IT Vending Machines and Asset Lockers: How They Work

An IT vending machine lets employees help themselves to the things the service desk hands out all day. Peripherals that are used up or kept come from vending coils or trays. Devices that belong to a named person, or have to come back, come from locker cells. Every pickup and return is recorded against the employee, and on a KioskForce system it can be posted to ServiceNow as a request, an asset assignment or a closed loan. This page covers what to put in each half, how the ServiceNow side works, and what to specify.

Quick answer

• Two mechanisms, one record. Coils and trays for consumables that are not returned. Locker cells for laptops, loaners and repairs.
• Identity first. The employee badges in (MIFARE, HID or EM card) or enters a PIN, so every transaction has a name on it.
• ServiceNow, configured to your process. A dispense can raise a request or incident. A locker pickup can assign the asset, and a return can close the assignment.
• Factory-fitted options: charging per cell (AC or tracked USB-C) and optional per-cell weight sensors. Decide them before you order.
• Needs its network to issue. Entitlements are checked at the moment of issue, so plan for an outage.
• Quoted per configuration. Published starting points run from USD 1,800 (six-cell locker kiosk).

What an IT vending machine is, and what it is not

The phrase covers two different jobs that often share a cabinet.

The first is peripheral vending. A user needs a USB-C adapter, a replacement mouse or a headset. The item is cheap, the user keeps it, and the IT team wants to know who took how many and when stock runs low. That is a vending job: many units of a few dozen items, dispensed from coils or trays with a quota per person or department.

The second is asset issue and return. A new starter’s laptop has been imaged and is ready. A user needs a loaner for a week while theirs is repaired. A broken device needs to get back to IT. Each item has a serial number and an owner, and the record must show who holds it. That is a locker job: one item per cell, released to one person, and the same cell able to take a device back.

An IT vending machine is not a replacement for the service desk. It takes the predictable handovers away from the counter so that the people at the desk deal with problems instead of passing items over it. ServiceNow’s own Walk-up Experience application exists for in-person IT support at designated walk-up centres. A locker bank beside a walk-up centre can take the pickups and drop-offs that do not need a conversation.

What goes in the coils and what goes in the cells

Item	Mechanism	Why	Typical ServiceNow record
Cables, adapters, chargers	Coil or tray	Consumed or kept; many units	Request or incident with item and quantity, stock deduction
Mice, keyboards, headsets, webcams	Coil, tray or small cell	Issued and kept; bulky items may need a cell	Request with item and quantity
Batteries, cleaning kits, privacy filters	Coil or tray	Consumables	Stock deduction; replenishment task at minimum
New or re-imaged laptop for a named user	Locker cell	Prepared for one person	Asset assigned to the user; request updated
Loaner laptops, tablets, phones	Locker cell, often with charging	Must come back	Loan opened on pickup, closed on return
Faulty device for repair	Locker cell (drop-off)	Returned to IT	Return logged against the user’s ticket
Access cards, security keys	Small locker cell	High-value per item, one per person	Assignment to the user

Most sites end up with both columns. KioskForce builds coils, trays and locker cells into one machine where the mix is balanced, and a dedicated locker bank where devices dominate. The smart locker vs vending machine guide sets out the general rule. The equipment vending page covers the same issue-and-return pattern for tools, meters and radios.

How a pickup, a loan and a repair drop-off work

Request pickup

1. A request is raised in ServiceNow, for example for a new starter’s laptop.
2. IT prepares the device, places it in a cell and assigns the cell to the user.
3. The user badges in at the locker. Only their cell opens.
4. The door sensor confirms the door opened and closed. The pickup is posted to ServiceNow, where it can assign the asset to the user and update the request.

Loaner pool

1. The user badges in and takes a loaner from any cell holding an available device.
2. The loan opens against the user.
3. On return, the user badges in again and puts the device in a free cell. The loan closes.
4. If the device is not back by the agreed time, the record stays open and an alert can go to IT.

Repair drop-off

1. The user badges in and chooses drop-off.
2. A free cell opens. The user leaves the faulty device.
3. The return is logged against the user’s ticket. IT collects the device from the locker, not from the user’s desk.

