Making old technology into green solutions

Published on Saturday, 12 March 2011 16:27

Written by JP Reis

When I was growing up we had a TV; just one and it lasted us pretty much our entire childhood.

Technology Enhancement

Technology refresh in business back then was driven by real estate; you bought new technology when you relocated because you had run out of space.

With the increased pace of technology enhancement, we have become conditioned to shorter and shorter depreciation cycles. The net result is that we are constantly driven to discard technology infrastructure; this is expensive, environmentally damaging and carries security risks.

Technology Equipment Disposal

While technology life-cycle management is a science in itself, and an essential part of technology management, equipment disposal is inevitable and constant. All problems are opportunities to the entrepreneurial mind and a new breed of companies is at hand to assist in this process.  Engaged in the right way, these companies will securely destroy all information contained within the non-volatile memories in these devices; nearly everything has a hard drive these days. They will then redeploy any equipment that still has a useful life in another environment.  They can recover components from what’s left for recycling leaving only the absolute minimum that has to be discarded as waste. The net result is that, rather than paying to have old equipment removed, your old IT equipment could actually earn you money!

I accept that my children will grow up expecting regular upgrades to their TV but it is nice to know that I can meet that expectation without destroying the planet.