MEDIA AND IT ASSET DISPOSITION: YOUR GUIDE TO SELECTING A SUPPLIER

Transcription

1 MEDIA AND IT ASSET DISPOSITION: YOUR GUIDE TO SELECTING A SUPPLIER

2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The combination of an increasingly mobile workforce and rapid technology innovation means organisations must work harder than ever to keep their employees equipped with the newest hardware and devices. This situation leads to a nearconstant upgrade cycle and, perhaps even more troubling, forces companies to contend with a large surplus of old and outdated equipment. Commonly referred to as electronic waste (e-waste), these unneeded laptops, servers, smartphones, storage media and other items illustrate the importance of a comprehensive media and IT asset disposition programme. However, to be effective, these programmes must consider far more than the simple disposal of unwanted IT equipment. Rather, they should include two critical factors: data security and environmental sustainability. It is imperative to sanitise hard drives and other electronic media prior to disposal. Businesses must be completely certain this data is not susceptible to theft or accidental disclosure. And in order to comply with government regulations and corporate sustainability initiatives, final disposition must be performed with the environment in mind. A lapse in either area could lead to fines, penalties and damage to the organisation s reputation. It is for these reasons that companies turn to external providers to help them dispose of ageing, obsolete or decommissioned IT equipment in a secure, environmentally conscious way. Use this Buyer s Guide and accompanying checklist to assess your requirements and evaluate your current and potential new suppliers through a series of questions covering the three core aspects of a comprehensive media and IT asset disposition programme:» Media and hard drive destruction» E-waste recycling» IT asset remarketing ironmountain.co.uk 2

3 23 percent of electric and electronic waste collected from Council sites in the UK was still in good working order or required only a small amount of repair.. 3

4 E-WASTE RECYCLING The best media and IT asset disposition programmes should go beyond the simple destruction of anything that is no longer needed. Crucially, they must also address, and go to great lengths to mitigate, the impact of the destruction process on the environment. Driven by national government regulations and European initiatives, organisations are sharpening their focus around how they manage e-waste. They realise that truly sustainable disposal practises play an increasingly critical role in their ability to support environmental stewardship and uphold compliance obligations. Given the importance of handling e-waste in a responsible manner, it is imperative to work with media and IT asset disposition suppliers that make the environment a cornerstone of their offerings. To that end, be sure to ask potential providers the following about their environmental practises:» Will you destroy the data on my assets prior to recycling them?» Can you de-manufacture my e-waste into its component parts and recycle each piece in the proper manner?» Are you able to confirm for me that my e-waste will never be incenerated or sent to a landfill?» Do the same security and chain-of-custody measures you employ during the media and IT asset destruction process extend to e-waste recycling?» Does your recycling programme comply with WEEE standards? The volume of e-waste is expected to grow by 33% by At that point, it will weigh the equivalent of eight of the great Egyptian pyramids. 2 2 The Guardian. Toxic e-waste dumped in poor nations, says United Nations. December 14, ironmountain.co.uk 4

5 IT ASSET REMARKETING Retiring an IT asset does not necessarily mean it is worthless. In fact, what one organisation deems unneeded may be desirable to another. Given this fact, businesses should not be spending to have decommissioned equipment removed when they could be reclaiming its remaining value instead. However, simply selling an unwanted laptop or server to the highest bidder is a risky proposition. Since these assets likely include confidential data or other proprietary information, organisations must make sure they are wiped clean and restored to factory-default status before being resold. To ensure you receive the best value for your redundant IT equipment without risking an inadvertent disclosure of information ask potential suppliers the following:» Can you assign a fair market value to my unneeded IT assets?» Will you erase data-bearing devices, and remove any other identifying information, prior to remarketing?» Do your services cover shut down/power down, de-installation, removal and processing?» Will you destroy or recycle any hardware with no market value?» Do the same security and chain-of-custody measures utilised during destruction and e-waste recycling apply to the remarketing process? The UK is sixth worldwide in the total amount of e-waste the country generate, with some 1.5 megatons barely 100,000 tons less than India which has 20 times the population. 3, ironmountain.co.uk

6 » do you serve?»» How many lorries and processing centres do you currently have in operation in the UK?»» 6

7 WE RE HERE TO HELP With e-waste growing and data security concerns remaining top of mind, an approach to media and IT asset disposition that is simply good enough may leave gaps that create the potential for breaches and accidental disclosures. Iron Mountain is committed to helping you do better through an optimal, consistent and best-practise approach to destroying, recycling and remarketing end-of-life IT assets. Comprehensive Approach, Considerable Benefits When you choose Iron Mountain as your media and IT asset disposition supplier, you ll be able to:» Leverage proven methodologies that ensure reliability and consistency from collection through final destruction» Gain the peace of mind that your critical information won t be lost, stolen or jeopardised in any way backed by auditable processes and strict security practises» Dispose of potentially hazardous e-waste in a compliant, environmentally responsible manner» Reduce expenses by reclaiming the remaining value of your decommissioned assets ironmountain.co.uk

8 Solution Criteria by Category Current Solution Option 1 Option 2 Iron Mountain Media and Hard Drive Destruction destroyed by screened and fully wary of off-site assets at my facilitiy? assets were securely destroyed? E-waste Recycling e- Are you able to confirm my e-waste will never be incenerated or sent to a landfill? WEEE standards? 8

9 Solution Criteria by Category Current Solution Option 1 Option 2 Iron Mountain IT Asset Remarketing remarketing? D completely erase removal and processing? hardware with no market value? Do the same security and recycling apply to the remarketing process? Supplier Profile how many customers do you serve? logistics and processing centres? Do your services leverage proprietary and an ongoing commitment to enhancing your services to account changing regulations regarding how 9

10 ABOUT IRON MOUNTAIN Iron Mountain Incorporated (NYSE: IRM) provides information management services that help organisations lower the costs, risks and inefficiencies of managing their physical and digital data. Founded in 1951, Iron Mountain manages billions of information assets, including backup and archival data, electronic records, document imaging, business records, secure shredding and more, for organisations around the world. Visit the company website at for more information. October 2015 Iron Mountain Incorporated. All rights reserved. Iron Mountain and the design of the mountain are registered trademarks of Iron Mountain Incorporated in the UK and other countries. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are property of their respective owners ironmountain.co.uk