What Is ITAD? – A Guide to IT Asset Disposition

ITAD is essential for businesses operating in the modern digital age. What is ITAD and why do businesses need an ITAD strategy in place?

What is ITAD? While the first industrial revolution was powered by steam and manufacturing and the second industrial revolution was powered by mass production and industrialisation, the third is characterised by digitisation and technological advances. The innovations brought during the third industrial revolution also come with problems, however.

The ascent of the microcomputer as the foremost technological device now used in businesses around the world means that a wide range of IT assets such as laptops, smartphones, desktop computers and data centre hardware is continuously being purchased, used, and then disposed of. ITAD is a solution to the problem of growing e-waste and the safe and secure disposal of IT assets.

What is ITAD?

ITAD is an abbreviation for IT Asset Disposition; but what is IT Asset Disposition? It can be described as the practice of recycling, refurbishing, repairing or otherwise disposing of redundant IT assets in a safe and environmentally friendly way.

All IT assets have a finite lifespan ranging from perhaps a few years to a decade or longer. Organisations must account for the disposal of all redundant IT assets used by employees, in data centres, or anywhere else they are used for business operations.

In recent decades, ITAD has boomed as an industry to meet the growing demand for ITAD services within organisations. Moreover, ITAD provides organisations with better data security, environmentally-friendly data disposal, and the opportunity to maximise the ROI on redundant IT assets.

Some secure IT asset disposition services commonly provided by ITAD companies include Data Destruction, Hard Drive Disposal, and fully auditable processes and services for end-of-life (EoL) IT assets.

Growing Demand for ITAD in Data Centres

Market research estimates that, worldwide, the data centre market is projected to grow from $187.35 billion (about €175 billion) in 2020 to $517.17 billion (about €484 billion) by 2030 with a CAGR of 10.5% between 2021 and 2030.

The massive growth in data centres is being driven by many factors, but what is certain is that these data centres will require ever more hard drives and other data centre infrastructure hardware, which in turn leads to greater quantities of redundant IT assets as they age.

Consequently, ITAD companies must be ready to respond to the anticipated growth in demand by data centres. Wisetek is a leading provider of Data Centre Services , including Data Centre Decommissioning and sustainable hard drive disposal.

Sustainable IT Asset Disposition

Whether organisations need to dispose of hard drives, smartphones, tablets, or data centre infrastructure, the need for sustainable IT Asset Disposition has perhaps never been greater. E-waste is at a global tipping point and environmentally friendly solutions are desperately needed.

That’s why Wisetek operates a full Circular Economy model and has been a pioneer of the circular economy for IT assets since its foundation. All redundant IT assets processed by Wisetek are either remarketed and resold or recycled, in accordance with our Zero-Landfill Policy.

Refurbished devices can be purchased on our e-commerce platform, the Wisetek Store. The ‘as new’ products can be purchased at excellent discounts and all products are 100% sustainable.

Supply Chain Management & Data Security

Organisations must take into account the often volatile risks involved with procuring and disposing of IT assets. Global chip shortages can lead to massive shortages and delays in procuring new devices, for example. Supply chain management is, therefore, a critical risk factor that can be mitigated with the proper deployment of a robust ITAD strategy.

Furthermore, IT asset disposition must consider the risks to data security. Data breaches are becoming more and more severe and are happening with greater frequency than ever before (not to mention becoming more costly than ever before). Data destruction must therefore be thorough and secure, backed by auditable processes and video verification in the event of an audit.

Read more about why risk management strategies must include ITAD.

Key Things to Look for in an ITAD Provider

Large enterprises are increasingly relying on ITAD providers to carry out essential services such as data centre decommissioning, hard drive destruction, computer recycling and more. Choosing an ITAD Company should be done with caution, however. Trust and reputation are amongst the most important criteria, but there are many other key things to look for in an ITAD provider.

The key traits to consider include: a global reach for international businesses, traceable and auditable process portals, complete data security, ISO certification, certified recycling, and maximum ROI for redundant IT assets. Read more about how to choose the right ITAD provider in our previous blog entries.

Choose Wisetek for Sustainable IT Asset Disposition for Your Organisation

The need for secure, efficient IT asset disposition will only grow in the coming decade as data centres and organisations continue to increase their asset inventories. Choose an ITAD company with a truly global reach and a solid track record of success such as Wisetek. We provide a vast range of ITAD services for businesses operating globally.

For more information, please contact enquiries@wisetek.net or visit our website.

You might also be interested in the following articles:

What is IT Asset Disposition (ITAD)?

Your Checklist for Selecting the Right IT Asset Disposition (ITAD) Service Provider

Top Five Best Practices for your Redundant IT Assets