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How to Set Up Laptops for Employees

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If you run a business and are wondering how to set up laptops for employees to optimize work efficiency and minimize the risk of a data breach, you’re not alone.

Underperforming and slow laptops result in more employee work hours for basic tasks, and this leads to your business losing valuable time and money. Unprofessionally set up laptops also lack data security and are more susceptible to cyber attacks.

A study published by Kaspersky Labs revealed that data beaches cost small businesses hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars, and the costs keep rising every year.

To create a more efficient work process for employees, and to avoid the fatal loss of sensitive information and financial resources caused by data breaches, businesses need to make sure all their endpoints are properly set up and secured.

By following the necessary steps and opting for professional IT assistance, you can set up employee laptops optimally in both onsite and online settings to enhance work efficiency and reduce the risk of a data breach.

Basics for an On-Site or Remote Work Station

Organizations big and small use remote and mobile device management software to consolidate, oversee, and control their assets in a centralized way. It gives them the ability to simplify, and in some cases automate the process of remote device management.

To conduct efficient employer-issued laptop setup for your employees, you should first create a list of all the basic requirements you will need.

Whether you are setting up a laptop onsite or through work-from-home laptops in a remote work station, you need to prioritize the following:

• A well-lit area
• Efficient chargers
• A safe place to charge the laptop
• An ergonomic office set up
• Reliable internet access
• Accessible software and files

For optimal ergonomics, when setting up the laptop hardware, you should make sure the laptop is tilted upwards at a 15 degree angle,or that the top line of the laptop screen meets your employees line of vision when their head is straight.

It is important to keep in mind that both laptop hardware and software setup requires highly technical knowledge and skills.To ensure the set up is carried out properly, getting the help of a professional IT service is highly recommended.

Setting Up Work from Home Laptops, Step By Step

Once your equipment is in place, you can move on to configuring the laptop.Whether your employees are working onsite or remotely, the following steps need to be followed to ensure proper configuration:

1. Select the Right Operating System for Your Business

You first have to select the operating system you feel is best for your business. Operating systems should be chosen based on the memory management, stability, support, and cost you desire.The most commonly used operating system  is Windows 10, but MacOS is also popular.

2. Create Employee Profiles

One you have the right operating system  installed, it’s recommended to create employee profiles for each employee so they can carry out their work tasks seamlessly. Each employee should be given a username, password, and email address so they can start off with the basics.

Cybersecurity has been a hot topic these past years, make sure that all passwords are secured through encryption so confidential data remains secure.

3. Run New Updates

Installing the latest updates is essential to ensure your data remains backed up and safe. Failing to update employee laptops makes them more susceptible to hackers and data breaches.

4. Install the Necessary Software

Based on your business industry and the tasks you need your employees to carry out, you need to download the best software available and make it readily accessible on the laptop through clear icons.

5. Make Network Devices Available

Many industries require their employees to access company devices such as printers from their laptops to ensure efficiency in the workplace. You need to make sure laptops are connected to the organization printer beforehand

6. Enable Security Features and Encryption

Enabling security features and encrypting hard drives helps prevent data breaches and prevents hackers from getting access to your business data.

There are various encryption software available from Microsoft to IBM,,  which prevent the leaking of sensitive information and help ensure that only those who are authorized get access to sensitive information.

Other security features such as two-factor authentication and fingerprint login can further improve security and protect your vital business information.

If you fail to follow security precautions and you do not enable the required security features, you can end up compromising sensitive business data.

It is important to keep in mind that different user profiles will require different security features based on the employee’s hierarchical position and access should be granted to authorized personnel accordingly.

What are the Basic Work from Home Laptop Requirements?

Much like an onsite office, when employees use computers working from home, they need to ensure they have a well-lit space with a charging station and robust internet connection.

However, since working from home does increase the risk of a data breach, the proper set up and security of the laptop needs to be prioritized.

A report by Malwarebytes Labs revealed that 20% of organizations have experienced a data breach due to a remote worker. Remote work expands attack surfaces through the increase of endpoints and also makes workers more susceptible to phishing scams.

For this reason, businesses need to ensure remote laptops are protected through professional setup for enhanced cybersecurity.

Ensuring Optimal Installation of On-Site and Work from Home Laptops

Deploying a new laptop with Windows 10 or other operating systems can be difficult when you have many employees. It can be even more difficult to set up work-from-home and in office collaborations correctly without the right professional help.

To avoid the logistical complications that come with work-from-home staff environments and new laptop setups, you can opt for QB Zero Touch Deployment with Quadbridge.

QB Zero Touch is a complete IT onboarding solution for remote staff members. It considers everything from packaging to inventory management and logistics and registration. Through this turn-key service, you enjoy the automatic installation of your work computers for both remote and onsite staff as well as off-boarding support and delivery of new employee starter kits.

Set Up Your Employees’ Remote Work Station With Quadbridge

Do you need help setting up laptops for employees and ensuring they are secured? Quadbridge can help.

As a trusted IT Value Added Reseller (VAR), Quadbridge offers IT services through our managed service provider DTM that include digitally managing document-based transactions for onsite employee laptop setup, as well as a remote onboarding service, QB Zero Touch, for employees who are working from home.

Contact us today to learn more about our IT services and get started on your organization’s digital transformation right away.