Peripheral vending

1. The user badges in. The screen shows the items they are allowed to take, within their quota.
2. The coil turns and the item drops. The transaction posts with the item, quantity, user and time.
3. When stock falls below the set minimum, a replenishment task can be raised for the IT or stores team.

How the ServiceNow side works

The KioskForce machine records the transaction first, then sends it to ServiceNow through its API. The events and the records they map to are:

Event at the machine	What can be recorded in ServiceNow
Employee badges in or enters a PIN	The transaction is tied to the employee’s identity
Item dispensed from a coil or tray	Request or incident with item, quantity, user and timestamp
Device collected from a locker cell	Asset assigned to the employee
Device returned to a cell	Assignment closed and return logged
Stock below the set minimum	Replenishment task for the IT or stores team
Machine fault	Incident raised against the machine

Which records are created, and which ServiceNow Flow Designer workflows they trigger, is configured to match the processes your team already runs. The lockers join the Industrial Vending platform that runs our PPE and tool vending machines, and integrate with ServiceNow through it. That means lockers and vending machines on one site share one employee list, one set of reports and one ServiceNow connection. The ServiceNow integration page has the full list.

Where this meets Hardware Asset Management

If your instance runs ServiceNow Hardware Asset Management (HAM), the locker events need to line up with the asset model your team already uses. Three parts of the ServiceNow documentation are worth reading before the workshop:

• Asset states and substates. ServiceNow tracks an asset by a State and a Substate. “In stock” carries substates such as Available, Reserved, Defective and Pending repair, and the documentation advises against changing state values while allowing substates to be adjusted to fit your process. Decide which state and substate a device should move to on pickup, on loan return and on repair drop-off.
• Loaner assets. HAM runs a loaner order through a Prepare task, a Deploy task and a Reclaim task. By default the Prepare task is created two days before the start day and the Reclaim task one day before the return day. The Hardware Asset dashboard shows loaner orders in New, Deployed or Return Overdue states. A locker pickup maps naturally to Deploy, and a locker return to Reclaim.
• Integration method. ServiceNow’s Table API provides create, read, update and delete operations on tables such as asset and incident, and the calling account needs roles with access to those tables. If your team wants ServiceNow to call out to an external system from a flow, note that the REST step “is not available in the base system and requires the ServiceNow Integration Hub subscription”.

We do not assume your instance uses HAM, or uses it in the default way. The mapping is agreed per project, against your tables, states and flows.

Identity, quotas and permissions

The record is only as good as the identity behind it.

• Credentials. KioskForce lockers read MIFARE, HID and EM cards, a PIN, or both together for high-value cells. Most IT deployments use the staff badge the building already issues.
• The user list. For staff deployments it should come from your existing directory or HR source, not be typed twice. Ask how leavers are removed. A leaver’s badge should stop working at the locker the day it stops working at the door.
• Entitlements. The screen shows each user only the items they may take. Quotas can limit how many of an item a person or department draws in a period.
• Dual authentication. Card plus PIN for cells holding high-value devices.

Cells, charging and verification

Option	What it does	Decide when
Cell sizes	Custom cabinets from 100 to 2000 mm wide and high, and 100 to 1000 mm deep, with 1–10 rows of 1–10 cells	At design. Size each cell to the largest device it will hold, with its charger
AC charging socket board	Mains outlets inside the cell for laptop power supplies	At order. Factory-wired
USB-C ports with tracking	Logs each session with user, start and end time, duration and energy; limits per user or per day	At order. Factory-wired
Per-cell weight sensor	Weighs the cell before the door opens and after it closes, to confirm an item left or came back	At order, cell by cell. Optional, factory-fitted, never retrofitted
RFID tag or barcode scan on return	Identifies which device came back	At design
Connectivity	Ethernet as standard on the L180-10C; Wi-Fi and 4G/5G optional	At order

Two points matter for IT. First, weight confirms that something of the right weight is in the cell, not which serial number. Where the record must identify the unit, scan it on return or keep one known device per cell. Second, a laptop with its charger plugged in inside a closed cell needs ventilation and a cell large enough for the power brick. Send the device model and charger with the enquiry.

