At its core, ITAD focuses on sustainable solutions for electronic waste management, such as logistics, data destruction, certifications, and more; however, the industry is constantly changing. What used to be considered for waste management is now outdated. As technology advances, clients’ needs become more sophisticated, and IT asset disposition providers must expand service offerings and capabilities to encompass the needs of a new digitally driven era. This is where vITAD comes in.
Value-Added ITAD for a Digital Age
In the words of HOBI’s president, Craig Boswell, value-added IT asset disposition (vITAD) is an augmentation of the traditional ITAD model with ERP integration, asset redeployment, re-imaging, and ESG reporting. vITAD consists of several additional facets of the industry, including support for remote workers, R2v3 certification, robust ERP, data privacy, and ESG reporting. As a significant change in industry standards, value-added services aim to enhance traditional ITAD services by expanding service offerings that address new industry requirements. vITAD services can benefit an enterprise in many ways.
New and Improved ITAD with Value-Added Services
Much has changed over the past decade, most notably the rise in remote working. Working from home became necessary during the global pandemic and has become the preferred method of work for many employees. Entire companies have gone remote, which makes access to ITAD services more challenging. vITAD services, like remote management, enable ITAD providers to continue providing IT asset disposition services for clients no matter their location. HOBI’s remote box program offers strategies for safe and quick collection, evaluation, and equipment redeployment on our clients’ behalf.
Another vITAD service that has gained popularity over the past several years is ESG reporting. Companies are becoming more environmentally aware, and new standards have emerged to hold them accountable for their environmental policies. To provide transparency and accountability, ESG represents a company’s environmental, social, and governance policies. By disclosing environmental, social, and governance data, companies can shed some light on ESG performance and compliance, improve investor transparency, and become more environmentally conscious.
The vITAD concept also includes the needs of non-traditional IT assets such as mobile technology and even data centers. Technological advancement is at an all-time high, and companies are scrambling to keep their equipment up-to-date. As a result, many IT assets are retired before their time and become e-waste. vITAD services include asset repair and redeployment for the reuse of obsolete IT assets. This helps prevent them from entering the waste stream and keeps them in circulation.
HOBI pioneered the vITAD concept to describe the new value-added IT asset disposition services taking hold in the industry. These value-added services help provide clients with top-tier ITAD needs, whether they are in-office or working remotely, provide clients with enterprise benefits that elevate environmental policies, and significantly reduce carbon impact through the mitigation of e-waste.