10 IT Asset Management Challenges [2025 Updated]

1. Excessive Manual and Administrative Tasks

IT teams are the backbone of business operations, streamlining processes and ensuring efficiency. Their desks are always filled with administrative tasks, such as managing logistical challenges, handling the entire asset lifecycle, and maintaining tight security. At some point, the manual workload quickly led to costly mistakes.

Errors can take over your devices under your nose, and the next thing you know, your IT infrastructure is at risk. However, with Workwize, a trusted IT asset management software, you can easily achieve this and optimize your asset lifecycle. 

• Automatically update asset records when devices are deployed, moved, or decommissioned.

• Track device health and performance so you know when something is about to die before it does.

• Set up geofences to prevent theft or loss (you will know if a laptop leaves company premises).

• Connect your HRIS system with Workwize to reduce manual labor and increase transparency. 

2. Limited Visibility Across Global IT Assets

Remote teams spread across time zones often face a hidden problem: information silos. These silos are sneaky. It quietly creates chaos—imagine your new hire in Mumbai sitting idle for two weeks because their laptop is stuck in transit from New York. Meanwhile, your system shows a computer in London as available, but it’s broken. Frustrating, right? That’s the kind of mess silos create, dragging down productivity and opening up security risks.

That’s exactly what Workwize prevents. It gives you crystal-clear visibility over your global assets. 

• Visibility on second-hand IT equipment.

• See every device’s location and status on one dashboard.

• Get notified if a device goes missing or needs attention.

• Integrate with your tools to keep everything up to date.

Workwize banishes the guesswork, putting you in the driver’s seat no matter where your assets are.

3. Complicated Global Procurement Processes

Juggling multiple local suppliers is a logistical nightmare. Delays, high costs, and inconsistent equipment standards slow everything down and leave IT teams pulling their hair out trying to keep things uniform across borders.

It can create disturbances in  global procurement that you’d never imagined:

• Financial teams have difficulty planning the costs of buying new assets due to fluctuating exchange rates. One day, your budget is solid, the next day, it’s spiraling as the market crashes.

• Navigating legal requirements for importing and exporting assets is challenging. Your asset could keep getting stuck at customs.

• It isn't easy to maintain uniformity in quality throughout the supply chain. One supplier might send top-notch assets, while another might ship a load with poor technical specifications. 

Here, Workwize’s global procurement comes to the rescue. We aren’t superheroes, but we have similar capabilities to save you costs by centralizing the procurement sources and local sourcing within days. Workwize keeps equipment consistent across all regions and cuts shipping distances to shrink your carbon footprint.

4. Slow and Inefficient Deployment Processes

The waiting period to deliver your IT equipment to new hires is a productivity killer. Manual deployment can take weeks, delaying productivity for remote teams.What a bummer!

A Redditor wisely said, “extra stock lying around > no stock + employees lying around."

                                                                  Source: RedditDeployment involves stakeholders like hardware manufacturers, software providers, and shipping companies.

A misstep disrupts onboarding, frustrates employees, and turns IT teams into overwhelmed middlemen. But with Workwize, deployment is lightning-fast. Here’s how it works:

• Workwize ship devices globally in 5-7 days (or 1-2 with express)--thanks to our  pre-vetted logistics partners who cut through customs red tape

• MDM comes installed, so they’re ready to go. It’s plug-and-play simplicity that skips the configuration slog.

• Plug into Apple Business Manager or Windows Autopilot effortlessly.

• Track every step to avoid logistical issues like shipping delays, where lost packages are caught early, or configuration delays for IT to set up each device.

Workwize gets your team equipped and working from day one; no waiting required.

5. Fragmented Asset Lifecycle Management

Employers relying on spreadsheets is common. However, manual tracking of asset details is fragile for asset management.Updating serial numbers, warranty dates, and repair histories in a sheet—one typo, one missed update, or one forgotten entry—can disrupt the whole system. 

Asset lifecycle plays an important role:

• Without real-time data, you miss the maintenance window

• Hardware can break down any day

• Device refresh strategy gets lost in a shuffle

You might think you’ve got 50 laptops in stock, only to find half are missing or broken because no one updated the records after last quarter’s chaos. Real-time tracking of all your assets is essential to tie the whole asset lifecycle into one seamless, automated system. Here’s how Workwize can start fixing them from the get-go:

• Workwize’s inventory adjusts itself as devices are deployed, moved, or retired—there is no manual data entry or human error, just a live, accurate picture of your assets at all times.

•  Workwize platform lets you coordinate repairs directly—find local vendors, track progress, and get devices back into action without the endless email chains or shipping headaches.

• One hub ties it together—replacements, repairs, inventory, and more.

• Spot opportunities to repair instead of replace or redeploy existing gear.

