts with least privilege in mind. Give the new employee access to the systems and files they genuinely need for their role, rather than copying an existing colleague’s permissions wholesale, which tends to accumulate excess access over time.
• Enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA) on email, cloud storage, and any other system that supports it. This single control blocks the large majority of account compromise attempts.
• Issue a password manager, rather than leaving staff to choose and remember their own passwords. The NCSC’s guidance on password managers is a sensible starting point if you are choosing one for the first time.

Install the tools they will actually use

With security and identity in place, the laptop needs the software the employee will use from day one.

• Core productivity tools, such as Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace.
• Line-of-business applications relevant to the role, for example, accounting, CRM, or design software.
• Communication tools, including whichever chat and video conferencing platform the business uses.
• VPN or remote access software, if the employee will need to connect to internal systems from outside the office.

Where possible, build these into a standard image or automated deployment profile, so that setting up the tenth laptop this year takes no longer than the first.

Consider data protection from the outset

New employees will handle personal data from their first day, whether that is customer records, HR information, or colleagues’ details, so it is worth thinking about compliance alongside the technical build.

• Confirm the employee has completed basic data protection awareness before they are given access to systems holding personal data.
• Check that any data the previous device holder left behind has been properly removed before reissuing hardware.
• Keep a record of what the device is, who it is issued to, and what it can access. This is useful for insurance, for audits, and for Information Commissioner’s Office queries should they ever arise.

Hand the laptop over properly

The technical build is only half the job. How the laptop is handed over shapes whether the new employee actually uses everything correctly.

• Provide a short walkthrough of the device, covering how to connect to the office network or VPN, where to find key files, and who to contact if something goes wrong.
• Give clear, written instructions for common early tasks, such as setting up email on a phone or resetting a password.
• Confirm the employee knows how to report a lost or stolen device immediately. The first hour after loss matters far more than most people realise.

Keep a record for later

Finally, log the device on an asset register, including its serial number, the date it was issued, its warranty expiry, and who it is assigned to. This sounds unglamorous, but it is what makes offboarding, insurance claims, and warranty support straightforward when the time comes, rather than a scramble through old emails to work out what was bought and when.

Let help4IT handle it for you

A properly configured laptop, built and secured correctly from the first switch on, sets the tone for a new employee’s entire time with your business. It also protects you from the very real risk of an unmanaged device sitting on your network. If you would like help building a repeatable, secure onboarding process for new starters, we would be glad to talk it through with you. Arrange a time to speak with us using our confidential online form.