Why Consider the Secondary Market?

Refurbished data centre equipment (used hardware that has been restored to factory condition and thoroughly tested) is renowned for its cheap price tag. However, this is just one of the many benefits of choosing the secondary market. As the demand for sustainable products rises and IT budgets continue to be cut, we discuss why incorporating refurbished products into the data centre is the perfect option for today’s businesses.

1) “Infant Mortality”. One misconception of refurb is that failures and returns are common. However, following the Bath Curve, failures are most likely in the commissioning stage of equipment and upon initial use. At Techbuyer, our RMA rate is lower than that of a manufacturer. In comparison to OEMs who only spot-test hardware, we complete a thorough 25-point recertification process to ensure every IT part we refurbish is the best quality, and we are so confident in the quality of our servers and components that we match the OEM’s warranty. We also put any GDPR concerns at bay with industry-leading security software from White Canyon and Blancco, which sanitises 100% of data on every device we process.

2) Maximise the lifespan of your current system. G5 and G6 components and replacements can be difficult to find, which often deters businesses from continuing with the same IT system despite it working perfectly well. When you buy equipment from the secondary market, you can access products that are no longer available from the manufacturer. We stock over 225,000 IT parts in house, from the oldest to the newest generations, meaning that we can ship a range of IT solutions directly to your door.

3) More flexibility. There is a range of configuration options available when choosing equipment from us. Our Configure to Order service means you can design a server that meets your specific requirements, choosing from one of our 225,000 IT parts in our engineering facilities across the globe. If you have a redundant server on your hands, you can redeploy this hardware and reuse the components in a newer system. At component level, we provide a range of new and refurbished hardware, including cold pull which is equipment that has never been used, and third party which is hardware manufactured in the same factories as new but for a fraction of the branded cost. Using a combination of new and refurbished is a great way to meet technical specifications whilst keeping budgets low and maximising performance.

4) More performance for less. At a time when IT managers are expected to meet more demands with a shrinking budget, minimising costs wherever possible is always an attractive option. Reconfiguring older generations, for instance by adding a higher specification of memory, is a great way to ensure hardware lasts for longer whilst providing great results. Interestingly, our findings from our KTP project found that small configuration changes can make an older generation server perform as well as the current generation!

Google is just one example of a successful business that has realised the potential of using refurbished equipment. According to Google’s latest report, by 2017, 18% of Google’s newly deployed servers were remanufactured, and 11% of components used for machine upgrades were refurbished.

5) Refurbished is the sustainable choice. Every year, around 50 million tonnes of e-waste goes to landfill, which the World Economic Forum (WEF) states is the equivalent to the weight of all commercial aircraft ever built. The increasingly high refresh rates and desire to keep buying the latest technology mean that IT hardware, and the raw materials and precious metals contained within it, is not being used until anywhere near its end of life. The environmental cost of this is huge.

Businesses use servers for an average of 3 years despite them being useful for a lot longer. This quality equipment is often wasted, contributing to the world’s e-waste which has an estimated value of $62.5 billion. When you choose refurbished equipment, you are minimising the amount of e-waste going to landfill and reducing the demand for raw materials needed to create new hardware, as well as helping to meet any sustainable procurement targets.

Techbuyer is a global specialist in the buying, selling and refurbishing of data centre equipment. With our thorough testing service, secure data erasure and over 225,000 IT parts to choose from, you can be sure to find a reliable data centre solution for your business. To find out more, visit our refurbished servers page.