Would you empty your own dustbin?

With all IT departments looking to reduce their operating costs, while energy prices continue to spiral upwards, energy efficiency is a key factor in new/replacement IT solutions.  Often, new technologies can be up to four times more energy-efficient than legacy systems.  So there’s a lot of money to be saved… but how do you decommission your old systems without compromising data security or falling foul of new environmental regulations… and can you turn a cost into a revenue stream?

Is your IT budget under pressure?  Simply buy new, energy-efficient kit… which will cut your operating costs… and that’s your problem solved.  If only it was that easy!  Whenever you undertake a technology refresh or a consolidation project, there’s the question of how best to dispose of your old kit.

When new IT projects are being specified and budgeted, the task of decommissioning and disposing of the old systems is rarely considered in detail.  As far as many project managers are concerned, once the applications have been migrated to the new platform, no one’s interested in the old kit.  Yet, with Corporate Social Responsibility high on virtually every organisation’s agenda, it’s imperative that hardware is disposed of in an environmentally sound manner and that the security of sensitive data is not compromised.  Poorly managed disposal can result in security breaches, loss of business reputation and financial penalties. 

Can you do it?  Yes you can… but do you really want to?

Today, even Bob the Builder is moving to a new site and developing a new self-sufficient community – so, with your children getting the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle message, you can be sure that the environment is a consideration for virtually everyone.  If you don’t believe me, take a look at the article about Bob the Builder on Friends of the Earth’s website… http://www.foe.co.uk/living/articles/bob_builder.html

Still, it’s the interesting, shiny end of a new IT project that gets the attention.  Who wants to get involved in the mundane and messy aspects of disposing of the old kit?  Let’s face it, a consolidation project – that cuts a server estate from 80 to 8 – is going to look a lot more impressive on a CV than time spent disposing of old systems.

Leaving disposal to a specialist will allow you more time to focus on your core business activities – which is an increasingly important issue for almost all businesses during the current economic downturn.  If you find the right IT disposal specialist, they could also save you a lot of money.  If their team combines IT skills plus waste disposal experience and certifications, they could handle everything – from advising you on redeploying old systems for other uses within your organisation, through to trade-ins or resale of old kit and also WEEE compliant recycling of systems that are beyond their useful life. 

Turning a cost into a revenue stream

Handled correctly, decommissioning doesn’t need to be a cost to your business.  Instead, in up to 80% of cases, decommissioning and disposal of business IT – including the secure destruction of data contained on old systems – can often be cost neutral or even cash positive.  Redeployment within your own organisation can obviously reduce the cost of other projects, and trade-ins or resale could help to reduce the cost of new IT investments. 

In my home life, I’m glad that the local council collects my dustbin and takes care of that vital disposal task – without me having to get my hands dirty.  Emptying my own dustbin really isn’t a core part of how I want to run my household.  Similarly, I’d bet that your business has much more important things to do than dispose of old equipment and try to reduce risk and maximise return on the process of doing so. With increasing focus on compliance, audit trails and power reduction in IT as a whole,  make sure you choose an IT disposal partner that has all the necessary certifications, is experienced in thoroughly removing data and can help you to release the maximum residual value locked up in your old systems.