What Is IT Asset Disposition (ITAD)?

So what is IT Asset Disposition ITAD? It has to do with the proper disposition of obsolete business technology. Here's a look at why you should know more about it if your organization wants to adopt more sustainable practices while staying in compliance.

ITAD Explained

Since businesses and individuals are not allowed to throw computer equipment in the trash, ITAD has emerged as a business for disposing of old electronic junk. ITAD is designed to be an eco-friendly solution for removing e-waste from circulation without ending up in a landfill. The global ITAD market was valued at $12 billion in 2017. It's expected to more than double that amount by 2025.

ITAD is a market driven by government regulations, which have increased this century with the growth of e-waste and new tech trends that come and go. Businesses and consumers have purchased tech more frequently in recent years as electronic devices become outdated much faster now. But organizations must also follow EPA and NIST standards for the disposal of old electronic equipment. If you decide to participate in an ITAD program, there are data protection and privacy challenges that you need to be aware of to protect the privacy of your users, the organization, and the sensitive data on drives. Be sure to properly and securely erase all sensitive data from drives and discs before selling or donating your old tech.

Working With an ITAD Service

Big data is one of the main drivers of the new IT landscape. The need for more and more IoT devices to collect data and move it to the cloud is contributing to the rise of e-waste. Due to increasing regulations on environmental issues, it's important for all businesses that invest in electronic technology to connect with an ITAD service. A company can get fined heavily for improper disposal of e-waste.

Additionally, it's critical to be compliant with data privacy laws, be sure to ask the ITAD service provider if they can handle both data removal and collection of obsolete electronic devices. So it's important for a business to establish an ITAD program for e-waste disposal and develop a relationship with an ITAD provider that recycles electronic items or sends them to a certified recycler.

An ITAD provider helps a business comply with EPA requirements by issuing a certificate of destruction, which includes a sanitization date with methods and techniques for data removal. The certificate provides a complete chain of custody report and lists the host machine's serial number.

The two key principles for secure and responsible IT asset disposition are knowing who will manage outdated electronic items and how they operate. They should be responsible recycling (R2) vendors that prioritize worker health and safety management systems.

Contributing to a Safer Environment

So what is IT Asset Disposition ITAD's significance in terms of helping clean the environment? Working with an ITAD provider allows your business to promote itself as going green. It will help keep e-waste out of landfills and reuse materials to create less strain on the environment.

The reason laws are spreading to keep e-waste out of landfills is because old and new electronic devices contain hazardous materials that can leak back into the environment.

Even the most modern IoT devices contain toxic materials and heavy metals. So businesses must take responsibility for ensuring their technology doesn't end up in the wrong place.

Conclusion

So, if you're still wondering what is IT Asset Disposition ITAD, you should consider participating because it will help make your organization greener while maintaining compliance with government regulations.