Environmental awareness is growing, but education is still needed in many areas. Companies worldwide are implementing environmental policies and changes to packaging to meet new industry standards, but many are still unaware of the most significant problem: e-waste. Electronic waste makes up 70 percent of the world’s toxic waste, increasing as more IT assets are sent to landfills. E-waste is classified as hazardous waste because of the chemicals it produces that cause air and water pollution when sent to landfills or incinerators, a fact that millions of consumers are unaware of. The first step to reducing e-waste is education, and the second is responsible IT asset management. ITAM is the backbone of proper e-waste disposition, and partnering with an ITAD provider will significantly improve asset management and help reduce global e-waste generation.
IT Asset Management in a Nutshell
Proper IT asset management encompasses a range of facets needed for asset disposition that are often not considered, such as:
- Data security
- Logistics
- Value maximization
- Materials recovery
- Data center services
- Environmentally-friendly disposition
In a digital age, data security should be the number one priority for a business. Data remains on assets, including laptops, phones, tablets, desktops, printers, scanners, and even smart kitchen appliances, until properly wiped. This means data is vulnerable to theft until data erasure occurs. Another reason data security is crucial in a digital age is digital storage. Data centers have become the primary storage method for data, and decommissioning leaves exponential amounts of data extremely vulnerable. Logistics plays a role in data security via transporting assets from one location to another before disposition. Finding a trusted logistics partner is critical in ensuring the safe, efficient transport of IT assets.
Many assets are still in working order when they are retired, and part of IT asset management is value maximization via device reuse. The rise of self-repair has highlighted the importance of device reuse by expanding the life cycle of electronics and reducing e-waste. Environmentally-friendly disposal is a key factor of e-waste reduction, and ITAD providers like HOBI help improve asset management with a range of end-of-use services.
ITAD Enterprises Ease the Burden of Asset Management
Rather than researching and working with multiple vendors, ITAD providers are a one-stop-shop solution for all end-of-use needs. HOBI is an R2v3, RIOS, WBE, and ISO 14001 certified IT asset management and disposition provider with more than 30 years of industry experience. We offer many ITAD services, including onsite data erasure and security, customized reverse logistics, value maximization through repair and remarketing services, data center solutions, and environmentally sound asset disposal via e-recycling. ITAD providers ease the burden of asset management by taking care of every step, from transport to recycling, while ensuring legislative compliance.
For more information about our ITAD services, call 817-814-2620 or contact HOBI at sales@hobi.com.