IT asset management lifecycle: end-user devices and software from purchase to disposal
For IT technicians, MSP service desk and project staff, and office managers who keep track of laptops, phones and software. No prior course is needed; for data-centre hardware, see 'Hardware inventory and asset lifecycle'. The course covers what an asset record needs at each stage and who owns it, reconciling the register against MDM/RMM, purchase and directory data, issuing and recovering devices for joiners, movers and leavers, planning replacement around end of support, and choosing a sanitisation route with records. Guidance comes mainly from the UK NCSC, NIST and CIS; follow your company's own asset policy where it sets stricter rules. Ends with a supervisor-graded register reconciliation.
- Level
- Intermediate
- Length
- About 100 minutes
- Contents
- 5 lessons · final exam
- Status
- Published · updated 10 Oct 2026
Skills you'll practise
- Identify the information an asset record needs at each lifecycle stage and who owns it
- Reconcile an asset register against discovery sources such as MDM, purchase records and directory accounts
- Choose the right asset actions when issuing, reassigning and recovering devices for joiners, movers and leavers
- Plan replacement around end of support using support lifetime and warranty dates
- Choose the sanitisation and disposal route for reuse, repair and disposal, and keep the records
Course outline
- 1.Identify the information an asset record needs at each lifecycle stageLesson · 22 min
- 2.Reconcile an asset register against discovery sourcesLesson · 20 min
- 3.Choose the right asset actions for joiners, movers and leaversLesson · 20 min
- 4.Plan replacement around end of supportLesson · 18 min
- 5.Choose the sanitisation and disposal route and keep the recordsLesson · 15 min
- 6.IT asset management lifecycle: end-user devices and software from purchase to disposal: knowledge checkKnowledge check · 13 questions
- 7.IT asset management lifecycle: end-user devices and software from purchase to disposal: practical exerciseKnowledge check · 1 question
- 8.Final exam10 questions · passing it completes the course, so people who already know the material can test out
Sources it draws on
The lessons and questions are written from these references, so learners can go back to the original.
- NCSC 10 Steps to Cyber Security: Asset management (published 11 May 2021)
- NCSC Device security guidance (collection)
- NCSC Device security guidance: Purchasing devices (reputable suppliers, support lifetime, zero-touch)
- NCSC Device security guidance: Provisioning and distributing devices (tracking owners, credentials out of band)
- NCSC Device security guidance: Erasing devices (re-purposing, repair, sale; remote wipe; activation lock)
- NCSC Device security guidance: Obsolete products (end of security updates; reducing likelihood and impact)
- NCSC: Secure sanitisation and disposal of storage media (reviewed February 2025)
- NIST SP 1800-5: IT Asset Management (September 2018), publication page
- NIST SP 800-88 Rev. 2: Guidelines for Media Sanitization (September 2025), publication page
- CIS Controls v8.1, Control 1: Inventory and control of enterprise assets
- CIS Controls v8.1, Control 2: Inventory and control of software assets
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