For many organizations, the arrival of new information technology generates a lot of excitement, especially among end-users. But for the IT department, this refresh involves hard work and long hours. It also necessitates a decision about what will become of obsolete assets. This is not an easy decision, as I’ve learned from my conversations with IT leaders.
Certainly, you want to do the right thing by disposing of unwanted assets in a responsible manner. You also understand the risks of improper IT asset disposition (ITAD), whether it’s the theft of sensitive data or violations of environmental laws.
With so much at stake, choosing the right ITAD partner deserves rigorous vetting and selection processes. At a minimum, I encourage you to ask the following questions:
- What is the vendor’s level of commitment to ITAD Is it a core focus or an offshoot of another line of business?
- Does the vendor oversee and control every step in the ITAD process – or outsource one or more steps to other vendors?
- Is the vendor (and any subcontractors) certified by nationally recognized governing bodies?
- How robust are the vendor’s data security protocols and technologies?
- How secure is the vendor’s transport of IT assets? Does it comply with stringent industry regulations?
- How good is your visibility into the disposition of your IT assets, to verify that everything is done properly?
Beyond these baseline criteria, the top ITAD vendors will bring added value to the partnership, such as a proven strong commitment to customer service and the ability to refurbish and resell hardware, ideally with a revenue-sharing opportunity.
At Dynamic Lifecycle Innovations, we’ve created an eBook entitled “Technology Refreshed & Replaced – Now What?” to help decision-makers evaluate and zero in on the right ITAD vendor. You can download the complimentary eBook here. You’ll also receive the eBook by attending a complimentary IAITAM-sponsored webinar on this topic, which I’ll be presenting Wednesday, March 25, from 12 to 1 p.m. ET.
Lastly, I invite you to get in touch with me if you have any questions or would like to know more about what Dynamic can do for you.
Josh is Corporate Services Sales Executive at Dynamic Lifecycle Innovations. You can reach him at jhumm@thinkdynamic.com.
