technology brief
Best Practices:Safe and Secure Hardware Asset Recovery
How corporations can work with Dell to properly dispose of old PCs in a data-secure, environmentally sound and cost-effective manner.
or every PC, notebook costs through carefully planned and server sold world- recycling and resale practices.wide each year, IT Fmanagers need to consider asset "Disposing of old systems recovery. Each of these devices can be a huge risk with all the comes equipped with some mix environmental and data privacy of monitors, printers, keyboards, requirements our customers external storage and networking have. With tightening IT budgets, equipment. And, each is chosen some are enticed by so-called 'free with a certain degree of loving recyclers' or employee sales and care. Too often, though, the same donations. I advise customers to care isn't applied to the machines put the same security diligence being replaced. into their recycling decisions that they do for network For a large company that turns security; think about how much over its hardware every three time and money you invest years, an inventory of about in firewalls, VPNs, anti-virus, 10,000 outdated PCs translates even password management. If into more than just a landfill you don't rely on free network of potentially hazardous waste. security software, you shouldn't It could be a landfill packed rely on free recycling. This is with valuable corporate data, not an area where you want to including personal data about skimp, especially when Dell customers and employees. offers secure recycling for $25/piece," says Eric Seifert, Business Disposing of old PCs is a high- Development Manager for Asset risk proposition, and too often Recovery Services.the executives responsible for protecting data and risk Dell Asset Recovery Services are management-CIOs and CFOs- a key part of Dell's overall service are left out of the disposition offerings. Enterprises can trust process. Mid-level managers, some of whom For just $25 per piece of equipment (such Dell professionals to provide crucial services, aren't involved with IT, may simply be shopping as a monitor, printer, server, etc.), Dell including planning acquisition of a PC fleet for the lowest-cost provider. This approach helps customers protect themselves from through customization, deployment and asset could present environmental dangers, shoddy exposure to data security, environmental recovery. Dell's offerings are designed to fit documentation and government fines or court and compliance issues. In addition, those closely with best practices in IT management. judgments. Additionally, there is the risk that customers can be assured that their PC Best practices in asset recovery can result important data might fall into the wrong hands. disposal and asset recovery efforts are well in minimized environmental impact, documented; they can save on the cost of compliance with government and industry Where do those old PCs go when they pass warehousing thousands of obsolete systems, regulations and protection of corporate and through the doors to the loading dock? and sometimes they can recover some of their individual data.technology brief
Asset recovery within IT has taken on new addition, Dell offers a three-tier audit process aggressive 90 percent (customer) to 10 percent importance in recent years. At one time, utilizing a third-party auditor. (Dell) revenue share on all resold equipment. companies were content to have a low-priced, Dell is a leader not only in supplying top-local recycler haul away old equipment. Those Documentation is key to Dell's recycling quality, cost-effective PCs through its direct companies seldom knew exactly where each service. For example, each time Dell processes model, but is taking a lead in ensuring outdated truckload of computers went, what became of an old system, the customer is provided with computer equipment is disposed of in a safe the potentially hazardous materials, such as a certificate of destruction that includes the and secure manner. Dell sets an example for cadmium and lead, and ... [download for more]
