A news station in Ft. Myers was able to easily recover personal information from some used hard drives purchased on eBay. And the data recovered included customer information from major retailers.

The CBS News Program 60 Minutes recently aired a story on the underground dumping of CRT monitor and televisions from the United States being shipped to Hong Kong and China.

On September 17th, the GAO released a report on e-waste blasting the EPA for not enforcing current rules on exporting CRTs and calling for broader controls over other potentially hazardous electronics.

As news such as Greenpeace's latest expose on the effects of e-waste exported to Ghana become more widely known, Congress has taken the first step towards joining other nations in banning the exportation of electronic waste.

The ever-increasing popularity of certain electronics has created a demand for the rare metal coltan, which has helped spawn a brutal conflict in the hillsides of the Democratic Republic of Congo where the metal is found in abundance.

According to a survey conducted by Green Electronics Daily, nearly twice as many state and city legislatures have considered electonic waste laws so far in 2008 as have in the previous four years combined.

The United Nations estimates that roughly 20 to 50 million tons of e-waste are generated worldwide each year, with an estimated 70 percent of that waste being illegally dumped or crudely processed in many of the poorer Asian and African countries.

A recent incident involving a stolen laptop from an AT&T employee highlights the problems of deficient data security and privacy procedures.

Originally scoffed at when it was first introduced, Green IT is no longer only part of a company's corporate and social repsonsibility strategy. CIOs have found that they can save money by implementing specific Green intitiatives. VARs that believe and promote Green IT open an avenue for new customers and new deals.

Earth Day 2008 is April 22, 2008. We have selected a few of our favorite clean-tech tips and facts from a recent PCMag article to help you celebrate.

With Earth Day approaching, you may be considering making your business more green. This New York Enterprise Report article examines the risks and advantages of a green strategy including the environmentally responsible cost-saving advantages and disadvantages of digital mailings and invoicing, energy buy-back programs and the green disposal of office equipment.

Any given month we can choose from a myriad of articles reporting how identity theft has crippled an individual or business. This month we link to a report on yet another incident in Lexington, KY. as well as an article with some important tips to remember and a link to the U.S. Department of Justice to help you if you think you may be at risk.

The February 2009 mandatory switchover from analog to digital televisions will create a glut of unwanted TV's at one time. Dawn Carlson of consumeraffairs.com elaborates on the now mainstream media news of this conversion.

Governor Corzine signed the "Electronic Waste Recycling Act" into law on Sunday January 13th. The Act establishes a new program for the disposal of electronic devices, including televisions, computers, and related components and subcomponents in New Jersey.

Microsoft partners that are recycling firms or refurbishers offering refurbished PC's can now be competitive in the market with properly licensed equipment with two new licensing mechanisms that allow those PC's to be loaded with Windows XP Professional or Windows XP for Home.

The Top 10 strategic technologies for 2008 as cited by leading research organization Gartner Group include Green IT, Unified Communications and Business Process Management.

A pair of bills sponsored by Senator Bob Smith which would guarantee funding for municipal recycling programs and create a statewide electronics recycling initiative were approved by the Budget and Appropriations Committee on December 10th, 2007. The bill was approved by the Budget Committee by a vote of 8-0, and now heads to the full Senate for consideration. It was approved by a vote of 3-2 by the Senate Environment Committee in January of last year.

Info-Tech Research published a Premium Trends & Prediction Note. In it they polled ~700 IT decision-makers at a variety of business organizations to determine whether the Greening of IT was actually in place. The results were interesting: while a number of organizations claimed to be very to greatly concerned about going green, the number of organizations that actually implemented Green IT was very low. Organizations that were leading edge, cost conscious, and in Transportation/Utilities, Retail, or Education were more likely to actually be Green IT implementers. Info-Tech Research concludes the adoption rate is at the earliest stage and as more cost-benefits are realized, more firms will adopt a Green strategy.

The movement to environmentally responsible technology continues in this mainstream article from eWeek. Two major areas are highlighted, proper disposal (recycling) of technology assets and the ways that an IT Manager can be more efficient in power-consumption. Citing rising costs and liabilities as key drivers, the article highlights ways to be more energy efficient and environmentally responsible.

A recent study commissioned by Dell via IDC research indicated that \a majority of organizations both large and small do not utilize third-party disposition firms. The trend is moving in favor of adopting disposal policies and utilizing external firms. Companies were reluctant to use firms largely due to lack of education on how to select a firm, lack of trust in liability transfer, and lack of trust with regard to vendor claims and capabilities.

Elizabeth Grossman's book delves into the environmental impacts behind the entire technology supply chain starting from chip manufacturer to laptop disposal. Effects on the environment and human, including global impacts are discussed. The website www.hightechtrash.com provides basic recycling information and background.

Four major drivers are leading to increased CIO attention to eco-responsibility, two of which involve recycling and data security. Today's asset disposal industry is littered with vendors who say they do it right and don't. Evaluators need to view more than disposal price as the key selection point - eventually the lax criteria will create a corporate catastrophe.

E-Waste generators are facing increasing liability with respect to environmental responsibility. The vendor you entrust with your materials can actually cost you a lot more - especially if they take it for free.

Too often IT managers "closet" away assets because they are too busy to deal with decommissioned stuff right away. Handing assets over to a professional recycling and remarketing company can retrieve 60% or more of value - money that can go back into next years budget.

This article, originally published in Network World – January 2007, stresses the importance of thoroughly performing multiple data eradication techniques to ensure that old computer hardware is ready for disposal. Among the alarming facts cited is this one: Data breaches cost companies $182 per record, a 31 percent increase from 2005. More than 330 known data loss incidents involving 93 million records have occurred since February 2005. According to HP, more than 90 percent of IT equipment can be resold if it is processed promptly after coming offline – every day that passes means a devaluation and potential security issue. Companies have actively revamped processes and worked with vendors to ensure equipment is properly processed, especially in light of all the public company data breaches. Check out this article to learn more about the rising importance of diligence at end-of-life for IT assets. 

“How To Get Rid of Old Computers”
http://www.csoonline.com/read/120105/ht_computers.html

An educative overview originally published in CSO magazine – December 2005 summarizing the asset disposition process.  Written for everyone, it does a nice job of simplifying the decision making and issues involved.

“The Six Hidden Costs of Reverse Logistics”
http://www.rlmagazine.com/edition04p14.php

Originally published in the Fall 2006 quarterly edition, this Reverse Logistics magazine article does a great job outlining areas where costs are incurred along the return supply chain. Did you know asset management is one of the key hidden labor costs? These six areas are causing major “pains in the profitability.”  Believe it or not the solution is as simple as one typically implemented for forward supply chains – but very few companies have adopted it. Read the article to discover the six hidden costs and the simple solution.

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