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Chapter 04 · Devices and assets

Devices and assets, on one register.

The devices Intune and Entra know about, each with its age, its support dates and what replacing it costs at four budgets, and an asset register for tag, purchase, warranty, location, book value and disposal.

Locking, retiring and wiping a device are changes like any other: dry-run first, and run only once a person approves.

Devices and the asset register are on every plan; device changes come with Automate

Start free trialWatch: A laptop, from record to label · 0:56

14 days of daily monitoring and alerts, every finding with its fix guide, and reports on up to 3 tenants, from your first connected tenant. No card. Then choose the plan that fits.

/c/contoso-group-ltd/manage/devices/register › LAPTOP-1004Demo data

CG-0001

LAPTOP-1004 · Dell Latitude 7480 · serial NLFQH0

From Intune

Primary user
Tom Becker
System
Windows 10 22H2
Lifecycle
End of life · Replace now

On the register

State
In use
Location
Head office
Supplier
Demo supplier
Purchased
20 May 2019 · £899, excluding VAT
Book value
£0 today, over a four-year refresh cycle
Warranty
Ends 20 May 2022 · Expired

When it goes

Disposed of on
—
How
—
Certificate or reference
—
LAPTOP-1004’s record on the asset register at Contoso Group Ltd, as it reads today: Intune’s facts beside the register’s. Demo data: made-up clients, nothing is changed.

One laptop, from delivery to disposal

A laptop’s life, on the record.

LAPTOP-1004 is Tom Becker’s laptop at Contoso Group Ltd. Its tag, purchase, warranty and value are on the register; its support and replacement come from the lifecycle check, which reads what Intune reports.

/c/contoso-group-ltd/manage/devices/register › LAPTOP-1004Demo data

  1. 01May 2019

    Delivered

    In warranty

    On the register as CG-0001, with its purchase, cost and supplier, and a QR label to scan.

    Cost
    £899, excluding VAT
    Supplier
    Demo supplier
    Book value
    £899

  2. 02May 2019

    In use

    In use

    Enrolled in Intune, which names its primary user; the register keeps where it is, and writes its value down in a straight line.

    Primary user
    Tom Becker
    Location
    Head office
    Book value
    £893

  3. 03February 2022

    Warranty ending soon

    Ending soon

    The register marks a warranty “Ending soon” 90 days before it ends.

    Warranty ends
    20 May 2022
    Book value
    £280

  4. 04May 2022

    Warranty ended

    Expired

    From that day the register lists it as warranty expired, among the devices that need attention.

    Book value
    £225

  5. 05July 2022

    Due for replacement

    Replace now

    The lifecycle check’s date to replace it by: four years from the latest a 2017 model is bought, a year after its release. A replacement is costed at four budgets; the register writes it down to £0 by May 2023.

    Replace by
    1 July 2022
    A replacement
    £350 to £1,800 each
    Book value
    £199

  6. 06October 2025

    Out of support

    End of life

    Windows 10 22H2 left security support, and this model can’t run Windows 11: the answer is a new laptop, not an update.

    Support ended
    14 October 2025
    Book value
    £0

  7. Today 20 October 2026

    07Forecast

    Retired or wiped

    Retired

    Retire removes company data, apps and management and leaves the user’s own; a wipe resets it to factory settings.

    Retire
    One or two approvers, as set for the client
    Wipe
    Always two approvers; its name typed; in the console only

  8. 08Forecast

    Disposed of

    Disposed of

    Recorded with the day, how it went and its certificate, and it leaves the register’s totals.

    How
    Recycled (WEEE), resold, returned to the supplier or lessor or destroyed
    Certificate
    A WEEE or data-destruction certificate, or a reference
LAPTOP-1004, a Dell Latitude 7480 at Contoso Group Ltd: each date one the product keeps (the register’s, Intune’s or the lifecycle check’s), each label the one it gives that fact, each book value the register’s. Demo data: made-up clients, nothing is changed.

The replacement plan

What replacing costs, at four budgets.

The Replacement plan prices the devices due now and those falling due in the next 12 months, at four budgets, from a catalogue of indicative UK business prices.

An unsupported operating system on capable hardware needs an update, not a purchase: 30 of Contoso Group Ltd’s 180 devices.

The lifecycle check keeps two clocks apart: the hardware’s refresh cycle, and its operating system’s support. Only devices whose hardware is at or near its end are costed as replacements.

/c/contoso-group-ltd/manage/devices/planDemo data
Budget

Replace the 60 due now:

£23,300

plus £15,200 for 50 more in the next 12 months

Replace the 60 due now:

£36,500

plus £29,250 for 50 more in the next 12 months

Replace the 60 due now:

£54,450

plus £48,000 for 50 more in the next 12 months

Replace the 60 due now:

£80,800

plus £76,300 for 50 more in the next 12 months

Estimate at indicative UK business prices, excluding VAT; catalogue reviewed September 2026.

