We often see clients paying metal recycling companies, or IT Companies working in asset recovery, to remove redundant networking equipment. Residual value is lost by the client in return for certificated confirmation that the goods have been securely destroyed or recycled.
This can result in undervaluations.
With a bit of extra attention, companies can give themselves a few more options to consider. For example, we have many corporate clients and IT retailers using or selling Cisco routers, IP phones and other equipment. They take the return they receive from ICP Networks and apply that to Corporate Social Responsibility programs and Charities.
Safety First – how to securely clear configurations in-house
Whether for internal compliance with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that is coming in to effect in May 2018 or to donate/remarket their IT Hardware. Options for data, configuration and password removal and resetting on Networking Equipment can be more straightforward and easier to manage than say Data Storage devices.
Start by asking what the experts do. Ask questions on the Cisco Support Forum. With more than 300,000 members and nearly 750,000 searchable discussions, you will find the right solution for you.
https://supportforums.cisco.com/
http://community.arubanetworks.com
https://forums.checkpoint.com/forums/
The same premise and steps are true in general for other Enterprise Networking Vendors; devices with Hard Drives are an exception in most cases.
What certifications may be needed to recycle or resell redundant IT Hardware?
Okay, so having secured our devices internally, there are more choices open to the donating, recycling and or disposal to companies offering these services.
Making a choice for a company that has been certified for its management and recycling of IT Assets is very important.
The International Standards Organisation measures many standards that are appropriate for this type of work. For example, ISO9001 refers to the companies quality management systems. ISO14001 refers to a companies Environmental Management systems. ISO27001 refers to Information Security Management.
It is appropriate to ensure that a company’s certification is specifically relevant in scope. As an example, ICP Networks ISO Certification scopes for 9001 and 14001 is ‘The procurement, refurbishment, supply, maintenance and environmentally sensitive and secure Management of IT assets.
What’s the hassle factor vs return vs theoretical risks?
Compare how other products are resold or disposed of. Think about it in terms of other resalable assets and products i.e. retail value, wholesale value and scrap value.
The main point being is it likely a metal recycling company will value more what is going to be scrap metal or a resalable product?
For example, when selling a car, a dealership will offer to trade in your car. If that same car is listed on Autotrader, does it generally sell for more than the trade in value? The very same business and circular economy principles apply to our IT Assets from Cisco Networking, laptops, and iPhones.
Here is a useful tip for how to sell our iPhone 6 or 7 that contains critical personal or business data in preparation for the new model:
Ask the experts http://www.macworld.co.uk/news/iphone/how-sell-iphone-3473125/
How To safely sell your used Cisco equipment in 3 easy steps:
- Google, Google, Google. Use your current provider, and benchmark that offering against others.
- Try Googling things like “Sell Used Car”, “Sell Used iPhone”, “Sell Used Cisco“.
- Ask questions inside our own organisation and find the time and resources to empower more options for the end-value of redundant IT Assets. This approach could offer a far greater return on investment.
Ever more commercial organisations are realising the true value of IT equipment when it comes to extending the lifetime of a product or service, especially when it is redundant.
If there is a resale value on some or all of the equipment, surely it makes sense to get a few quotes like we do with other products and services?