# Standardising workplace IT: devices, management, mobile use and procurement > How workplaces become maintainable: set device standards, introduce central management, secure mobile devices, plan procurement and replacement, reduce effort per workplace. URL: https://techport.ai/en/it-beratung/betrieb-und-support/arbeitsplatz-und-endgeraete --- 1. [IT Consulting](/en/it-beratung)/ 2. [Operations and Support](/en/it-beratung/betrieb-und-support)/ 3. Workplaces and devices [Operations and Support](/en/it-beratung/betrieb-und-support) # Workplaces and devices By Redaktion techport.ai, IT-Beratung · Last updated on 21 August 2026 The workplace is the part of IT everyone sees and judges every day. It is also the area where variety has the strongest effect on effort. If every device is different, every incident is a special case, every setup takes half a day, and every update has to be checked individually. Standardisation here is not an end in itself but the most effective lever for relieving a small IT team. It has nothing to do with giving everyone the same device and everything to do with having a few defined variants that are managed centrally. ## How you notice it * New employees wait for their device or receive one assembled from spare parts. * Every setup takes hours because it is done by hand. * Nobody knows exactly which programs are installed on which device. * Private devices are used for work without any rule covering it. ## Why this happens Devices get bought when they are needed, and what gets bought is whatever is available or cheap at the time. Over the years that produces a variety of models, configurations and states. As long as setup is manual, this does not register as a systemic fault but as normal effort. Only when the number of workplaces grows, or when an update affects all devices at once, does the cost of missing standardisation become visible. ## How we go about it 1. **Define a few variants.** We set two to four device variants covering the actual usage profiles, for example office, mobile, engineering and production, each with a fixed specification and a defined service life. 2. **Manage centrally.** We introduce central management so that devices can be set up automatically, supplied with software, updated and locked if lost. That applies to computers and mobile devices alike. 3. **Regulate usage.** We clarify what is permitted on company devices, how private devices are handled, which data may be stored locally and how the separation is technically secured, aligned with data protection and, where one exists, with the works council. 4. **Plan procurement and replacement.** We put device replacement on a rhythm that appears in the budget and tie it to joiners, movers and leavers so the inventory stays current. ## What you gain * New workplaces ready to use within a short time. * Markedly less effort for updates and incidents. * Devices that can be locked if lost rather than an open risk. ## From our projects Automated initial setup is the measure with the best ratio of effort to effect. In companies without it, the effort per new device regularly runs to several hours, with automation to a fraction of that. The second reliable finding concerns leavers: many companies have no secure route for getting a device back and wiping it, particularly for mobile devices and field staff. That is less a cost issue than a security one, because company data sits on those devices, frequently after the last working day. ## Good to know Where employees use private devices for work, or where company devices may also be used privately, data protection and employment law questions arise: employer access, separation of private and business data, deletion on departure and handling of log data. Device management systems are moreover generally capable of monitoring behaviour and performance, which in German companies with a works council makes them subject to codetermination under Section 87 (1) no. 6 of the Works Constitution Act. An agreement naming purpose, data and permitted analyses prevents later conflict and creates legal certainty for both sides. ## Häufige Fragen Should we buy or lease devices? Purchase is usually cheaper with a stable workforce and a long service life. Leasing pays off if you want a fixed replacement rhythm, if the number of workplaces fluctuates, or if avoiding tied up capital matters more than the price. More important than the financing model is that replacement is planned at all. How do we handle private devices? The cleanest approach is to provide company devices. Where that is not possible you need a rule with technical separation, clear commitments about access and a defined procedure on departure. A written agreement without technical implementation creates a feeling of order but not the thing itself. ## Let us talk about Workplaces and devices In a thirty minute first call we work out where your biggest lever sits and whether we are the right people for it. [Arrange an initial call](/en/kontakt)[Our software](/en/loesungen) ## Further reading [Operations and SupportAssets and licences under controlKnow what you have: record devices and software, manage the life cycle, reconcile licences with actual use, keep contracts and deadlines in view and reduce cost.](/en/it-beratung/betrieb-und-support/it-asset-management)[Security and ResilienceOrdering identities and accessWho may do what and why: build an access concept, use roles instead of individual rights, introduce multi-factor authentication, automate joiners and leavers and review permissions regularly.](/en/it-beratung/sicherheit-und-resilienz/identitaeten-und-zugriffe)[Operations and SupportBuilding an IT service deskHow word-of-mouth support becomes a dependable service desk: one intake, prioritisation, a knowledge base, analysis of the most frequent requests and reachability during outages.](/en/it-beratung/betrieb-und-support/it-service-desk)[KnowledgeIT metricsDefinitions and formulas read the same way across the company.](/en/it-beratung/kennzahlen)[KnowledgeIT maturity checkKnow where your IT stands in ten minutes.](/en/it-beratung/reifegrad-check) Back to the field [Operations and Support](/en/it-beratung/betrieb-und-support) Rt Written by [Redaktion techport.ai](/ueber-uns), IT-Beratung Mehr als 15 Jahre Erfahrung in IT-Projekten des Mittelstands, Auswahl und Einführung von Unternehmenssoftware, Aufbau von IT-Betrieb und Informationssicherheit in wachsenden Organisationen. This page reflects the position at the date given and does not replace legal advice. For specific questions we work together with your legal advisers. [More about us](/en/ueber-uns) More from techport.ai [ Software Custom process software for mid-sized companies. ](/en/loesungen)[ HR consulting People processes and the systems behind them. ](/en/hr-beratung)[ IT maturity check Ten minutes to a clear position. ](/en/it-beratung/reifegrad-check)[ HR maturity check 24 statements, a result per field. ](/en/hr-beratung/reifegrad-check)[ Funding BAFA grant plus more than 50 programmes for delivery. ](/en/foerderung)[ Process in practice How workflows become reliable software. ](/en/sop-praxis)[ Data and AI Analysis, forecasts and assistance systems. ](/en/daten-ki)[ About us The people behind techport.ai. ](/en/ueber-uns)