Scalable Asset Management for a Remote-First AI Leader

INDUSTRY: Cybersecurity

"Retriever has evolved into our primary IT asset management solution, giving us a streamlined, scalable process that has improved operational efficiency and made it much easier to support our distributed workforce." — Kenny Gousby, IT Director, HiddenLayer Inc.

Before partnering with Retriever, HiddenLayer’s IT asset management (ITAM) process was trapped in a manual cycle. The entire workflow—inventory tracking, shipping, receiving, and hardware lifecycle management—rested on the shoulders of a small team and made it difficult to scale.

For a rapidly growing company, this reliance on manual labor created significant operational bottlenecks. The lack of a centralized system introduced unnecessary risk and made it increasingly difficult to scale IT operations at the pace of the business. As the workforce grew more distributed, the physical logistics of getting hardware to and from employees became a primary drain on the IT team’s time and resources.

How Did Retriever Transform HiddenLayer’s IT Asset Management?

Initially brought on to solve the tactical logistics of shipping, storing, and receiving employee equipment, Retriever quickly evolved into HiddenLayer’s primary IT asset management solution.

By integrating Retriever into their workflow, HiddenLayer moved away from manual spreadsheets and localized hardware tracking. The transition provided Kenny Gousby and his team with a streamlined, scalable framework for managing the entire hardware lifecycle. The core of this transformation was the Retriever ITAM Dashboard, which offered a "single pane of glass" view into their inventory. This allowed the IT team to support their distributed workforce with greater agility, ensuring that equipment was managed professionally from the moment of purchase to the final buy-back or decommissioning.

What Results Did HiddenLayer Achieve with Retriever?

The implementation of Retriever has fundamentally changed how HiddenLayer handles IT logistics. While the company has seen direct savings on shipping costs, the most significant impact has been on operational efficiency.

By streamlining the offboarding and recovery process, the IT team has reclaimed hours of bandwidth previously lost to manual shipping tasks. The risk associated with lost or unmanaged assets has been mitigated, and the company now possesses a scalable infrastructure that can grow alongside its employee base. HiddenLayer has successfully transitioned from a vulnerable, person-dependent process to a robust, automated system that supports a modern, remote-first AI enterprise.

Frequently Asked Questions About IT Asset Management for Remote Teams

How does Retriever help manage laptop lifecycle for remote employees?

Retriever helps remote IT teams manage company laptops from deployment through retrieval, storage, and redeployment. By centralizing hardware logistics and asset visibility, IT teams can manage devices across a distributed workforce without relying on manual processes or a central office.

What is IT asset management (ITAM) and why does it matter for distributed teams?

IT asset management is the process of tracking and managing company-owned technology throughout its lifecycle. For distributed teams, ITAM helps IT maintain visibility into which devices are assigned to employees, where equipment is located, and what should happen to devices when employees join, leave, or need replacement hardware.

How did HiddenLayer reduce manual IT work using Retriever?

HiddenLayer used Retriever to automate hardware logistics that had previously required significant manual work from its IT team. By centralizing device management and automating repetitive processes, HiddenLayer reduced administrative work and gave its IT team more time to focus on higher-priority responsibilities.

What are the biggest challenges of managing hardware for 200+ remote employees?

Managing hardware for a large remote workforce can require IT teams to coordinate device shipping, track equipment across many locations, recover laptops during offboarding, and maintain accurate inventory records. Without a centralized process, these tasks can require significant manual tracking and administrative work.

How does automated ITAM reduce offboarding risk for remote-first companies?

Automated ITAM helps reduce offboarding risk by giving IT a defined process for recovering and tracking company-owned equipment when an employee leaves. Centralized visibility and automated workflows make it easier to identify outstanding devices and maintain records throughout the recovery process.

What is a single-pane-of-glass ITAM dashboard?

A single-pane-of-glass ITAM dashboard provides one centralized view of an organization's IT assets and related activity. Instead of tracking hardware across separate spreadsheets or systems, IT teams can use a centralized dashboard to monitor inventory, device status, and lifecycle activity from one place.