Are there old PCs, servers, printers, or network cables lying around your office? You don't use them anymore, yet there they sit gathering dust. Yankee Group's Steve Hilton discusses what to do with your outdated technology and how asset recovery programs can save your business money and ensure you comply with government regulations.
Each month, SMB expert Steve Hilton of Yankee Group answers real reader questions about small and midsize businesses.
Autumn is a great time to get rid of old stuff you don't need any more. Old technology sits in closets and under desks in many small and midsize businesses doing nothing besides gathering dust. Should you throw it away? Should you pile it into a stack, put a tablecloth on it and call it the new break room? This month in Ask Steve, let me give you another option.
Vanessa from Atlanta, Ga., asks: I come across a lot of used technology at my customers' offices. Often my customers want me to take it away, but I'm pretty sure throwing it away isn't "green." Any suggestions, Steve?
Steve: Vanessa, all that old technology -- plastics, aluminum, steel, precious metals, and batteries -- will end up in a landfill somewhere if you or your customers toss it in the rubbish bin. And by the way, in doing so you likely violate local, state, or national regulations because many of these assets contain hazardous waste components.
Have you come across IBM's Global Asset Recovery business yet? IBM has an online buy-back program for used technology from small and large businesses. You can sell 1 or 5,000 pieces of equipment to IBM -- and the technology needn't be IBM-branded.
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IBM offers its brand-agnostic asset buy-back program for smaller businesses globally through its Global Asset Recovery Services division. Business owners can enter the asset category, brand, and model and see how much IBM will pay you for your used equipment.
Of all the used IT equipment IBM buys back, less than 1% of it ends up in landfills. See Exhibit 1. Put another way, if you sell 35 pounds of old IT equipment to IBM (a handful of laptops), only 4.5 ounces of IT waste would end up in a landfill. IBM would salvage the remaining 34 pounds, 11.5 ounces and put it back into the IT supply chain. And all the controlled, hazardous substances would have been properly reused, recycled, or disposed of, meeting all local, state, and national regulations.
In 2007, IBM processed approximately 100 million pounds (44,000 metric tons) of used technology products, or approximately 40,000 machines per week. Over the last four years, IBM processed the weight equivalent of 157 Airbuses of materials through its recycling centers worldwide. These are staggering numbers.
Also, proper data security is critical for small and large businesses. A business wouldn't want private customer identifying information making its way to a nefarious destination. IBM addresses this security risk by overwriting all systems it receives, and IBM makes available additional overwrite levels to asset recovery customers who require it.
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So why is recycling that old technology a good idea?
- It's good for the environment. As we practice what we preach to the next generation, recycling is one effort we can make at the office that matters
- Recycling removes regulatory and legal risks associated with waste disposal or storage. Improper disposal of IT assets often violates local, state, or national laws. Assuming these types of risks can add additional costs to a business.
- You can make a little extra money. We haven't found a business yet that would mind a little extra pocket change.
Thanks for the great green question, Vanessa.
Do you have a question to ask Yankee Group analyst Steve Hilton?
Send your questions to asksteve@yankeegroup.com. Please include your name, city, state (province), and phone number. Only first names and locations will be published.
See more Ask Steve columns
Steve Hilton is VP of Enterprise and SMB research at Yankee Group. Hilton is recognized as a leading, global SMB expert.
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