There’s an increasing pressure for organisations to stay on top of the latest IT trends and innovations which, in turn, means there’s an increasing turnover when it comes to IT equipment. Whether companies choose to recycle or resell old IT equipment, it is important that they do so in-line with industry standards. Partnering with an ITAD supplier is the first step to achieving this. It goes without saying that you should only ever partner with certified and accredited ITAD companies, but there are a few other things you must consider. Here at EOL we’ve put together some pointers to help you understand how to choose an ITAD supplier.
Consider their experience
It’s important that your chosen ITAD supplier has experience working with businesses in your industry. Whatever the nature of your business, a partner should understand the specificities of your business data as regulation standards may differ between industries. While you should be able to trust any accredited ITAD supplier, proven experience with happy customers in similar business areas shows that a partner will be responsive to your individual needs.
Consider their services
In an ideal world every supplier would be able to accommodate your ITAD needs, no matter how frequently— or irregularly—you require their services and whether you want to resell, recycle or destroy your redundant IT equipment. Unfortunately, this isn’t a reality, which means you’ll need to consider exactly what services an ITAD supplier can provide before you partner with them. Must you commit to monthly services, and can the supplier guide you in the resale or recycling of equipment, or will you be able to work on an ad hoc basis? Does the supplier deal with smaller assets, such as thumb drives, printers or telephones, or just larger equipment? It’s important that your chosen supplier can guarantee secure data disposal, no matter which assets you have.
Consider their environmental compliance
E-waste disposal is about so much more than the secure destruction of your business data- it’s vital that an ITAD supplier acts in line with environmental standards and regulation, such as the WEEE Directive, Environmental Protection Act 1990 and Landfill Regulations Act 2002. With a UN report estimating that 50 million metric tons of e-waste would be generated by the end of 2018, it’s important to take every step possible to minimise harm to the environment in the data destruction process, and to ensure that no IT equipment is unnecessarily put into landfill, but rather resold or recycled wherever possible.
Consider the logistics of disposal
You can rest assured that, with an accredited and trustworthy ITAD supplier, your data and IT assets will be in safe hands when it comes to the disposal, but what about the inbetween stages? You should be looking for an ITAD company that vets and trains all of its staff, no matter how little contact they have with clients’ assets. You should also expect for your assets to be transported in a fully secure, GPS-tracked vehicle to ensure they reach the suppliers’ destruction point safely.
Consider your guarantee
When you invest in an ITAD supplier you expect for services to be carried out to the highest standards, for both the wellbeing of your clients and the success and reputation of your business. For this reason, it’s important that your chosen supplier can guarantee you complete and secure data disposal, providing your with a certificate of destruction and a chain of custody record for the entirety of the destruction process, accepting responsibility for your assets once they are in possession of them.
While each business will have slightly different needs when it comes to ITAD suppliers, these five areas should apply to all and it should be non-negotiable that an ITAD company meet your needs.
With over 25 years industry experience, tier1 are proud to be the UK’s most accredited ITAD supplier. We possess the skills, accreditations and experience to handle our clients’ data with the care they deserve, and to dispose of it responsibility and legally.
Contact us today on 0161 777 1000 or visit https://www.tier1.com to find out how we can help you dispose of your data safely and reliably.
