How to Plan For IT Assets Disposal When You’re ITAD Company Shuts Down

The IT assets disposal is becoming a big challenge with so much equipment becoming redundant within a short period. It is tough for any reasonably sized company to put in place the right type of ITAD set up in place. You need to find the right ITAD partner sharing the same ideologies as your company, and they must have the right infrastructure tools and resources to take care of all your ITAD needs.

Even when you have found a good company to partner with for the safe, secure, and scientific disposal of your unwanted IT assets, you cannot trust them that they will be with you always. In this world of fast changes, anything can happen to anybody at any time, and your ITAD partner cannot be an exception.

If something terrible happens to your ITAD partner and their ITAD company shuts down all of a sudden, your  IT Assets disposal cannot go down just because their ITAD company shuts down. Your process must go on irrespective of whether there is any help from the ITAD company or not. Of late, all the Governments have necessary legislation and regulations in place requiring you to protect and safeguard personally identifiable data from reaching unauthorized hands.

This makes it doubly imperative for you to take the necessary steps to protect your sensitive data so that you can assure data security during IT assets disposal for your company’s safety and legal compliance.

When your ITAD partner was working with you, you can entrust most of the works related to the ITAD to them. You will be focussing more on your business. But now, without them doing the bulk of the work related to ITAD, you need to handle and manage all the works related to it within your company, at least up to the time you can find and bring in another ITAD partner.

Things You Need To Do After Your ITAD Company Shuts Down:

Not the whole world is lost when your ITAD company shuts down!

Still, you need to continue to dispose of your old unwanted IT Assets safely and securely. For this, always document every ITAD process. When you start to have a separate wing for your ITAD processes, you must begin documenting each of the processes systematically connected with ITAD. Prepare detailed statements as to

• what type of equipment is taken for disposal
• how they were decommissioned
• enlist the type of equipment
• how it was used,
• why it is being decommissioned now
• the extent of data contained in them etc.

Also, record the process that is being followed by the ITAD Company for disposing of the equipment and how the data contained in them are irretrievably erased before repurposing or resale. Obtain all the reports from your ITAD Company and file them for easy reference.

This forms the basis for all your ITAD processes, and this will help you follow a uniform process for conducting your IT assets disposal safely and legally.

Have a Uniform ITAD Policy for Your Company

This is the basis for your ITAD processes, and you need to completely comply with all the legal and data security considerations. Create an ITAD policy for your company and have it as the basis for your ITAD operations and impart necessary training to all the staff members who have a role in the ITAD processes.

This will let all those connected with this type of work know the minimum standards they have to follow and the documentation that must be created to effect ITAD safely and securely.

Take Immediate Steps to Find the Next ITAD Partner

It is always prudent to have two or three names of the ITAD service providers with you even when you are working with your present ITAD Company (just as a backup, what if the ITAD company shuts down in the future?). Evaluate them as if you are going to appoint them and find out their

• Capabilities and their policies for secure IT asset disposal
• The processes they adopt while handling IT Assets with sensitive data.

See if your company’s ITAD policy matches their way of working and if something has to be changed for seamless integration into your ITAD policy. The extent of changes that may be required to make the Policy workable with the ITAD Company you are considering. This list will help you select your next ITAD Company without losing time and carry on with your IT equipment disposal processes without much affecting your ongoing processes.

Select the Right ITAD Partner To Continue Your ITAD Functions

As your ITAD functions cannot be conducted in-house for longer periods, it is better to take urgent steps to find your next ITAD partner as early as possible. Before making the final selection find out their depth and breadth of their operations visit their site if it is necessary.

This will help you discover how disciplined they are in their approach to handling, processing, and the types of security measures taken by them during their processes.

You will be able to find out the extent of environmental outcomes they can assure you and what type of recycling technology they are using. List out the differentiators that will help you find the right ITAD partner that helps you go on with your ongoing ITAD processes without much modifications to your existing ITAD policy and setup.

Focus more on the following while selecting your ITAD partner and make them understand that you have specific requirements concerning

• How you are tracking the equipment from the time they leave your custody till they are finally processed and the supporting documents that are to be created for establishing the facts that were found out during the tracking process
• Document the process they adopt while sending the equipment for processing through the downstream vendors and how the hazardous waste is handled.
• Know about their secure facilities, which they are using as a part of their secure supply chain, so that you can find out how safe their operation is
• Obtain the details of the certifications they have got for their processes and the ITAD facilities and operations to know their level of compliance
• They can expect what benefits they can expect by partnering with them and know whether these benefits can be translated into enhanced levels of environmental compliance consistently.
• Know their range of services and how much prepared they are in providing the necessary services for the particular types of equipment that you want them to dispose of.

Appoint Your ITAD Partner and Prepare Them for Your Way of Working

Select the right ITAD Company to take the role of your next ITAD partner as early as possible. Prepare them to work with you as you have been with your last ITAD Company. Give them all the documentation and reports as to the way you have been disposing of your old IT assets.

Handover reports of past ITAD processes that have taken place in your company to demonstrate the level of safety and security required and how they have to handle your IT assets disposal.

Also, make them understand your level of legal compliance regarding the data security and your internal ITAD policy you are following so that they can clearly understand your ITAD standards.

This will help them get prepared to offer their services to your expected level so that they can easily adapt to your way of working and add value to your ITAD disposal as an essential part of your company operation.

Make Your Way of Working More Transparent So That Your New Vendor Understands Your Process

While working with your new ITAD partner, make your processes as transparent as possible so that they understand your way of working and adapt to your process cycles without loss of time. This also helps you make your new ITAD vendor accountable for any lapses on their part as you have demonstrated your expectations, and they need to operate as per your standards.

permanent records in respect of all the IT equipment that must be disposed

it a standard procedure for your internal ITAD team to maintain proper and permanent records as to the status of IT equipment you are using. This record will help you identify the right equipment for disposal at the right time in the right manner as your records will indicate the extent of data contained in them and how they have to be disposed of for maintaining your required level of integrity in your ITAD operations.

The preparation and maintenance of the basic records may be made available in a web portal so that they can be accessed by all those in your company for efficient handling of your ITAD operations.

Thus, search for and find the nexT ITAD Company to work as your ITAD process handler early and carry on your Asset disposal with the same standards as you have been working with your erstwhile ITAD partner.

Relevant Resources:

How to Use ITAD as A BYOD Strategy for Protecting Your Corporate Data

How to add more force to your E-waste recycling program