Computer maker Dell is trying to make it easier for small businesses to sensibly recycle and dispose of older computer gear—and, you know, buy new gear from Dell!—via a new technology recycling program for small businesses. Using the service, businesses with fewer than 10 pieces of computer equipment to be recycled can return and track unwanted gear at a flat fee of $25 per item. In turn, Dell provides a report for how they wiped data off the gear and recycled its components.
“Small business owners are increasingly concerned about safeguarding their data, yet too few take advantage of simple, affordable and efficient asset recovery services,” said Doug Hillary, director of Dell’s Business Solutions Group, in a statement. “When it’s time to return or recycle unwanted computer equipment, it’s critical that businesses turn to a trusted provider to guarantee a secure, easy-to-use, and environmentally responsible process.”
Under the program, businesses call their Dell rep for an asset recovery number which customers can use to track the system through the data-wiping and recovery process—although Dell doesn’t actually guarantee that its data-cleansing operation removes all residual data from systems. Customers are still ultimately responsible for making sure sensitive information has been removed from storage devices sent to the recovery program.
The basic idea is to make technology recycling more accessible: Dell cites a recent IDC survey it commissioned that estimates only 11 percent of companies with fewer than 100 employees use an IT disposal service to decommission obsolete or unneeded gear, compared to 65 percent of companies with 10,000 or more employees.
