The Absolute IT Asset Disposal Blog

The purpose of an asset disposal policy is to ensure that an organisation has fully thought through, evaluated and responded to legislation and other constraints surrounding the disposal of assets - specifically IT assets in this case. This is important so as to…

There is very rarely a valid reason to put unused or outdated IT equipment such as desktops into some storage area indefinitely. The question has to be – why keep an obsolete desktop? And the next question should be “how long do you intend to keep it for – and then what?”

Even if you do it yourself, you may not successfully “wipe” all data from a device. The difference is that expert computer disposal services – the professional ones, that is – do indeed successfully remove all data from all possible sources within a device. This is partly assured by the fact that they must adhere to extremely rigorous standards and also because they deploy specialist tools and...

Not all disposal services are the same. It is vitally important that you understand that disposing of data and equipment correctly is vitally important to your organisation. There are stringent regulations surrounding both data and environmental concerns, which you need to be aware of so avoid breaches. Ignorance is not considered to be a valid defence should matters ever end up in a court of law.

Recycling can mean several things, such as donating equipment to charitable causes, repurposing and reusing it within your organisation or even refurbishing and reselling it. However, in this article we look at disposal recycling – i.e. disassembling the equipment and disposing of its component parts in an environmentally friendly manner.

There is no doubt that many misconceptions exist in the minds of computer users about what really deletes data. IT professionals and individuals tasked with disposing of unwanted equipment, from IT devices through laptops and smartphones need to understand some of the basics.

The actual steps involved in eventual physical disposal can very easily be outsourced to a competent third party but it is usually preferable to explore other avenues first. Repurposing, resale, returning to manufacturer or donating to charity are all preferable to recycling. However, data considerations must take extremely high priority. Every disposal represents a potential data security breach...

A good equipment disposal policy need not be a long document. In fact, the shorter it is, the more likely it is to be read, remembered and actioned. Two or three pages are sufficient to cover the entire requirements in the vast majority of cases. A quick search online will reveal several examples that have been made public – by universities, for example. They serve as an excellent starting point....

Once upon a time, not so very long ago, it was commonplace to see unwanted IT equipment tossed into skips outside office buildings. Nowadays, IT asset disposal is (fortunately!) a largely regulated activity, which protects personal and commercially confidential data as well as safeguarding the environment from the effects of dumping heavy metals into landfill and waterways.

 As an IT professional, you understand the important benefits and safeguards of engaging a reputable and competent IT asset disposal company to come and take away the unwanted equipment that is clogging up your storage areas. It’s easy to make serious IT equipment disposal mistakes when you try to do it yourself. However, you also understand that not all companies that advertise such IT asset...