Secure Disposal of IT Assets

What happens when your upgrade your computers, replace broken computers, or decide to get rid of any outdated data devices such as disk drives or PDAs? How do you dispose of them? Are your practices ensuring that data is destroyed?

NetworkWorld has published a piece on how to properly handle end-of-life IT assets. Their article indicates that many companies do not know what to do with their outdated equipment and, as a result, often place those items into storage. However, this does pose a security risk if data has not been wiped and can be quite costly given the continued cost of software licenses and the lost resale value of that equipment.

In an age where environmentally friendly disposal is encouraged, companies have their choice between recycling or refurbishment and resale. The latter now being encouraged in order to get still-viable equipment into the hands of those who need it.

An asset recovery provider can help you handle the disposal process, including data destruction, refurbishment and resale. The article provides a set of questions that you could ask potential IT asset recovery companies, to know if they are qualified to manage your assets. Such companies should, for example, be able to deal with equipment of varying ages. You should ensure they can wipe your data, and can confirm it with forensic analysis; any data that cannot be erased should be destroyed. The company should be able to refurbish your computers for maximum return and should provide you with the reporting you need for a proper IT asset audit trail.

Tags: it assets, it asset recovery companies, it disposal, computer disposal, refurbishment, recycling, it security, data security