The Replacement plan’s totals for Contoso Group Ltd’s 180 devices, at each budget, from the function the console uses. Estimates. Demo data: made-up clients, nothing is changed.
/c/contoso-group-ltd › Devices › Replacement planDemo data
The replacement forecast for a client: how many devices fall due each year from 2026 to 2029, and the estimated cost at four budgets, minimum, low, medium and high.The replacement forecast for a client: how many devices fall due each year from 2026 to 2029, and the estimated cost at four budgets, minimum, low, medium and high.
The replacement forecast for a client: how many devices fall due each year from 2026 to 2029, and the estimated cost at four budgets, minimum, low, medium and high.The replacement forecast for a client: how many devices fall due each year from 2026 to 2029, and the estimated cost at four budgets, minimum, low, medium and high.
The Replacement plan’s forecast: the devices falling due each year, at four budgets. Estimates.
  1. This year’s devices, and their cost
  2. Four budgets

The asset register

What Intune doesn’t know, kept beside it.

Intune knows what a device is and how it is doing. The register keeps what the client paid, when and from whom, its warranty, its tag and where it is, until it is disposed of. LAPTOP-1004’s record opens this page.

Tags and labels
An asset tag for each device, and QR labels for Avery, Dymo, Brother and Zebra stock.
Stock-take
Scan each label, or type a tag or serial number, and see what has been found and what has not.
Warranty
“Ending soon” 90 days before it ends; Dell, Lenovo and HP look-ups in beta.
Book value
Written down in a straight line over the refresh cycle.
Disposal
The day, how, and the certificate or reference.

/homeDemo data

0:00 / 0:56
See these steps as pictures
  1. 01HomeStart from Home
  2. 02The clientOpen the client
  3. 03DevicesThe client’s devices, worst first
  4. 04Asset registerThe asset register
  5. 05LAPTOP-1004Open the laptop
  6. 06RecordTag, location, purchase, cost, supplier and warranty
  7. 07SavedDue for replacement · Warranty expired; Coming up fills
  8. 08LabelsQR labels

A laptop, from record to label · 0:56

Demo data: made-up clients, nothing is changed.

A laptop, from record to label, from Home to done · 0:56. Demo data: made-up clients, nothing is changed.

The same laptop in the console, step by step

  1. 01On Devices, the client’s devices from Intune and Entra, worst first.

    /c/contoso-group-ltd › DevicesDemo data
    A client’s devices, worst first: each laptop with its model, memory and storage, its Windows release and the day its support ended, its age, when it was last seen, and its status (end of life, replace now) with the reasons a click away.A client’s devices, worst first: each laptop with its model, memory and storage, its Windows release and the day its support ended, its age, when it was last seen, and its status (end of life, replace now) with the reasons a click away.
    A client’s devices, worst first: each laptop with its model, memory and storage, its Windows release and the day its support ended, its age, when it was last seen, and its status (end of life, replace now) with the reasons a click away.A client’s devices, worst first: each laptop with its model, memory and storage, its Windows release and the day its support ended, its age, when it was last seen, and its status (end of life, replace now) with the reasons a click away.
    A client’s devices, worst first, by hardware age and operating system support.
    1. Worst first, with its status
    2. Why, in the lifecycle check’s words

  2. 02The asset register: its figures, and what is coming up by quarter.

    /c/contoso-group-ltd › Devices › Asset registerDemo data
    The asset register’s figures for a client (assets held, purchase value and book value, warranties, devices needing attention) and what is coming up by quarter: devices due for replacement and warranties ending, with their estimated cost.The asset register’s figures for a client (assets held, purchase value and book value, warranties, devices needing attention) and what is coming up by quarter: devices due for replacement and warranties ending, with their estimated cost.
    The asset register’s figures for a client (assets held, purchase value and book value, warranties, devices needing attention) and what is coming up by quarter: devices due for replacement and warranties ending, with their estimated cost.The asset register’s figures for a client (assets held, purchase value and book value, warranties, devices needing attention) and what is coming up by quarter: devices due for replacement and warranties ending, with their estimated cost.
    The register’s figures and what is coming up.
    1. The register’s figures
    2. What is coming up, by quarter

  3. 03Open LAPTOP-1004 and record its tag, location, purchase, cost, supplier and warranty: it is due for replacement, and its warranty has expired.

