Technology and Earth Day

Earth Day

Once your computers are no longer needed or you purchase new devices, don’t throw them away! Recycling is the best option after you upgrade technology and no longer have a use for old computers, phones, or other electronic devices. After accumulating years of usage, your software, hardware, and devices should be refreshed to ensure your organization can work efficiently.

Newer software may also require powerful computers to keep up with processing demands. Once you have new equipment, you have several options for properly disposing of your equipment no longer being used. Older electronics can be reused by schools or local charities and kept out of a landfill or recycled for their components.

Before you dispose of any equipment, consider if any company data may still be on the device. For example, computers and other devices with storage may hold sensitive data – company-sensitive data, customer data, or personal account information. These are not only computers but could also be mobile phones and tablets, copiers or fax machines.

When you are ready to dispose of equipment, sign out of the device and any software installed. Next, you can erase data, as some of these devices have built-in features to erase and wipe devices. If the device does not have the ability built-in, other software is available to erase hard drives. Moreover, you can use a more extreme measure to have a company shred the hard drive or smaller mobile devices to ensure nothing is recoverable. Depending on your industry, destroying the data and having records of its disposal may be required for regulatory compliance.

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