Because it touches on so many important factors – cost, environmental compliance, and data security are just a few – the disposition of your retired IT assets is a process in which many different people and departments within your organization may have an interest. A well-planned IT asset disposition (ITAD) program is one that responds to the goals, concerns, and priorities of every stakeholder in the process. Who are the ITAD stakeholders in your organization? One of the first steps toward developing a corporate ITAD program is to identify the stakeholders and their concerns. Here are some of the most common stakeholders in IT asset disposition:

1. IT Asset Management
ITAD concerns:

• Software and operating system license compliance.
• Minimal costs.
• Maximum investment recovery.
• Integration of disposition data in asset management systems.

2. Information Security/Risk Management.
ITAD concerns:

• Compliance: HIPPA/HITECH, SOX, PCI, Gramm-Leach, etc.
• Corporate data security and risk policies.

3. Facilities Management.
ITAD concerns:

• Space for secure storage.
• Time, resources, material to do packing, audits.

4. IT and Data Center Operations/Infrastructure
ITAD concerns:

• Refresh and end-of-life decision-making to ensure maximum value and return on investment (ROI) for capital budget.
• Resource availability for hard drive data destruction.
• Quality assurance process; ability to audit.

5. Supply Chain
ITAD concerns:

• Ensure vendors meet corporate requirements.
• Minimal costs.

6. Finance
ITAD concerns:

• Inventory accuracy by asset, status on books.
• Software and operating system license compliance.
• Minimal cost.
• Maximum investment recovery.

7. Environmental/Sustainability/Green Team
ITAD concerns:

• Compliance with all environmental regulations and corporate sustainability goals.
• Report details for corporate environmental/sustainability reporting.

The program approach to IT asset disposition

By identifying stakeholders and their concerns, you’re on the road to creating a Next Gen Enterprise ITAD program, one with specific roles and procedures for every link in the chain, recognizing the differences among the various departments and locations in your organization and tailoring the process to fit their needs and capabilities. This approach makes it as easy as possible for team members to do ITAD right, every time, for every location. By implementing and following a programmatic approach to ITAD, your organization will also be able to better manage costs and maximize returns, with an enterprise-wide pricing and service structure from your ITAD vendor.

A guide to ITAD self-assessment

Need help getting started? Beginning by identifying stakeholders and taking stock of your current program, Lifespan’s guide, “How to Perform an IT Asset Disposition Plan Self-Assessment,” is an easy-to-use tool that will help you create a roadmap for a new, comprehensive ITAD program.