    /c/contoso-group-ltd › Devices › Asset register › LAPTOP-1004Demo data
    One laptop on the asset register: LAPTOP-1004, in use with tag CG-0001 and its QR code, its purchase price, date and supplier, its book value, its warranty, its lifecycle (end of life, with the date to replace it by) and what it needs.One laptop on the asset register: LAPTOP-1004, in use with tag CG-0001 and its QR code, its purchase price, date and supplier, its book value, its warranty, its lifecycle (end of life, with the date to replace it by) and what it needs.
    One laptop on the asset register: LAPTOP-1004, in use with tag CG-0001 and its QR code, its purchase price, date and supplier, its book value, its warranty, its lifecycle (end of life, with the date to replace it by) and what it needs.One laptop on the asset register: LAPTOP-1004, in use with tag CG-0001 and its QR code, its purchase price, date and supplier, its book value, its warranty, its lifecycle (end of life, with the date to replace it by) and what it needs.
    One laptop: tag, warranty, book value.
    1. One laptop, on one row
    2. Its tag
    3. Purchase and book value

  4. 04Tick it and print its QR label, on Avery, Dymo, Brother and Zebra stock.

    /print/asset-labels › Contoso Group LtdDemo data
    Printing a QR label for LAPTOP-1004: the label stock to print on (Avery sheets, Dymo, Brother and Zebra label printers) and the first label, with its QR code, tag CG-0001, name, model and serial number.Printing a QR label for LAPTOP-1004: the label stock to print on (Avery sheets, Dymo, Brother and Zebra label printers) and the first label, with its QR code, tag CG-0001, name, model and serial number.
    Printing a QR label for LAPTOP-1004: the label stock to print on (Avery sheets, Dymo, Brother and Zebra label printers) and the first label, with its QR code, tag CG-0001, name, model and serial number.Printing a QR label for LAPTOP-1004: the label stock to print on (Avery sheets, Dymo, Brother and Zebra label printers) and the first label, with its QR code, tag CG-0001, name, model and serial number.
    QR labels for the register.
    1. Sheets or a label printer
    2. The label: QR code, tag and serial

Device changes

Device changes, and who signs each.

Each is a change with a dry run first; who signs each comes from the product’s own rules.

Device changes come with Automate

  • Lock device

    Locks the screen; its owner unlocks it with their passcode. Phones, tablets and Macs: Intune can’t lock a Windows PC remotely.

    One or two approvers, as set for the client

  • Retire device

    Removes company data, apps and management; the user’s own data stays.

    One or two approvers, as set for the client

  • Wipe device

    Resets it to factory settings, with the device’s name typed, approved in the console only. At most 5 full wipes run a workspace an hour unless an Owner overrides.

    Always two approvers

  • Lost or stolen device

    From the person on People: signs them out everywhere, locks, retires or wipes the device you choose, and marks it Lost or stolen on the register.

    Each step is its own change, dry-run and sent for approval at once

  • Sync and remind

    Asks devices out of compliance to check in with Intune now, and can email each primary user, in your brand, to open Company Portal; at most one reminder a person a day.

    The check-in: runs when a named person asks

  • Remove inactive end-of-life devices

    Disables, or deletes, end-of-life devices not seen for the number of days you choose. Disabling can be undone.

    Always two approvers

  • Apply the Intune device baseline

    Encryption, firewall, antivirus, Windows Update and supported system versions, created in one change; rolling back deletes what it created.

    One or two approvers, as set for the client

  • Back up local administrator passwords with Windows LAPS

    A unique, rotating local administrator password on each Windows device, backed up to Entra ID.

    One or two approvers, as set for the client

  • Move Windows devices to a supported release

    Lets each Windows Update ring move its devices to a supported release; rolling back puts each ring back as it was.

    One or two approvers, as set for the client

The lifecycle report

A device lifecycle report, section by section.

Built in Reports for one client, as PDF or Word; tick the sections and order them as the builder allows.

Fleet at a glance
The whole fleet, by support status and type.
Replacement budget
What replacing end-of-life devices costs at each budget, and what to buy.
Replacement forecast
Devices falling due each year, with the cost.
Asset register
Purchase and book value, warranty, and devices that need attention.
Disposals
Devices disposed of in the last twelve months, with how and the certificate.
Devices to act on
Each device at or near end of life, with its suggested replacement.

What it can’t do

  • Not an RMM: there is no agent, no remote control and no network scanning.
  • It doesn’t enrol or provision devices, or deploy apps to them.
  • No patching beyond the change that moves Windows Update rings to a supported release.
  • Only devices in Intune and Entra; it doesn’t add printers, monitors or other kit by hand.
  • Warranty look-ups (Dell, Lenovo and HP) and RMM connections are in beta, and both only read.
  • Replacement prices are estimates at indicative UK business prices, excluding VAT; it doesn’t order anything.

How we count

Days before a warranty ends that the register says “ending soon”
90The asset register’s own setting
Security checks
179Counted from the product’s catalogue of checks

Every figure on the site, and the code it is counted from

Next chapter: 05 Cost saving

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Connect one client. See which laptops are due.

Read-only towards your tenants, except the changes a person approves. Devices are read from Intune and Entra; a lock, a retire or a wipe runs only when a person approves it.

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