James Thornton

Author

James Thornton

Senior IT Manager, Distributed Teams · London, UK

11 articles published on PeopleOpsHQ

About James Thornton

James Thornton has 14 years managing IT for distributed companies. He specializes in MDM, device lifecycle, and securing remote workforces without slowing them down. Hands-on practitioner, not a vendor.

Areas of expertise

Topics James Thornton writes about most often.

Recent articles by James Thornton

IT Asset Lifecycle Management: A Practical Guide for Teams Planning Refreshes
IT Asset Lifecycle Management: A Practical Guide for Teams Planning Refreshes
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IT Asset Tracking

IT Asset Lifecycle Management: A Practical Guide for Teams Planning Refreshes

IT Asset Tracking
Oct 1, 2026 9 min read

IT Asset Lifecycle Management: A Practical Guide for Teams Planning Refreshes

The six stages of the IT asset lifecycle, who owns each one, what to record, and how to choose between buying, leasing and lifecycle platforms.

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Hardware Asset Management: A Practical Guide for IT Teams Without a Process
Hardware Asset Management: A Practical Guide for IT Teams Without a Process
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IT Asset Tracking

Hardware Asset Management: A Practical Guide for IT Teams Without a Process

IT Asset Tracking
Oct 1, 2026 9 min read

Hardware Asset Management: A Practical Guide for IT Teams Without a Process

What hardware asset management covers, who owns each decision, how HAM differs from inventory and SAM, and which tools fit teams of every size.

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IT Inventory Management: A Practical Guide for Remote and Hybrid Teams
IT Inventory Management: A Practical Guide for Remote and Hybrid Teams
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IT Asset Tracking

IT Inventory Management: A Practical Guide for Remote and Hybrid Teams

IT Asset Tracking
Oct 1, 2026 9 min read

IT Inventory Management: A Practical Guide for Remote and Hybrid Teams

How to keep an accurate IT inventory when devices live in homes, offices and courier boxes: statuses, spare pools, monthly reconciliation and the right tools.

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How to Wipe a Hard Drive: A Practical Guide for Teams Retiring Windows PCs
How to Wipe a Hard Drive: A Practical Guide for Teams Retiring Windows PCs
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ITAD & Data Destruction

How to Wipe a Hard Drive: A Practical Guide for Teams Retiring Windows PCs

ITAD & Data Destruction
Sep 30, 2026 10 min read

How to Wipe a Hard Drive: A Practical Guide for Teams Retiring Windows PCs

Step-by-step: wipe a hard drive with Windows Reset, BIOS secure erase or certified software. Why SSDs need different methods and how to prove the wipe.

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How to Wipe a MacBook: A Practical Guide for IT Teams Reassigning Laptops
How to Wipe a MacBook: A Practical Guide for IT Teams Reassigning Laptops
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ITAD & Data Destruction

How to Wipe a MacBook: A Practical Guide for IT Teams Reassigning Laptops

ITAD & Data Destruction
Sep 30, 2026 11 min read

How to Wipe a MacBook: A Practical Guide for IT Teams Reassigning Laptops

Step-by-step: wipe a MacBook with Erase All Content and Settings, MDM remote erase or Recovery, clear Activation Lock, and keep it enrolled in Apple Business.

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Hard Drive Destruction: A Practical Guide for Teams Deciding Shred or Wipe
Hard Drive Destruction: A Practical Guide for Teams Deciding Shred or Wipe
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ITAD & Data Destruction

Hard Drive Destruction: A Practical Guide for Teams Deciding Shred or Wipe

ITAD & Data Destruction
Sep 30, 2026 10 min read

Hard Drive Destruction: A Practical Guide for Teams Deciding Shred or Wipe

When to shred, when to wipe, and how to prove it. A practical guide to hard drive destruction methods, costs and vendors for IT and People Ops teams.

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IT Budget Planning for Remote Companies: A CFO-Ready Framework
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Procurement & Vendors

IT Budget Planning for Remote Companies: A CFO-Ready Framework

Procurement & Vendors
Apr 8, 2026 9 min read

IT Budget Planning for Remote Companies: A CFO-Ready Framework

Remote IT Budget Planning for CFOs TL;DR IT budgets for remote companies are fundamentally different than office-centric budgets. You’re buying devices and SaaS, not managing...

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IT Budget Planning for Remote Companies: A CFO-Ready Framework
ai
P

Procurement & Vendors

IT Budget Planning for Remote Companies: A CFO-Ready Framework

Procurement & Vendors
Apr 8, 2026 9 min read

IT Budget Planning for Remote Companies: A CFO-Ready Framework

IT Budget Planning for Remote Companies TL;DR IT budgets for remote companies are fundamentally different than office-centric budgets. You’re buying devices and SaaS, not managing...

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IT Procurement for Remote Companies: How to Buy, Ship, and Manage Equipment Globally (2026)
IT procurement strategies for remote and global companies
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Procurement & Vendors

IT Procurement for Remote Companies: How to Buy, Ship, and Manage Equipment Globally (2026)

Procurement & Vendors
Dec 20, 2025 9 min read

IT Procurement for Remote Companies: How to Buy, Ship, and Manage Equipment Globally (2026)

Master IT procurement for distributed teams. Learn how to standardize devices, choose procurement platforms like GroWrk and Firstbase, integrate with HRIS

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IT Asset Tracking for Remote Teams: Tools, Processes, and Best Practices (2026)
IT asset tracking tools and strategies for remote teams
I

IT Asset Tracking

IT Asset Tracking for Remote Teams: Tools, Processes, and Best Practices (2026)

IT Asset Tracking
Oct 12, 2025 13 min read

IT Asset Tracking for Remote Teams: Tools, Processes, and Best Practices (2026)

71% of organizations lose devices at offboarding. Learn the 4 pillars of IT asset tracking for remote teams - tools, processes, and a 90-day implementation

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IT Asset Management Policy Template for Growing Remote Companies
IT asset management policy framework for organizations
I

IT Asset Tracking

IT Asset Management Policy Template for Growing Remote Companies

IT Asset Tracking
Jun 13, 2025 16 min read

IT Asset Management Policy Template for Growing Remote Companies

IT asset management policy for remote teams TL;DR A written asset management policy prevents 70% of common IT compliance and security gaps at remote companies...

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