How Does an ITAD Work?

ITAD (IT Asset Disposition) helps businesses to remain GDPR compliant and protect their sensitive information when disposing of data bearing devices and components. They provide secure collection from your facilities, deliver a full IT asset register of items collected, and sanitise the hardware of any and all data, or physically destroy the assets.

ITAD companies can either work to refurbish or resell the equipment once they have sanitised data bearing devices, which means you may receive rebates for your IT hardware, or they can ethically recycle the assets. This means that none of your redundant IT hardware makes its way to landfill as e-waste. How ITAD works massively depends on the ITAD business you choose - however, a quality provider will function as outlined below.

Collecting Redundant IT Assets from Your Business

A quality ITAD company will work with you to develop a contract that outlines exactly what you need from the service; this includes your collection. You can outline the collection process, including any difficulties with the site, where staff members need to request access, and the best time for ITAD team members to be on-site within your initial contract.

Providers will completely tailor the ITAD collection process to your business, site needs, and level of risk in order to create a secure chain of custody and audit trail. A quality ITAD company can supply DBS checked team members to collect and transport your IT assets, as well as GPS tracked vehicles to add further peace of mind when protecting sensitive data.

Secure Data Erasure

An ITAD company will provide a full asset register of the collected items. They will then work to data erase all assets that have been used to store information and test the equipment to verify condition.

Once this processing has taken place, they will then offer a final quote for the assets – this includes rebates for any equipment that can be resold, as well as a service charge for the work done.

How to Choose an ITAD Company

When identifying an ITAD company to handle your redundant kit, it’s important to choose a quality supplier. There’s been many cases where companies have chosen a supplier that wasn’t up to par and they have had to deal with the consequences of a data breach.

However, you can look out for a few accreditations and practices that will help you select a trustworthy ITAD company.

ITAD Certifications

The first thing to look out for is industry-standard accreditations, such as R2v3. An R2v3 ITAD supplier will ensure that none of your e-waste ends up in landfill and that any technology is dealt with in an environmentally responsible manner. They will have had to pass audits and assessments to receive and maintain this accreditation, marking them as a company that handles equipment the right way.

Other certifications to keep an eye out for include ISO 27001 which ensures that a company has developed and works to an effective information security process, marking them as a more secure option.

ITAD and Sustainability

You can also keep an eye out for sustainability and environmental best practice accreditations, for example, the R2v3 accreditation which means that a company must recycle all e-waste with full transparency to the customer.

Working with a quality ITAD company means that you can reduce the environmental impact of your technology – for example, many providers will work to extend the lifespan of your technology where possible by refurbishing and reselling the equipment. This diverts your redundant kit from landfill and helps fuel a circular economy within the IT sector.

Understanding the ITAD Process

Similarly, understanding the full process that an ITAD company uses and identifying their level of security, as well as their erasure software, allows you to make an informed decision. If a supplier is light on the details or can’t give the information you need on security practices, then you’re best looking elsewhere.

An ITAD provider should work with you to develop an in-depth and personalised contract that covers all of your requirements with full transparency on process and end result.

Techbuyer’s ITAD Service

Techbuyer offers an accredited, R2v3 certified ITAD services that ensure data protection and erasure to protect your business when disposing of redundant IT hardware. We provide a service which makes us suitable for even the most risk-averse clients. When retiring IT assets, out asset management services can be tailored to your specific business needs.

With a zero-to-landfill policy, as well as a focus on refurbished IT hardware, we work to extend the lifespan of technology and help prevent useable IT hardware from ending up in landfill prematurely.

For a full breakdown of our ITAD service and what we can do for you, head to our ITAD service page here.