Any organization, large or small, updates their technology and infrastructure frequently enough to leave retired equipment behind. While there is little value in storing bulky and outdated equipment, the alternatives — disposing, recycling, and reselling — are not always clear.
The good news is that decommissioning surplus IT hardware is a relatively simple process. Here we offer some helpful tips to recover the value of your old IT assets.
How to Recover the Value of Retired Technology and Equipment
1. Get a Fair Market Rate
When getting an initial valuation of your IT equipment, an inventory audit is the best place to start. In some cases, you will get a recommendation for responsible disposal, and, in others, a determination of whether the product or system can be remarketed. This audit is your plan for getting the maximum value for your retired assets.
2. Decommission Your Equipment
After your audit has detailed which assets are best disposed and remarketed, you can proceed to actually decommissioning your assets. This will include everything from uninstalling software, removing data, as well as packing and shipping your equipment.
There are many steps to decommissioning, so you may want to develop a checklist or plan for each type of asset to be assured of security and safety. And if you work with a technology partner, you can make this step even simpler.
A great technology partner can manage the process from beginning to end to ensure transparency and a clear chain of custody. They can also deliver progress reports to track your recovery needs during the entire decommissioning, packing, and shipping process.
3. Find the Best Value
Once your technology has been evaluated and decommissioned, you can explore several options for redeeming them for value. For example, your equipment in the best condition can be purchased for cash, credit, and trade-in when you work with a trustworthy technology partner.
Additionally, you can refurbish and test old IT equipment so that the value comes from its ability to be ready for reuse. Either way, your technology partner should lead you through their plan for getting you the most value for your retired technology.
4. Choosing the Right Technology Partner to Recover Value
If you are serious about recovering value from your IT assets, you are likely to use a technology partner. You might be interested in how to choose the best team to handle evaluation, decommissioning, and reselling:
Have you done your research?
Research will help you understand exactly what needs to be done and which companies are poised to deliver. Start by creating a document that outlines the specific requirements, specifications, and outcomes demanded by your job. The document should add clarity to your needs.
This allows partners to send detailed proposals and quotes for your project, outlining exactly how they can help you with general needs as well as specific asset recovery needs.
Are they specialists or generalists?
Decide whether you are looking for a team with a general or specialized knowledge of IT asset disposition.
A team that is more general may offer flexibility and a greater menu of solutions for your decommissioning and recovery needs. A generalist can handle a variety of tasks and handle multiple projects when it comes to the lengthy, complex task of preparing assets for reselling and refurbishment. Think of the handyman that knows a little about everything and can handle jobs as needed with a strong competence.
On the other hand, a specialist team may be able to offer insight and services that the “handyman” partner may not be savvy enough to install. When the margin for error is large or a job requires extra attention to detail and procedure, you will want to choose a specialist.
In some cases, there is room for a technology partner who conducts a variety of general tasks well and who specializes in certain initiatives. This is the ideal partner. The one who is able to do many tasks well and some tasks (specific to your needs) very well is the best choice for most organizations.
How do key indicators of success look?
Many companies rely on indicators such as price, testimonials, and references to choose a technology partner. While price is not always the best indicator of work and service quality, you can use it to determine whether the outcome of recovery will be worth the investment.
Testimonials and references are key. The top partners in the industry are able to share case studies, past projects, glowing testimonials, and client references with real weight. As you review these indicators, make sure you are able to speak to past happy customers.
Your prospective partner may be pleased to provide a list of contacts for you to reach out to. Use this opportunity to confirm the success and satisfaction the team was able to provide their clients. It tells you more than merely leafing through their portfolio or case studies because you can hear the real outcome of their efforts without the fluff.
How DataKnox.io Can Help
Recovering value from your IT assets often requires a technology partner who has been carefully chosen.
We offer full lifecycle solutions for everything from data centers to cloud solutions. We handle asset management and disposition to recover maximum value for our clients.
Like us, the best partners provide environmentally friendly disposals and hold certifications from official entities such as the NSA and National Institute of Standard Technology. With these certifications and best practices, we have a competitive advantage among technology partners. We hold ourselves to the highest standards.
DataKnox.io offers the best in IT asset disposition and recovery. Both generalists and specialists, we offer solutions for IT purchase, global logistics, certified recycling, and even onsite data destruction.
Learn more about DataKnox.io and see how we can help you recover value from retired equipment through a proven process.
