IT Procurement Terms Explained
8 terms for buying, setting up, tracking and retiring company laptops and phones, in plain English.
Buying laptops and phones for your team is about more than the price tag. What you choose, where you buy it and how you set it up decides how much it really costs, how safe your data is and how quickly staff get back to work when something breaks. These short definitions cover the terms you will meet when planning a device purchase or refresh.
Budgeting
TCO — Total Cost of Ownership
The full cost of a device over its life, from purchase to disposal. Includes downtime and repairs, not just the invoice.
Read definition →Budgeting
Device as a Service / Leasing vs Buying
Paying monthly for devices, often with support bundled in. When it beats buying outright, and when it does not.
Read definition →Setup & security
MDM — Mobile Device Management
Central control of company laptops and phones. Enforce passcodes and encryption, push apps and wipe lost devices.
Read definition →Setup & security
Zero-Touch Deployment
New devices set themselves up when switched on, via Windows Autopilot or Apple Business Manager. Where you buy decides whether it works.
Read definition →Tracking
IT Asset Tagging & Register
A labelled list of every device, who has it and its warranty. The fields worth tracking from day one.
Read definition →Disposal
Certified Data Erasure
Wiping old devices so data cannot be recovered, with a certificate as proof. Why SSDs need purge methods.
Read definition →Buying
Refurbished Laptop Grades
What Grade A, B and C usually mean. Grading is not standardised, so check each seller’s definition.
Read definition →Support
Next-Business-Day Onsite Warranty
A technician fixes the device at your office, usually the working day after diagnosis. Cut-off times and parts stock decide the real wait.
Read definition →Buying or refreshing devices for your team?
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