I have blogged about the challenge of managing retired IT assets in numerous posts. There is no doubt that with today's growing data volumes and shortening hardware lifecycles, companies struggle to manage legacy devices. This problem will only get worse in the future. A comprehensive IT asset disposition strategy is critical to ensure that information security is maintained and assets are disposed of properly. But what happens if you don't have a consistent plan or rely on an insecure supplier? The results can be challenging. In this blog, I will explore the challenges and share some recent survey findings.
Managing IT asset end-of-life is critical to ensure that retired hardware is managed properly. An example of a failed case is a health system who leased multiple copiers for its internal use. Copiers, like laptops, smart phones, voicemail systems and fax machines, incorporate internal storage that contain information that was printed, scanned, emailed, recorded or otherwise processed. Do you ever wonder what someone would find if they could access your copier's hard drive? Well, the health system later found out. See, they leased their copiers and when the lease expired they returned the office equipment, hard drive and all. Unfortunately, the next owner of the copier decided to explore what could be found on its hard drive. Amazingly, the new owner was able to access to 300,000 patient records that had been left on the copier. In today's strict world of medical regulation and privacy, an unexpected release of hundreds of thousands of medical records is a serious security breach and the health system ended up getting charged over $1 million for this unfortunate incident. Clearly this situation could happen to any company and the risk is multiplied when you think of all the unused phones, laptops, servers and disk arrays stored in data centers.
You would think that a financially damaging situation like the one described above would create significant urgency and awareness around asset disposition, but you would be wrong. In fact a recent study of over 100 end users revealed the following:
As you can see just under 50% of respondents indicated that they either don't have a consistent asset disposition strategy or have one and don't follow it. Every one of these companies is facing the potential risks of fines and lawsuits as experienced by the health system. The lack of consistency is troubling and yet it is not reflective of a lack of concern on the part of business and IT leadership as illustrated in the following pie chart.
In the image, we see that 75% of IT and business leadership are either very concerned or concerned about their organization's ability to securely dispose of IT assets. This is an interesting dichotomy since we saw earlier that just under 50% of end users follow a consistent disposition plan. You might wonder why companies are not pursuing consistent strategies and fortunately the survey results are illuminating here as well.
This bar chart shows the top five reasons why companies do not rely on a third party for asset disposition. It is not a surprise that cost leads the list at 45% because users often incorrectly perceive that third party providers are more expensive. The reality for many is quite different. Iron Mountain's Secure IT Asset Disposition service provides the powerful benefit of securely erasing data on unneeded assets and then refurbishing and reselling those units at a profit which is shared with the customer. The result is that customers can recognize significant value through the disposition process. In fact, some are finding that they are realizing significant profits from the activity.
In closing, I would encourage you think about your IT asset disposition strategy. Are you in the 50% who has a plan and follows it or in the 50% who does not? In either case, it is vital to understand the asset disposition process and what happens to your proprietary corporate information after your assets are decommissioned. A little extra time and energy on this process now can save you millions of dollars later.
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
03/06/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
06/05/2024
It's almost go-time for the Holly Springs Salamanders! The season opener is ...
06/05/2024
1) What is the rationale of the transaction? What is the benefit for SES shareholders?
This combination creates a stronger and more competitive multi-orbit ope...
05/05/2024
A special evening performance by multiplatinum singer Becky G will provide a memorable conclusion to TeievisaUnivision's Casa Cultura upfront event on May 1...
05/05/2024
Giant media buyer Publicis is telling network sales executives that it does not think Nielsen's new panel-plus-big-data currency is ready for this upfront....
05/05/2024
WASHINGTON Glenn Kirschner, legal analyst at NBC News, blasted the media for referring to the New York trial of former President Donald Trump as a hush-money ...
05/05/2024
Catchy Comedy's weekend marathon sees The Beverly Hillbillies on the weekend of May 4-5. The event kicks off Saturday, May 4 at 11 a.m. ET, and runs through...
05/05/2024
NBC Sports has the 150th Kentucky Derby Saturday, May 4. The coverage begins at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock and the feature race at Churchill Downs in Louis...
04/05/2024
NEW YORK As the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month kicks off in May, Nielsen has released an extensive new report diving into their media habits with data sh...
04/05/2024
PHILADELPHIA As National Military Appreciation Month gets underway, Comcast has announced several new initiatives to help veterans, service members, and their f...
04/05/2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. Federal Communications Commission chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has announced a tentative agenda for the May Open Commission Meeting scheduled...
04/05/2024
The Broadband Forum has announced major enhancements to key 5G convergence standards that the group said will help advance next-generation applications, improve...
04/05/2024
Spotify Wrapped Campaign Spot Graded With DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton May 3, 2024
0 Comments
Blackmagic Design today announced that Colorist M...
04/05/2024
Three Boston Conservatory at Berklee Alums Nominated for Tony Awards An additional eight alums and two current students performed in nominated productions.
...
03/05/2024
An innovative learning tool to help media and civil society better understand ho...
03/05/2024
PARK CITY, UTAH - JANUARY 21: (L-R) Actors K stutis Cic nas and Greta Grinevi i t , Director Marija Kavtaradze and Producer Marija Razgute attend the 2023 Sunda...