• IT can plan repairs or replacements before the wheels fall off by real-time monitoring and flagging when battery wear, overheating, or software glitches occur.

Workwize transforms the asset lifecycle into an automated system that saves time, money, and headaches.

6. Complex Asset Retrieval Processes

Asset retrieval is chaotic. What if your remote employee ghosts you or leaves with your asset? Imagine what would happen if your database had no asset tracking.While it’s rare, lost data can create a cyber threat, which is a considerable risk to take with global remote teams.

Here’s what another Redditor has to say:

Unreturned or improperly handled devices are problematic. If data isn’t wiped, company secrets, client data, or intellectual property could end up on eBay—or worse, in a competitor’s hands. One slip-up, and you’re staring down a breach. Even when employees agree to return assets, coordinating/shipping is a nightmare.

Who pays for it? Where’s it going? Will it actually arrive? Remote workers across regions or countries turn this into a logistical hassle, with devices lost in transit or delayed by customs.

Now pay attention to the Workwize fix:

• Workwize sends automated reminders to departing employees and tracks real-time return progress. Labels, shipping instructions, and deadlines are handled without IT lifting a finger.

•  Retrieved gear doesn’t end up in a junk drawer. Workwize stashes it in nearby warehouses across 100+ countries, keeping it safe, organized, and ready for redeployment or disposal—no clutter, no chaos.

•  The process starts when someone is marked as “leaving” in your HR system. Workwize syncs with your HRIS, instantly triggering retrieval workflows.

• Workwize coordinates return logistics globally, covering costs, providing prepaid labels, and navigating customs. Devices get back fast, whether they’re coming from Tokyo or Texas.

Workwize makes asset retrieval secure, simple, and stress-free. HighLevel, a SaaS leader with 991 employees, struggled with delays, security risks, and vendor inconsistencies. After switching to Workwize:

• Saved $1.4M annually on IT hardware management

• Eliminated time zone delays and  procurement headaches

• Cut IT workload by 32% with automation

7. Complex Management of Multiple IT Vendors

If devices are not properly erased before disposal, unauthorized parties can access the data they contain—such as customer records, financial reports, or employee information. The consequences are far-reaching. Morgan Stanley lost $60 million while decommissioning IT assets due to a lack of due diligence. According to Secureframe, data breaches can cost companies an average of $4.88 million in 2024 and damage customer trust and brand reputation.

Workwize offers a solution to mitigate these risks, ensuring the disposal process is secure, compliant, and environmentally responsible. Below, we detail how each feature addresses the challenges:

8. Excessive Operational Costs & Manual Efforts

Manually ordering devices involves filling out forms, coordinating with suppliers, and tracking shipments, which can consume hours per transaction.

A survey found that IT teams spend an average of 40 hours per month per team member on administrative tasks like inventory updates and device tracking, equating to significant labor costs. The result? Wasted resources, both financial and human. Companies often order unnecessary replacements or miss opportunities to reuse existing assets.

Workwize is mindfully designed to be sustainable and avoid resource wastage.

• It lets companies source IT assets from nearby suppliers, reducing shipping costs and lead times.

• Pre-negotiated partnerships with local vendors, to ensure cost-effective procurement and faster delivery

• Lean inventory—storing what’s needed in local hubs reduces holding costs.

• Workwize manages the disposition of end-of-life assets through collaborations with ITAD (IT Asset Disposition) vendors, enabling companies to recover value. 

9. Environmental Compliance and Sustainability Challenges

Most companies lack the space to store old hardware. The accumulation of outdated hardware is a growing environmental concern and must be handled meticulously. Thus, piling up old assets without disposing of them leads to e-waste and space concerns.

Regulations like the EU’s Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive demand proper disposal and recycling; otherwise, fines follow. 

Do it all alone? No. Outsource your asset disposal to Workwize,

• Workwize partners with certified vendors in your region to handle the disposal of your old tech. Keeping it local cuts down on transportation emissions—there's no need to ship gear halfway across the globe.

• Workwize takes your old devices, spruces them up with repairs and upgrades, and gets them back in the game.

• You get faster delivery, lower fuel burn, and a procurement process that’s leaner and greener.

10. Difficulty Standardizing Equipment Globally

When every region uses different hardware, IT support becomes the villain.Inconsistent equipment complicates compatibility and slows down troubleshooting across your organization, leading to incompatible systems, logistical complaints, and messed-up configurations. Workwize promises to, 

• Bring consistency across equipment—monitor your inventory, schedule upkeep, plan upgrades, and maintenance protocols.

• Standardizing procurement opens the door to smarter purchasing. When you order uniform equipment globally, you gain leverage to negotiate bulk deals with suppliers, stretching your budget further and reducing overall costs.

• Resolve hardware issues. Fewer headaches, quicker resolutions, and a happier support team.