Laptop setup
Every employee receives a company laptop. IT provisions accounts and equipment within the first day of your start date, see New hire onboarding. This page walks you through first-time setup.
What you receive
| Item | Notes |
|---|---|
| Laptop | Standard build for your role; developers may choose between two models |
| Charger and dock | Docks are available at each office |
| Headset | On request |
| Hardware security key | Optional second factor |
Equipment stays Northwind property. Return it when you leave.
First-time setup
- Power on and connect to the office wifi or the network cable.
- Sign in with the temporary password in your welcome pack. You will be asked to choose a new password of at least 14 characters (POL-IT-003).
- Enrol in MFA when prompted, see Password manager and MFA.
- Let the device management agent finish installing updates. Do not skip it, it can take 30 minutes.
- Open the Software Centre and install the standard tools: password manager, VPN client, chat, email and the document library.
- Turn on disk encryption confirmation by restarting once.
- Check your access by opening the wiki and your team's shared folder. If something is missing, see Request access.
Developer tools
Developers also install the tools listed in the engineering handbook:
# verify your toolchain after installation
git --version
python --version
node --version
docker --version
Repositories follow the Branching strategy.
Rules
- Use the laptop for Northwind work only, and keep it up to date.
- Lock the screen whenever you leave it.
- Do not store customer data on the local disk. The local disk is not backed up; keep files in shared storage where daily backups are kept for 35 days (SOP-IT-002).
- Do not disable security software.
- Report loss or theft immediately as an incident, see Report an incident.
Working from home
Up to 3 days a week remote work is allowed (POL-HR-004). Use the VPN for internal systems. See Leave and remote work.
Problems
Contact the service desk run by Bob Kessler. For network issues the contact is Liam O'Connor. More contacts are on Who to ask.
Replacement and upgrades
Laptops are replaced every 4 years or sooner if faulty. Raise a request on the service desk portal; the replacement is arranged through procurement, see Raise a purchase request for ordinary purchases.
Owner: Liam O'Connor - Last updated: 2026-02-12