Lowering the Carbon Footprint of IT Asset Disposition

Posted by Frank Milia

Feb 14, 2020 9:37:41 AM

We here at IT Asset Management Group (ITAMG) regularly come across regional organizations such as universities, hospitals, media companies and local banks that are engaged with disposal providers that ship their retired IT equipment several hundred or even a thousand miles away to be processed.

Regional businesses and generators can drastically lower their costs and carbon footprint by switching to local, certified, and qualified IT asset disposal providers. National and global enterprises have a more complicated challenge to reducing ITAD related emissions than their regional counterparts (a longer post for another day).

Due to this, I would argue regional organizations have an even higher environmental and social obligation to source local vendors and significantly outperform the environmental impact of their peers that have global footprints.

Truck Pics

Local providers will also likely manage and operate in-house trucking, technicians and moving teams that will be typically perform better and be held more accountable for performance at the client site than providers that exclusively rely on third party transportation resources.

By using local trucking companies you also reduce the risk of a breech event or exposure related to third party transport of the material.     

Simply put, choosing local is good for our environment, improved performance of the disposal program, and is better for your bottom line.

If your firm is a regional organization (or otherwise) please consider reviewing your program to see if lowering carbon footprint through sourcing local vendors is an option available to you.  

Are you evaluating IT asset disposition providers?  Please use the following link to let us know how we can specifically help you: 

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Topics: IT Asset Disposal, IT End of Life Strategy, ITAD, eWaste Disposal, Green Technology Procurement, IT Asset Disposal NY

Lessons from Arrow’s Closure of IT Asset Disposition Business

Posted by Frank Milia

Jul 22, 2019 6:30:27 PM

 

Last week Arrow Electronics Inc. announced that it would be shutting the doors on its IT asset disposition service business leaving the industry dumbfounded and thousands of customers concerned with how to proceed with their day to day disposal requirements.   

Although Arrow has claimed the USA operations will remain active until end of the year, we have received several reports from Arrow’s customers that they will no longer receive disposed of assets shortly after this month. 

Recovery direction sign with sunset background

If you are a current customer of Arrow or otherwise depend on a single service provider for your global asset disposition services there are some lessons to take away from this as you look to source your next provider. 

 

The Largest vendors don’t necessarily offer more stability or security

Many businesses signed on with Arrow because they liked the security of working with a fellow Fortune 500 company.  Arrow actively sold these businesses a narrative that they were a more stable option than the smaller boutique providers since they had the capital and infrastructure necessary of supporting the largest customers.  Ironically in the end Arrow’s decision to end the ITAD service line is at least partly because they are such a large public company and had the need to cut out expenses from a small business unit to avoid having to repeatedly publish poor earnings reports. 

I do not agree with Arrow’s claim that they are leaving the ITAD space because it is not a sustainable business model.  There are plenty of healthy and capable ITAD providers that offer this service has their exclusive business model.  For instance, my firm IT Asset Management Group has been operating in the space for almost 20 years and we forecast continued year over year growth. 

It is important to at least consider setting up a multi-vendor option for disposition and data destruction services.

As an IT asset disposition provider I’m happy to hear our customers want us as a single provider for their disposal and data destruction needs.  However, I suggest to all of the largest customers, especially those with a significant global foot print, to consider having multiple vendors to properly cover their needs. 

Arrow is dropping out with very little notice and many customers are concerned about establishing new vendors under deadlines that large organizations worry they will struggle to meet.  By vetting and properly contracting multiple vendors to cover your disposition and disposal needs you will protect your company from your vendor leaving the market or otherwise under performing to a degree that would require a switch in providers. 

Over the years we have worked with many customers that have a huge footprint in the USA and want us to cover their much smaller footprint globally.  The most successful of these customers have leveraged our company to receive lower cost services and more competitive asset recovery value returns on their larger sites in the USA and relied on a network of regional partners to cover their smaller global offices.  For many of our clients we do also manage the international disposal network via our own substantial team of capable partners.   

