Massive growth in the use of data centers has forced the evolution of IT asset management. That includes basic changes — like tagging hardware assets as you acquire them — to more complex practices — like integrating business management with IT asset procurement.
But is your understanding of data center IT Asset Disposition (ITAD) evolving, too?
HDD make up more than two-thirds the potential resale value of data center assets. Despite this fact, many companies aren’t pursuing this strategy because they are unnecessarily scared of data breaches or aren’t aware that the secure wiping of HDD is possible.
Here are some points about data center ITAD that you don’t want to overlook.
Volume of materials
Data centers present promise and challenge in the sheer amount of equipment they can contain. And it’s not just all in one place — equipment dispersed over multiple locations can add logistical challenges. Paired with ongoing efforts for consolidation, data centers are handling a large volume of equipment. But, when managed correctly, the sheer volume of data center hardware can actually become a profit center rather than a cost center for your organization.
Security of assets
Always your number one concern, data security looms over any data center — no matter the size. But don’t let unrealistic scare tactics from ITAD providers distract you. Most data breaches do not involve data centers’ hardware. Data centers are secure facilities, and hardware assets are easily trackable. After securing your facility, tracking your equipment via a hardware asset management plan is your number one line of defense when it comes to avoiding a hardware data breach.
Once you know what you’ve got, secure data wiping allows you to get rid of it safely and efficiently. Data wiping at your data centers or in a secure ITAD facility is a highly successful process, often resulting in a large number of resalable HDD. Make sure your ITAD provider is taking multiple passes at wiping to ensure that difficult drives aren’t just scrapped. With the right process, most HDD are resalable.
Value recovery without compromise
Once you are assured that data security concerns are covered, move on to value recovery. A good hardware asset management plan will do more that ensure that no HDD go missing — it will allow you to optimize resale of your equipment.
If your organization will consider a dynamic approach of identifying the lifespan of equipment and timing resale with market trends, you can tap into a huge resale market. Look for an ITAD provider that offers not only a secure process, but also insight into global markets to position your assets for resale.
Data centers’ needs continue to evolve. Make sure your IT asset disposition service is keeping up.
