How can you stay in control of your IT lifecycle? The fast pace of today’s technology industry has made enterprise IT operations increasingly complex, especially on a global scale. As technology hits end-of-life, complexity can snowball without a programmatic approach to asset recovery. Even savvy firms can become easily burdened by varying corporate business processes, a growing list of country-specific regulations and lack of visibility into outsourced management of asset recovery. A smart asset recovery plan can help keep you in control of global business processes and standards to maintain your corporate reputation.

IT retirement is a powerful stage of the asset management lifecycle. It is a critical point when companies can both refresh data centers with new IT and complete the lifecycle of outdated IT assets responsibly. To be successful, IT retirement must be tightly managed and transparently tracked. In spite of a company’s level of innovation, firms’ infrastructure and operations (I&O) organizations can often lack the necessary controls around planning, managing and replacement of assets to maintain a comprehensive IT portfolio and comply with regulatory requirements.¹
Even the most process-driven global organizations could allow asset management best practices to fall through the cracks.

The IT retirement challenge is further magnified by the staggering number of IT regulations across the globe. For example, there currently are over 160 disparate pieces of legislation (and counting!) on environmentally responsible IT removal and recycling alone. On top of this, each company typically must satisfy its own set of best practices for IT management and recovery. If enterprises have outsourced bits and pieces of asset recovery such as data wiping, this could add to the logistics nightmare. How can enterprises empower their business and ensure every step of the process is airtight for a programmatic approach to asset recovery?

A trusted partner that is closely aligned with your enterprise standards is vital in today’s competitive marketplace. Once you embark on an asset recovery path, logistics must be tightly managed by your company and an expert vendor that works in stride with you to help improve your business. Placing your company’s proprietary data and good name in the hands of a vendor that does not hold true to your high standards could put your sensitive data at risk. Will you have a well-matched ally to help protect your company when outdated IT is changing hands?

Even though you may pass your IT off to an asset recovery vendor, you can still be held accountable if the equipment is removed with disregard to national and local requirements. In fact, 46% of organizations blame improper disposal of damaged storage devices by third-party vendors as a top threat to sensitive data.² This further establishes the need for a credible chain of custody after IT leaves your premises. The key is partnering with a single vendor to develop an enterprise-wide asset recovery plan. With this corporate (not departmental) approach, you can track every asset at each stage, from packing and shipping to processing and recycling, for a clear line of sight into your equipment’s end-of-life journey.

Asset recovery doesn’t have to be complex. A trusted advisor can help you craft and manage a programmatic plan to optimize your IT lifecycle so it evolves in stride with your company – not just at retirement time.

HP Financial Services is a partner you can trust. Our Asset Recovery programs can assist you in addressing your most urgent concerns around aging IT assets, including depreciated IT value, unnecessary maintenance costs, data security and the threat of negative environmental impact.

Select the option that’s best for your business to implement and maintain a programmatic IT lifecycle:

• Remarket - Our IT experts assess your equipment to unlock the highest resale value. HP Financial Services’ experts will work with you to maximize your ROI and deliver seamless logistics through one of our Technology Renewal Centers.
• Recycle - If technology is truly obsolete, HP Financial Services will ensure equipment is promptly removed and responsibly recycled in accordance with data security and environmental safety regulations. We are fully compliant with all industry and national standards for data protection and environmentally responsible IT recycling.

Stay in control of your IT assets with the help of a trusted partner. Contact HP Financial Services today.

Fast facts

IT Asset Lifecycle Management (ITALM) is defined as accounting for, and effectively managing, all IT assets throughout their lifecycle from procurement to disposal.1 The three key value propositions to ITALM are lower costs, greater control and improved decision making.1 ITALM intelligence can help a multitude of roles within a global enterprise to make better business decisions including I&O executives, service desk agents, procurement managers, contract managers, financial managers, risk managers and facilities managers.1

¹ Updated Q4 2011: Cover Your Assets; Use IT Asset Life-Cycle Management To Control IT Costs, Forrester 2011
² Trends in Security of Data Recovery Operations, Ponemon Institute 2012