Tech Data Offers IT Asset-Disposal Service

With data security a top priority for government agencies and private corporations alike, Tech Data has announced the availability of a new IT asset disposal service, which solution providers can offer as a separate purchase to existing customers, or incorporate into contract bids as an additional value add.

"Resellers have been calling on us for this kind of service for several years now," says Barb Miller, director of technical and government services at Tech Data. "End users [in the government and commercial markets] want to know that at [a product's] end of life, they won't be left to worry about where data will end up or figure out how to dispose of the hardware."

The IT asset-disposal service is provided by Anything IT's Recycle Tomorrow program, and is the latest addition to Tech Data's TDOnCall suite of IT support services. Resellers can ensure end users that the removal of all sensitive data from hard drives and other storage media is in accordance with data protection and privacy regulations mandated under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act and HIPAA. Once stripped of data, the hardware also is either recycled, sold or disposed of in accordance with environmental regulations.

By offering the Recycle Tomorrow solution at the start of a government contract, resellers can enhance security assurance for the customer and potentially improve margin on the total solution.

"More and more state governments and federal agencies mandate [secure disposal of IT assets], from California and about a half dozen other states to the Department of Defense," Miller says.

Before, resellers would often go to liquidators, who would provide a check to cover value but not necessarily follow particular security standards.

"Now, they just call Anything IT, who takes care of it," Miller says. "There's a huge advantage for our customers and the end users, with agencies demanding this kind of service upfront."