How to Choose an ITAD Provider
The Importance of ITAD
We are living in a different world than we were just a few short years ago. Chip shortages, inflation, and supply chain issues have made it more difficult than ever for businesses to keep their IT systems updated and operating at peak performance. Therefore, it essential for every company to have a strategy for the entire lifecycle of their IT equipment. An essential part of this strategy is IT Asset Disposition (ITAD). ITAD is the plan and process of what you do with your IT equipment as it reaches the end of its lifecycle. More and more companies are choosing to outsource ITAD to specialized providers. Since this is case, this post will serve as a quick guide on how to choose an ITAD provider.
How to Choose an ITAD Provider
As the demand for ITAD services has grown, so has the number of companies offering these services. It is important to thoroughly vet your potential partner before entering into an agreement with them. Here are important factors to consider:
Data Security Guarantee: Data theft is an increasing problem. You never want to walk into the office to only to find your sensitive company information compromised.
The secure destruction of data on your old equipment is at the very heart of ITAD services. Therefore, only work with ITAD providers who can detail for you the exact process they use to wipe your data and destroy sensitive components. They should give you a complete guarantee of full data erasure.
Environmentally Responsible: While a significant portion of your IT equipment can be repurposed or remarketed, inevitably some of it will need to be disposed of. Your ITAD partner should be committed to recycling whenever possible and following state and local environmental guidelines for disposal.
Customizable Services: Your company has specific ITAD needs. Look for an ITAD provider than can tailor their services to the volume, hardware, and components that you have. There is no need to work with providers than only provide “one size fits all” solutions.
Project Management: ITAD projects can be incredibly complex. Large projects like decommissioning a data center can involve thousands of individual tasks. A good ITAD provider can manage the entire project for you and give you a detailed report of all the work they completed.
Repurposing/Remarketing Capacity: Some ITAD providers only offer disposal services. If this is the case, they are costing you money. While some of your equipment inevitably needs to be disposed of, there are many components that can be recycled or remarketed. When the ITAD provider sells the components of equipment, you get a share of the profits.
Pricing: As a rule of thumb, your ITAD provider should be able to perform ITAD services at a cost that is less than if you handled asset disposition internally.
How Do I Get Started?
At Enlivened Tech, we can help you develop a strategy for managing the entire lifecycle of your IT equipment. Our ITAD services are a critical part of this process. If you would like to learn more about ITAD services for your company, give us a call at (513) 617-4822. We will give you a free evaluation of your IT systems and help you map out the ITAD process for your company.
