6 Tips for Choosing the Right ITAD Partner

Are you upgrading your IT and thinking “what do I do with my old IT equipment”? Or do you have old IT taking up valuable space as you move back into the office? A quick Google search will produce a long list of IT Asset Disposal (ITAD) companies ready to take control of your end-of-life IT. But how do you know which of them to trust? What makes one ITAD better than another?

Your IT holds valuable, confidential information about your business, your employees, and your customers. Ensuring that it is disposed of through the right channels is vital. Keeping your data secure is essential and failure to do so can have some severe consequences. That makes choosing the right partner to dispose of your old IT a difficult choice. Make sure that you are making an informed choice by following these simple steps.

Before we dive into picking an ITAD partner, we need to know what an ITAD is. ITAD stands for Information Technology Asset Disposal. Simply put, ITAD is the process of disposing of your IT equipment in a secure and environmentally safe way. While you may have processes in place to protect your data on your servers, it is just as important to protect your end-of-life assets. Therefore, ITAD firms are the final line of defence for your IT equipment and your cybersecurity.

ITAD companies have several processes for disposing of your IT assets. ITAD firms provide solutions for hard drive shredding, recycling in line with the WEEE directive, and secure data erasure, helping businesses when they upgrade their IT suite by providing a secure channel to dispose of their IT.

When choosing to trust a new partner to manage your IT Assets and Confidential Data, you face a dilemma.  How do you know you’re making the right decision?  What criteria, industry guidance or performance measures do you work from, to ensure your decision is solid?

Tips for what to look out for when choosing an ITAD partner are:

• Accreditations
• Expertise
• Price
• Environmental Policy
• Traceability and Transparency
• Security Practices

Before we dive into picking an ITAD partner, we need to know what it is. ITAD stands for Information Technology Asset Disposal. Simply put, ITAD is the process of disposing of your IT equipment in a secure and environmentally safe way. ITAD firms will take your end-of-life IT and ensure that it is safely disposed of.

ITAD companies have several processes for disposing of your IT assets. ITAD firms provide solutions for hard drive shredding, recycling in line with the WEEE directive, and secure data erasure. ITAD companies help businesses when they upgrade their IT suite by providing a secure channel to dispose of their IT.

One of the first things that you want to know about an ITAD partner is if they have the relevant accreditations. These accreditations mean that the ITAD firm has been audited and vetted to meet industry standards set by experts.

Here is a list of some of the key accreditations to look out for:

• ISO 9001 – setting out the criteria for a quality management system. This includes a focus on the customer and internal audit processes for continual improvement.
• ISO 27001 – this standard sets out the processes for managing information security. As disposal companies deal with your confidential data, it is essential that they have this accreditation.
• Blancco partner – Blancco is the market-leading data erasure software and is approved by the National Cyber Security Centre. Ensure that your ITAD partner is using this best-in-class software.

These accreditations give you peace of mind that your partner is up to the highest standard. Make sure that these are still up to date and are visible on their website to give yourself peace of mind that you are working with an expert.

On top of having all the relevant certifications, you can trust an ITAD firm that has years of expertise under their belt. Companies with a long history in the industry will have better connections for reselling your IT equipment, more efficient processes for collecting and disposing of your IT and have a superior understanding of your needs. Remember, there is a reason that these companies have been around for so long. You should be aware of the company’s track record, if there is any uncertainty you should avoid these companies. Moreover, you should ensure that your ITAD partner can provide you with certifications on the topics of erasure and recycling electronic devices securely.

Governmental regulations are constantly changing, so make sure you are working with an ITAD that has a strong knowledge of the market and who remains aware of these changes as they happen.

Make sure that you unlock the value in your end-of-life IT. Most of your IT equipment will have re-sale value in the secondary market. Any ITAD firm worth their weight will have a financial rebate policy whereby they will return some of their profit back to you.

Additionally, some firms will offer you the opportunity to donate your old IT equipment to a charity or organisation of your choice. These services allow you to improve your corporate social responsibility practices using assets you already own. Building your corporate image can become even easier as ITADs take care of every step, from collection of your assets, to delivering them to the organisation of your choice.

Environmental reporting is one of the most important aspects of modern business. Working with a partner that understands the importance of this is therefore essential. Choose an ITAD company that follows a zero-landfill policy. This gives you peace of mind that your waste IT has been recycled properly in line with the WEEE directive.

To guarantee that your IT is being handled as you expect it to be, make sure that your ITAD partner is transparent about their practices. This means making sure that you have access to a suite of reporting to follow the full chain-of-custody of your data-bearing assets.

Ensuring that every step throughout the ITAD process is fully documented with certificates for both the destruction and wiping of drives helps to maintain security throughout your supply chain. Be aware of the software being used by your ITAD. The company should be using highly credible software such as the world leading Blancco overwriting software.

Remember that your end-of-life IT houses valuable data for your business. Therefore, you should choose a partner that follows strict security practices throughout the process. This could include having unmarked, GPS-tracked vehicles that collect your assets to ensure they are safe at all times. It could also include having secure holding facilities for your assets prior to the data wiping process. Think about what level of security you expect with your current IT assets and make sure that your ITAD partner aligns with those standards.

It is important to choose the right ITAD partner for your company as you do not want any of your secure data to get leaked or not processed in the correct format.  You want to be confident that your ITAD partner can provide you with the exact processes and audit trails that your equipment has went through until the end process e.g., re-used, recycled etc.

If your data is not disposed of through the proper channels, it could cost you £17.5 million or 4% of your annual turnover. Not to mention that your reputation as a credible brand could be tarnished following one of these incidents. Ensuring that your data is disposed of correctly is key to keeping your business safe.

At Re-Tek Limited we provide a wide portfolio of offerings to our customers. As previously stated, we have all of the main, important accreditations that allow us to do our work securely and effectively, which is GDPR aligning. Services that we offer include:

• Secure data erasure
• IT asset re-sale and reporting
• WEEE Recycling, which is wiped to NCSC standards
• Secure Shredding
• Decommissioning