Interview with Paul Ruppert

By Doug Green

“Clear out those closets. There is risk sitting there, but there may also be value.”

In this special Technology Reseller News and ITAD Association podcast, Sarkes Mrkdichian of TechBros discusses why enterprises, MSPs and public-sector organizations need to think about IT asset disposition as more than simply getting rid of old equipment.

TechBros is a full-service ITAD and recycling company handling end-of-life networking equipment, servers, laptops, desktops and other technology assets.

Mrkdichian says the modern ITAD conversation now includes three major issues: data security, sustainability and asset recovery.

Equipment left sitting in storage rooms, closets or unused cubicles can create risk long after an organization believes it has been retired.

“You don’t know who is walking in and out of that room,” Mrkdichian says.

At the same time, those assets continue to depreciate.

That creates what amounts to an unrealized cost of disposal: organizations may be carrying data risk while also watching potentially valuable equipment lose resale value.

Certified ITAD providers can help address both problems.

Mrkdichian says certifications, documented chain of custody and verifiable sanitization or destruction provide organizations with evidence showing what happened to each data-bearing asset from pickup through final disposition.

He also encourages customers to consider data sanitization before automatically choosing physical destruction.

Proper erasure can provide a documented record that data was removed while allowing usable equipment to return to the secondary market.

That can reduce electronic waste while recovering additional value for the customer.

For organizations that require destruction, TechBros can combine verified erasure with physical destruction, creating an additional layer of assurance.

The issue is particularly important for enterprises, governments, healthcare organizations and financial institutions that may tell customers and constituents their data is secure while overlooking what happens to devices at the end of their lifecycle.

Mrkdichian’s advice is straightforward: make ITAD part of the technology lifecycle rather than an afterthought.

He also encourages ITAD providers to remain engaged with customers throughout the year instead of appearing only when equipment needs to be removed.

“Be top of mind,” he says. “Build the relationship before the closet fills up.”

Visit TechBrosAZ.com to learn more.