Properly retiring IT equipment involves much more than simply getting rid of old computers at work. Laptops, desktops, servers, cell phones, tablets, monitors, and other types of electronic devices could still be valuable even after being retired by an organization. Depending on the state of each asset, its value, business needs, and data, there could be several options such as reuse, resale, recycling, and even destruction of these devices.

Such an approach to asset disposition enables organizations to find the best way forward concerning their retired IT assets. The devices which are still functioning correctly could be reused or resold while obsolete or damaged electronics could be recycled properly. Some devices might contain certain data which must be securely sanitized or destroyed.

The main idea here is to take a look at each retired asset and decide what should happen to it. It means that sending all retired IT devices to recycling could be wrong since some of them could still retain their value while reselling could raise certain security issues.

A good asset disposition process takes into account the full lifecycle of the technology. Businesses can evaluate the status of the equipment, determine which devices contain data and then decide the proper way to dispose of that data, and choose the most appropriate disposal process.

Such a process may allow companies to properly dispose of their older technology while maintaining the balance between security, sustainability, and recovery of assets. Instead of disposing of all old assets by using the same procedure, businesses can make smart decisions on what steps should be taken for each specific asset.

At the end of the life cycle of the technology used in the IT department, the question should not simply be, "Where do we send it?" A better question is, "What is the right next step for this asset?"