(ITAD) IT asset disposition

What is IT asset disposition (ITAD)?

IT asset disposition (ITAD) is an industry term and practice built around reusing, recycling, repurposing, or disposing of unwanted IT equipment in a safe and environmentally responsible way. An IT organization can practice IT asset disposition itself or have a specialized vendor like us handle it.

Instead of ending up as electronic waste, or e-waste, in a landfill, an IT device’s internal components can be reused. This helps keep waste such as plastics and heavy metals out of the environment.

Although some businesses have a systematic replacement cycle for electronic equipment, enterprises with worn-out hardware must decide whether to refurbish, resell, recycle, or dispose of their business equipment. When done internally, parts of the ITAD process are often handled by IT asset management, procurement, or risk management teams. An organization can also work with businesses like ours that focus specifically on IT asset disposition. We provide the secure destruction of data and environmentally friendly e-waste recycling. As well as specializing in the process of streamlining the disposition of IT assets for our clients while minimizing costs and potentially reclaiming equipment value.

What does ITAD do?

IT asset disposition focuses on the following:

• Securing data. Old hardware may still contain data, so we follow best practices for thorough data deletion. Storage devices are securely wiped.
• Recycling and reusing devices. We dispose of numerous types of used hardware, including desktops, laptops, servers, phones, and tablets. Items such as RAM sticks or video cards can be harvested and reused in other products or recycled.

IT asset disposition companies like Sustainable ITAD can help organizations get rid of their excess IT equipment. We buy unneeded hardware from IT organizations and then attempt to recoup value from that hardware.

IT asset disposition vendors typically provide the following services:

• asset management
• data center decommissioning
• data erasure
• Hard drive shredding
• refurbishing

Why is IT asset disposition important?

Organizations quickly cycle through IT, making IT asset disposal a larger and more urgent issue when considering e-waste. These devices may contain heavy metals, chemicals, and other materials that could be harmful to the environment when disposed of in a landfill. These materials could leak into the ground and affect water sources, for example. To ensure the proper and secure disposal of e-waste, we use certified recyclers.

IT asset disposition is also important when considering data security. For example, data breaches could occur if the data in a hard drive is not properly deleted when disposed of. Complete data erasure can be achieved by physically destroying the hardware or by degaussing. Degaussing electronically removes the magnetic field of a disk or hard drive using a special device, rendering it unusable. These are both secure ways of ensuring total data deletion.

What is the market?

The IT asset disposition market is a secondary IT market for ITAD businesses that remarket the hardware they purchase. Within the market, different ITAD companies may coordinate with one another to sell equipment. IT organizations may also directly contact ITAD companies.

One of the most well-known in the ITAD market is Sustainable ITAD

Our services handle the process of fully and securely wiping data which is partly why ITAD is so popular. Rising concerns for the environment have also contributed to our, as well as the industry’s success.

A market study from research firm Global Industry Analysts Inc. titled “IT Asset Disposition (ITAD) Global Market Trajectory & Analytics” estimated the global market for ITAD in 2020 was estimated at $14.6 billion and the projected growth by 2026 is $24.5 billion.

How to choose an ITAD company

Which IT asset disposition company an IT organization chooses to work with should depend on certain factors, including the following:

• Certifications. ITAD businesses can earn certifications to show they follow industry standards for best practices in recycling and reusing electronics. Some examples are e-Stewards and the National Association for Information Destruction. Certifications can also build customer trust.
• Sustainability. Choose ITAD service providers that are committed to environmental sustainability. Whenever possible, they should help IT organizations repurpose, resell or recycle hardware. Potentially harmful chemicals should also be disposed of appropriately.
• Cost. ITAD services should cost less than if an organization handles hardware disposal itself.
• Guarantee of secure data. ITAD services should disclose how they erase data for data sanitization and security reasons. They should be able to guarantee full and secure data erasure.

Sustainable ITAD excels at all of the factors above, and when you want your IT equipment gone request a quote today!