When the time comes to upgrade your business’s IT assets there are many questions to be taken into consideration. For example, what happens to the outgoing IT equipment, and who will be responsible for ensuring all sensitive data is securely destroyed? In the post-GDPR world, this is one of the most important processes a business can undertake. Failure to dispose of old IT assets securely can have serious ramifications, both for your customers and your business.
This is where IT Asset Disposal (ITAD for short) comes into the picture. ITAD is the specialist practice of disposing of obsolete IT assets such as hard drives, servers and mobile devices, in a secure, compliant and environmentally friendly fashion.
In our latest article, we answer the question ‘What is ITAD?’, and look at why your business might need the services of a specialist ITAD vendor.
Why Do You Need ITAD?
In the past decade, the usage of information technology has increased exponentially, with individuals and businesses coming to rely more and more on smartphones, cloud storage, tablets and laptops. The pace of technological innovation has also accelerated, resulting in a high turnover of IT devices.
For businesses who have a high turnover of IT assets, a secure ITAD program is imperative. IT asset disposal helps companies in the process of upgrading their hardware to do so safely and securely, minimising the risk of a costly data breach, and maximising return on investment in the resale market.
Some of the key elements a robust ITAD program should cover include:
● Data sanitisation and/or destruction
● Provide a fully audited chain of custody
● Dispose of e-waste legally and in an environmentally friendly manner
● Dispose of assets in compliance with all relevant industry, national and international regulations
What Does an ITAD Vendor Do?
IT asset disposal is a specialised data security service which, in almost all cases, requires the employment of a dedicated ITAD vendor. A fully qualified ITAD partner will work with you to ensure that your IT assets are handled in a safe and secure manner throughout the process, allowing you to focus on ensuring new hardware is up and running as quickly as possible to minimise disruption to your day to day business operations.
Once you have engaged an ITAD partner, the first step in the IT disposal process will be decommissioning and collection. Here, your vendor can help to uninstall your outgoing IT assets, and will arrange for collection in GPS tracked vehicles.
Following collection, the IT assets will be filtered to determine which among them are fit for remarketing, and which are to be marked for destruction or sanitisation. Data bearing devices, such as hard drives and servers, must either be sanitised or destroyed, to ensure that any data contained within is completely irretrievable.
Once the assets have been filtered, categorised, and sanitised of all sensitive data your ITAD vendor will use their experience and connections to recoup costs in the used IT asset market. Not all assets will be suitable for remarketing, but those that are can help to offset the cost of employing an ITAD partner.
With over 25 years industry experience, tier1 are proud to be the UK’s most accredited ITAD supplier. We possess the skills, accreditations and experience to handle our clients’ data with the care they deserve, and to dispose of it responsibly and legally.
Contact us today on 0161 777 1000 or visit https://www.tier1.com to find out how we can help you dispose of your data safely and reliably.
