What Is ITAD?

ITAD stands for IT Asset Disposition, sometimes written as IT Asset Disposal. It is the process of retiring computers and other IT equipment safely: removing or destroying the data on them, reusing what still works, recycling what does not, and keeping records of every step.

What an ITAD company does

A typical ITAD job covers five things:

1. Collection. Equipment is collected from your site by a licensed waste carrier, with a record of what left and when.
2. Data destruction. Every drive is wiped to a recognised standard such as NIST 800-88, or physically destroyed if it cannot be wiped and verified.
3. Reuse. Equipment that still works is refurbished and resold, which keeps it in use and often pays for the whole job.
4. Recycling. Anything that cannot be reused is broken down and its materials recovered under the WEEE regulations.
5. Documentation. You receive records showing what happened to your equipment, from a waste transfer note up to a certificate for each individual device.

How ITAD differs from IT recycling

The terms are often used as if they mean the same thing, but they do not. A recycler's main job is recovering materials. An ITAD provider's main job is managing risk: making sure no data leaves with the equipment, and that you can prove it later.

That difference shows up in the paperwork. A recycler may give you a weighbridge ticket for the total weight collected. An ITAD provider should be able to tell you what happened to each drive, and on request, to each device by serial number.

Who needs ITAD?

Any organisation that stores personal or confidential data on its computers, which in practice is almost every organisation. Under UK GDPR you remain responsible for personal data until it is destroyed, including after a device has left your building. It matters most where the data is sensitive:

• NHS and healthcare and GP surgeries
• Schools, colleges and universities
• Law firms and financial services
• Councils and public bodies
• Charities working with vulnerable people

What equipment counts?

Anything that stores data or is classed as IT waste: laptops, desktops, servers, loose hard drives and SSDs, phones and tablets, networking equipment such as routers and switches, printers and multifunction devices, and storage media. Network equipment and printers are the items most often forgotten, and both can hold sensitive data.

Does ITAD cost money?

Often not. When equipment can be refurbished and resold, that value usually covers the cost of collection and data destruction. Charges are normal for end-of-life equipment, small loads far away, devices still locked to a management system, and extra services such as per-device certificates. Our guide to what IT disposal costs goes through this in detail.

What to check before you choose a provider

• Licences. They should be a registered waste carrier with the Environment Agency. You can check the number on the public register in under a minute.
• Data destruction standard. Look for a named standard such as NIST 800-88, not a vague promise.
• Documentation. At minimum a waste transfer note and chain-of-custody record. For sensitive data, serialised certificates per device.
• Reuse. Ask what share of equipment is reused rather than recycled.
• Where it goes next. Ask who handles the material after them, and whether those partners are licensed too.

Our guide on how to choose an ITAD supplier sets out ten questions worth asking every provider, including us.