What to specify if you are buying one

1. The item list. Every peripheral and device, with dimensions, quantities and, for devices, the charger.
2. The workflows. Peripheral vending, request pickup, loaner pool, repair drop-off, or a mix, and the loan period for loaners.
3. The credential. The badge technology already in use (MIFARE, HID, EM) and whether high-value cells need card plus PIN.
4. The ServiceNow scope. Which events should create which records, which flows they should trigger, and whether you run HAM.
5. Charging and verification. Which cells need AC or USB-C, and which, if any, need a weight sensor.
6. The site. Position, power, network and what happens during an outage.
7. Quantity, destination country and timeline.

Lay out a cabinet in the smart locker configurator for an instant estimate, read the ServiceNow integration page, check our published starting prices on vending machine cost, then contact us with the list above.

Price and lead time

We quote each configuration. Cell count and sizes, charging, the screen, card readers and the integration scope drive the price. The published starting points are:

Configuration	Published starting price (USD)	Source
K180-6C locker kiosk: 21.5-inch touchscreen, six cells, expandable with more cabinets	From 1,800	Kiosks
KF10X22 full-size touchscreen vending machine	From 2,100	Vending machine cost
Custom locker cabinet	Instant estimate in the configurator	Configurator

General lead times are 4–6 weeks for a modified standard model and 8–12 weeks for a custom build. The lead time for your configuration is stated on the quotation. Custom locker orders start from a single unit for evaluation. The standard warranty is 12 months on manufacturing defects. Support is by email, or through the local distributor where one supplied the system. On-site installation is optional and, in some regions, provided through a local distributor. We sell direct and, in some regions, through local distributors.

Questions to ask any supplier

1. Does the same cell issue a device and accept it back, or are returns a separate station?
2. Which ServiceNow records does each event create, and who configures the flows?
3. Can the mapping follow our HAM states and loaner process, or does it impose its own?
4. Which badge technologies does the reader support, and how is a leaver removed?
5. Which cells can carry charging, and is charging usage logged?
6. Are weight sensors standard, optional or retrofittable, and what do they verify?
7. What happens to issue and return when the network drops?
8. Who designed the hardware and the software, and who answers when a door will not open?

How KioskForce answers:

Question	KioskForce
Issue and return	The same locker cell issues and accepts returns; coils and trays handle consumables
ServiceNow	Dispense, pickup, return, low stock and faults post through the Industrial Vending platform; records and flows configured per customer
Credentials	PIN, MIFARE, HID and EM cards, or card plus PIN
Charging	AC socket boards or tracked USB-C per cell, factory-fitted
Weight sensing	Optional per cell, specified at order, never retrofitted
Network loss	Issue needs the platform; offline dispensing is on the roadmap, not available today
Design	Hardware and software designed in-house; built in partner factories

Where an IT vending machine is the wrong answer

• You hand out a handful of items a week. A shelf and a sign-out form cost less.
• Every handover needs a conversation. Set-up help, data migration and account problems belong at a walk-up desk, not a locker.
• You need the machine to check the device. It records custody, not condition. It does not wipe a returned laptop, test it or confirm the screen is intact. That stays with your IT process.
• The position has no reliable network. The machine checks entitlements at the moment of issue, so a dead spot means no issue.
• You expect the integration to be a switch. It is configured against your instance, tables and flows, and that takes a scoping workshop.

Frequently asked questions

What is an IT vending machine?

An IT vending machine is a self-service cabinet that issues IT items to identified employees and records each transaction. Consumables such as cables, adapters, chargers, mice, keyboards and headsets dispense from vending coils or trays. Devices such as laptops, tablets and loaner phones sit in locker cells, because they belong to a named person or have to come back. The employee identifies with a badge or PIN, the item is released, and the transaction is recorded with the user, item and time, and on a KioskForce system it can be posted to ServiceNow.

How does a ServiceNow smart locker work?

IT prepares a device against a ServiceNow request and places it in a cell. The employee badges in at the locker and the cell opens. The pickup is posted to ServiceNow, where it can assign the asset to that employee and update the request. Returns work the other way: a loaner or a faulty device goes into a free cell and the return is logged against the employee’s record. On KioskForce systems the lockers join the Industrial Vending platform and integrate with ServiceNow through it. Which records are written is configured per customer.

