Technology plays a pivotal role in daily life but has advanced rapidly, leading to a digital age with different electronic needs. IT assets such as desktops, printers, scanners, and landlines were traditionally found in offices until the shift to mobility when mobile devices like laptops and cell phones took off. The rise of mobile electronics necessitated changing how IT assets were processed, creating a category for non-traditional assets.
The Rise of Mobile Assets
The shift to mobility significantly changed the business landscape. Mobile assets skyrocketed in popularity from the early 1990s to the early 2000s due to their extreme convenience and portability. Smartphones, smartwatches, tablets, and laptops are among the most utilized mobile devices for schoolwork, business, and communication. Mobile assets are the most used form of electronics, but they also create the most e-waste because they are just as easily discarded. The rapid deployment of new models and increasing prices lead to hundreds of thousands of used mobile devices being discarded before their time, creating a need for responsible mobile asset disposition.
Mobile Processing vs Traditional Assets
While mobility-managed services have grown, mobile processing in the IT asset disposition (ITAD) space remains complex. IT asset disposition typically involves processing hundreds of thousands of devices annually, but mobile device processing is a different ballgame. It’s much more complex and unique than processing other devices due to factors such as the operating system, the erasure solution, broken devices, and battery handling.
Device processing starts with data erasure, but the erasure process is entirely different for mobile devices. Data remains on electronic devices long after retirement, but mobile devices are not completely overwritten, unlike traditional hard drives. Data erasure on a mobile device consists of deleting the customer data and restoring the original device operating system. The challenge lies in deleting a large portion of data while ensuring the client’s data remains on the device.
ITAD Solutions for Mobile Assets
ITAD facilities like HOBI are crucial in collecting retired IT assets and ensuring they are properly disposed of via electronics recycling. IT asset disposition enterprises provide a range of end-of-use services for retired IT assets, including non-traditional assets. ITAD providers offer repair and refurbishment services for mobile devices that have not reached the end of their useful lifecycles. Device reuse maximizes the value of used assets, helps reduce e-waste, and supports a circular economy. This prevents hazardous material from being sent to landfills and potentially polluting the environment and helps reduce your carbon footprint. By partnering with an ITAD provider who understands the worldwide, dynamic nature of the end user market for mobile devices, you can maximize return for resaleable devices and contribute to a greener future.
For more information about our ITAD services, call 817-814-2620 or contact HOBI at sales@hobi.com.