Do you need to dispose of your company’s old tech equipment? Trying to find a way to do so effectively and efficiently?
Disposing of obsolete equipment can be a tricky thing. This is due to the fact that in many states, it’s illegal to just toss aside certain electronic gadgets.
Additionally, old computers usually have sensitive company data on them that could jeopardize business if it fell in the wrong hands.
With this in mind, it’s important to dispense with your old technology the right way.
Here are the steps to properly dispose of outworn equipment.
1. Ensure you have Backups for All Information
A good way to do this is to copy the drive onto a separate external drive. It’s just good practice to clone the most crucial files to the backup of a cloud.
There are various drive copying devices for both Windows and Mac. But if it’s surmised that your system is corrupt, then you’ll want to refrain from cloning the drive.
This is due to the fact that it will clone the problems as well.
2. Deauthorize Cloud Accounts
Google Drive, iTunes, Office 360, etc, deauthorize them all. If you fail to do this, it will restrict your ability to access your files and even customer support will have a difficult time trying to resolve this for you.
Just ensure you inform everyone in your IT department, so everybody is in the know.
3. Have the Hard Drive Wiped
It’s not enough to simply erase the information. This is especially true if there is sensitive data on it. Make sure you take advantage of wiping software to clear the hard drive.
4. Delomish the Hard Drive
Once it has been wiped, a good option (for safety breach purposes) is to physically destroy the hard drive. There are a couple of ways to do this.
You can take a mallet or hammer and smash it yourself. Or you can take it to a professional to have it shredded.
And don’t worry about preserving old parts, you can easily find new and functional ones by visiting the right website.
5. Dispense With the Computer
There are a few ways to do this. First, you can trade it in. Many companies offer trade programs where you can swap materials.
This can be smart business as you can trade in a piece of equipment you no longer need or use for one that does provide some utility.
Second, you can recycle it, this is typically the best alternative. Especially if your computer is older (5 years or so) or just broken down.
And third, you can donate it. Even if it happens to be inoperable, there are still places that take broken computers and refurbish them.
Disposing of Old Tech the Proper Way
If you fail to dispense with your old tech in the right fashion, not only can it cause damage to the environment, but as a result, your business could be hit with some hefty legal fees.
So it’s important that you deal with these manners correctly.
If you enjoyed this article, take a moment to browse through some of the other write-ups in our tech category.