Should I use a vending machine or a smart locker for IT equipment?

Use vending coils or trays for consumables that are issued and not returned, with many units of each item, such as cables, adapters, mice and headsets. Use locker cells for devices that belong to a named person or must come back, such as laptops, tablets, loaner phones and repaired devices. Most IT sites need both. KioskForce can build coils and locker cells into one cabinet where the mix is balanced, or supply a separate locker bank where devices dominate, all reporting to the same platform.

Can an IT asset locker charge laptops between loans?

Yes, as a factory-fitted option. Each cell can carry an AC charging socket board for laptop power supplies, or USB-C ports whose sessions are logged with the user, start and end time, duration and energy used. Charging is specified at the time of order, including which cells carry which port type, because it is wired in during manufacture rather than added later.

How does the locker know a laptop was actually returned?

Every cell has a door sensor, so the system knows the door actually opened and closed, not only that the lock was released. Where proof that the device is inside matters, the item can be identified on return by an RFID tag or barcode scan, or the cell can carry an optional weight sensor that checks the returned weight. Weight sensors are specified per cell at order and fitted during manufacture; they cannot be retrofitted. Weight confirms weight, not which device came back.

Does an IT vending machine work if the network is down?

Not for issuing. On KioskForce machines entitlements and quotas are checked on the platform at the moment of issue, so a machine does not dispense while it is offline. Offline dispensing that reconciles on reconnect is on our roadmap, not available today. Plan for an outage before go-live, for example a fallback at the service desk, and raise any position with weak connectivity at enquiry. Ethernet is standard on the L180-10C locker, with Wi-Fi and 4G/5G as options.

How much does an IT vending machine or asset locker cost?

KioskForce quotes each configuration, because cell count, cell sizes, charging, the screen, card readers and the integration scope drive the price. Published starting points are USD 1,800 for the K180-6C locker kiosk with a 21.5-inch touchscreen and six cells, and USD 2,100 for the KF10X22 full-size touchscreen vending machine. The online configurator gives an instant estimate for a custom locker cabinet. ServiceNow integration is scoped per project against the workflows you want to run.

References

• ServiceNow — “Set asset states and substates”, Australia release documentation (updated 12 March 2026; accessed 3 October 2026). https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/it-asset-management/asset-management/t_SettingAssetStatesAndSubstates.html
• ServiceNow — “Loaner assets”, Hardware Asset Management, Australia release documentation (updated 12 March 2026; accessed 3 October 2026). https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/it-asset-management/hardware-asset-management/loaner-asset.html
• ServiceNow — “Prepare, deploy, and reclaim loaner assets”, Australia release documentation (updated 12 March 2026; accessed 3 October 2026). https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/it-asset-management/hardware-asset-management/prepare-deploy-reclaim-loaner-assets.html
• ServiceNow — “Table API”, REST API reference, Australia release (updated 12 March 2026; accessed 3 October 2026). https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/api-reference/rest-apis/c_TableAPI.html
• ServiceNow — “REST step”, Workflow Studio, Australia release (updated 12 March 2026; accessed 3 October 2026). https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/build-workflows/workflow-studio/rest-request-action-designer.html
• ServiceNow — “Walk-up Experience”, Australia release documentation (updated 12 March 2026; accessed 3 October 2026). https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/it-service-management/walk-up-experience/walkup-experience-landing-page.html

Related

• Smart lockers: how they work, types and cost: the cluster guide
• Smart locker software: credentials, audit log, APIs and webhooks
• Smart locker vs vending machine: which mechanism for which item
• Locker vending machines: door-per-item vending
• Click and collect lockers: the same prepared-order pattern for retail
• Cell phone lockers and lockers for employees
• ServiceNow smart vending machines and smart lockers
• Equipment vending machines for issue and return

Talk to us about an IT vending machine

Send the item list with dimensions, the workflows you want to run, your badge technology and the ServiceNow records each event should create. We will come back with a cell layout, the integration scope and a price.