03/05/2024
If you aren't familiar with Danny Ocean's music, it's only a matter ...
03/05/2024
Spotify has an unwavering commitment to supporting emerging artists across all genres, to helping them launch and thrive in their careers, and to connecting the...
03/05/2024
Como uno de los sonidos de mayor expansi n en el mundo, la M sica Mexicana va m ...
03/05/2024
As one of the fastest-growing sounds worldwide, M sica Mexicana is more than jus...
03/05/2024
NEW YORK FuboTV reported that it lost 110,000 subs in Q1 2024 but it exceeded its guidance for the quarter with double digit year-over-year increases across key...
03/05/2024
Only 3 Weeks Left To Enter The Creative Industries Most Award
Brie Clayton May 3, 2024
0 Comments
Creativepool is giving a last call to the creative i...
03/05/2024
WePlay Studios Transforms the Future of Live Event Storytelling with AJA Gear
Brie Clayton May 3, 2024
0 Comments
By 2032, the esports market is expec...
03/05/2024
WASHINGTON Shannon Bream, Fox News Sunday anchor and chief legal correspondent, sat for a keynote chat at The Business of TV News, with Tom Umstead, senior co...
03/05/2024
WASHINGTON Asked how important is local news, Martha Raddatz, who has covered foreign conflicts for decades and moderated presidential debates for ABC News, s...
03/05/2024
Sony Pictures and Apollo Global Management have made a $26 billion cash offer fo...
03/05/2024
CBS announced its 2024-2025 primetime schedule, which features the new dramas NCIS: Origins, Matlock and Watson, and new comedies Poppa's House and Georgie ...
03/05/2024
Sports-focused streaming service Fubo said it reduced its red ink in the first quarter, despite losing 110,000 subscribers since the end of the year....
03/05/2024
Walmart is reportedly about to release a new 4K streaming box/smart speaker hybrid device for Google TV that could retail for as low as $50, according to a repo...
03/05/2024
Enhancements to its Delivery Workspace solution provide increased content delivery robustness and security
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: May 3, 2024
Enha...
03/05/2024
According to reports, if the bid is successful, Sony would be the significant majority shareholder of the new private company
By Jenny Priestley
Published: M...
03/05/2024
Located in Manchesters Spinningfields district, the course aims to equip students with the skills, knowledge and industry insight for a career in the creative s...
03/05/2024
Lightbridge has created a new Cine Reflect Lighting System kit, dedicated to enabling artistic lighting with consideration of today's productivity practical...
03/05/2024
Broadcast media systems integrator BeckTV and Lawo worked together on a large-scale AES67 build of radio control rooms at KPBS, San Diego's NPR and PBS memb...
03/05/2024
Raleigh, NC, April 12, 2024 SmallHD announces PageOS 6, a powerful software update free for owners of SmallHD monitors, featuring increased functionality, exp...
03/05/2024
SmallHD announces the Quantum 32 a new 31.5 OLED monitor designed to provide reference HDR/SDR images for post-production final color grading, as well as cri...
03/05/2024
By 2032, the esports market is expected to grow to $9.29 billion, bolstered by a global player count and fan following that both continue to climb. The 2023 Lea...
03/05/2024
Amagi, the global leader in cloud-based SaaS technology for broadcast and connected TV (CTV), today announced that the 11th edition of the Amagi Global FAST Rep...
03/05/2024
Riedel Communications today announced that Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) is relying on a media and intercom network based on Riedel technology for the renewal of...
03/05/2024
Broadpeak , a leading provider of content delivery network (CDN) and video streaming solutions for content providers and pay-TV operators worldwide, announced t...
03/05/2024
Media technology innovator Limecraft will exhibit the latest updates to its online platform on stand G79 at the 15-16 May 2024 Media Production & Technology Sho...
03/05/2024
Audio interface specialist Prism Sound is partnering with console manufacturer Solid State Logic, professional monitor manufacturer PMC and acoustic panel and d...
03/05/2024
Intinor, Sweden's leading developer of products and solutions for high-quality video over the internet, is set to join forces with its UK partner Zest Techn...
03/05/2024
NAKIVO Inc., a fast-growing software company dedicated to protecting physical, virtual, cloud, and SaaS environments, announced its Q1 2024 financial results to...
03/05/2024
Hiltron Communications announces an addition to its range of satellite communication products and systems: a field-upgradable motorisation kit specifically desi...
03/05/2024
Visit LiveU at Stand D30
With this year an exceptional one for major sporting events alongside multiple, key elections, the power and flexibility of LiveU'...
03/05/2024
Agile Content, the leader in the development of technology and solutions for the provision of television services over the Internet, announces Koldo Unanue as i...
03/05/2024
Eight co-signers representing streaming services, pay TV operators and public interest groups have sent a letter to Congressional leaders urging their Committee...
I have blogged about the challenge of managing retired IT assets in numerous posts. There is no doubt that with today's growing data volumes and shortening hardware lifecycles, companies struggle to manage legacy devices. This problem will only get worse in the future. A comprehensive IT asset disposition strategy is critical to ensure that information security is maintained and assets are disposed of properly. But what happens if you don't have a consistent plan or rely on an insecure supplier? The results can be challenging. In this blog, I will explore the challenges and share some recent survey findings.