The customers that have been able to remain more flexible with their approach, not only financially perform better, but are also better setup with redundancies and have avoided the stress that so many others are feeling from Arrow’s sudden announcement to quit ITAD. 

 

 

Has Arrow's closure of their IT disposal services business left you concerned with how to manage secure disposition of retired assets and media?

Our senior leadership team is offering free consultations and review of your disposition programs.

Let's have a discussion and put your mind at ease:

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Topics: IT Asset Disposal, IT End of Life Strategy, Management Tips, IT Asset Disposal NY, IT Liquidation

IT Asset Disposal and Data Destruction Program Management

Posted by Frank Milia

Dec 10, 2014 9:50:00 AM

Since 1999 our primary business at IT Asset Management Group has been focused on developing and implementing the process, controls, and oversights necessary to run a compliant, secure, and economically viable IT asset disposition program.  We are now drawing upon our unique experience and capabilities to provide consulting, program management, and project management services for data destruction, environmental, asset management, and return management initiatives. 

Laptop Liquidation Program

ITAMG’s disposition programs are designed to bridge the gap and achieve the goals of various stakeholders including Finance, IT, Facilities, and Procurement departments.   

A broad approach to an asset disposal program is as follows:

  • Develop and furnish the initial operational, financial and technical assessments relating to an asset disposition program.
  • Recommend alternative operational processes and organizational solutions.
  • Provide budgetary cost and income estimates for the alternative approaches
  • Develop a Statement of Work for the program or project.
  • Assist with evaluation, selection and contracting, including the execution of Service Level Agreements.
  • Provide implementation and acceptance testing project management.
  • Include on-going program support as defined by client. Including delivery management, SLA monitoring and documentation of the financial returns.
  • Ensure Quality Control and Risk Management.

 

ITAMG’s asset disposal program management services are best suited for the Fortune 500, large government agencies, IT value added resellers, and other institutions with a significant IT hardware portfolio that requires the liquidation of at least one million dollars of surplus IT equipment in a single fiscal year. 

However, we do engage smaller mid-market clients to consult on and improve IT asset disposal and data destruction practices as well as to provide our direct IT asset recovery and hard drive shredding services.    

 

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Topics: IT End of Life Strategy, data destruction, Computer Liquidation, NIST 800-88, IT Asset Disposal NY

ITAMG Celebrates 15 Years in IT Asset Disposal Services

Posted by Frank Milia

Sep 11, 2014 12:00:00 PM

AnniBanner

 

Here at IT Asset Management Group (a New York based IT asset disposal and data destruction provider) we are thrilled to be celebrating our fifteenth year in business. Since September of 1999 ITAMG has grown from our modest beginnings delivering computer liquidation services to New York Metropolitan area firms to assisting global Fortune 500 and private companies with their asset disposal and data destruction programs.

In the last several years our service offerings expanded to provide on-site data destruction solutions including client site hard drive shredding and software wiping services as well as tape media and mobile device destruction. ITAMG is currently increasing efforts to secure data destruction contracts with Government agencies, and is taking steps to be listed on a schedule with the U.S. General Services Administration this year.  

We continue to focus our outreach to clients, and potential business partners, around best practices related to data security, environmental compliance, and methods for running an efficient disposition program to reduce costs and increase returns on surplus equipment.

As we look forward to future success our initiatives are to improve the client experience both during site services and through improved reporting and asset tracking methods.

We are also taking measures to expand capabilities related to technology relocation services, asset management, program management, and disposition consulting.

Our goal is to lead the IT asset disposition industry by helping our clients improve their information security and bottom line by establishing deeper engagements as a trusted strategic adviser. We owe our success to our dedicated customer base and would like to thank all who have supported us during the past fifteen years. We look forward to growing and improving with you.

 

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Topics: Computer Liquidation, eWaste Disposal, IT Asset Disposal NY

   

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