The Absolute IT Asset Disposal Blog

Many risk areas have been around since the dawn of computing, such as weak password security or Trojan code in applications. They will always be with us. As new threats are emerging on a weekly or even daily basis, the complete list of vulnerabilities and attack vectors is already extremely long.

Every enterprise, regardless of size, has a duty of care to protect sensitive data - especially customer personal data. Irrespective of regulatory concerns, reputational damage caused by leaked data is difficult to recover from. Immediate recovery actions are expensive too, as is strengthening security levels to prevent another breach.

The risks that are associated nowadays with disposing of IT assets are far greater than they were just a few short years ago. Legislation surrounding data security and environmental issues carries very severe penalties for non-compliance.

It is a fact that every device in your organisation that stores data about people represents a potential risk to data security should it fall into the wrong hands and leak data that should have remained confidential. When it’s time to dispose of that asset, the potential risk increases greatly once the device leaves your control.

Disposing of IT assets these days is all about robust risk management. With every passing year, the regulations governing data security cover a wider scope, such as dictating the geographic location in which personal data may or may not be stored, as well as defining exactly what constitutes personal data. 

Developing a sound asset disposal strategy delivers more benefits than simply dictating how to dispose of an asset. It reflects organised and thoughtful management as well as controlling several aspects surrounding end of life equipment, such as:

Since 2007, the disposal of electrical and electronic equipment has been subject to a set of EU regulations known as the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE Directive).

Like most electronic devices, IT equipment is mostly made up of metal, plastic and glass. All of these are commonly recycled. For example, roughly 80% of a smart phone can be recycled and the remainder disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner. The additional invisible component of many IT devices is, of course, data. It is important to dispose of the physical elements responsibly, with...

Disposing of IT assets is an exercise that is fraught with risks for the unwary. No longer is it feasible to simply donate equipment to even a local charity without first taking great care to follow best practice and ensure that there are zero repercussions for the donating organisation.

Computer disposal, also known as IT asset disposal, simply means disposing of unwanted, obsolete, damaged or unserviceable equipment in a way that is: