Archives for April 2015

When you’re ready to update your tech systems, it’s easy to think about the new and forget about the old. But discarded and out of date electronics don’t just fade away – they can end up in landfills. Those cast off devices can leach nasty toxic metals into the groundwater when they degrade. In addition, improperly disposed of tech can also leave you vulnerable to cyber attacks, data loss and theft.

How? Hackers have been known to steal hard drives out of the garbage to get access to sensitive data. You can avoid exposure to these crimes if you dispose of and recycle your tech properly. That’s why today, we’re sharing a guide to some of the most important things you’ll want to do when you’re getting rid of outdated tech equipment.

1) Don’t dump old tech equipment in the garbage. Not only is it not safe, but there are now laws that put standards on disposal. Be sure to check out federal and state laws. Some states, such as New York, are passing measures that require both residents and organizations to properly recycle electronic equipment to keep it out of landfills. Not sure about the laws in your area? An outsourced IT consultant can help you figure out the requirements in your area.

2) Even in places where you aren’t required to recycle electronics by the local laws, be sure to properly dispose of your hardware – including computer hard drives, servers, monitors, and more — with reputable waste removal groups. They can help you know how to wipe your hard drive completely to protect your data and privacy. It’s good for the environment, and good for your bottom line.

3) Encourage your employees to take their mobile devices to a reputable recycler when they dispose of their tech, or provide a collection service for them. As more employers allow their staff to use personal laptops, tablets and smartphones to work on projects away from the office, it’s worth the reminder that all organizations should have a good policy in place to protect data. Always encourage your employees to be savvy about wiping sensitive data.

4) Want more information about how to recycle old electronics, such as printer cartridges, computer monitors, and batteries? Check out this great article recently published at CIO.com, entitled 5 Painless Ways to Recycle Old Electronics, for a list of recyclers you can contact. The article also has advice on how to resell your devices, if you want to earn back a few bucks and have the item reused (another great way to keep your old electronics out of landfills).

Increasingly, employers are telling workers, “Bring your own device.” Often abbreviated as BYOD, the term means that workers can use personal mobile devices — such as laptops, smartphones, and tablets — at the office. In addition, some companies are OK with employees who take work-based devices home to continue moving forward on projects.

Recent reports show how the enterprise technology landscape is changing—and if you love smartphones and other mobile devices, it’s great news indeed.

Consider the following statistics as you think about what your workplace might look like in the future:

Fast Fact: 53 percent of full-time employed mobile device users are familiar with the term BYOD 

That’s according to a recent study commissioned by CTIA. Among other findings of the study:

• More than 4 in 10 use a smartphone or tablet each week for work-related info or applications
• The company information most frequently accessed from mobile devices includes email, schedules and calendars, databases and corporate apps

Fast Fact: 63 percent of employers allow at least some employees to work occasional regular paid hours at home

That’s according to the 2012 National Study of Employers. Additionally, 33 percent of companies allow some workers to work some regular paid hours at home on a regular basis. For workers with smartphones, that translates to greater flexibility even when outside of the office.

Fast Fact: 38 percent of companies will stop providing devices to workers by 2016

That statistic comes from Gartner, which goes on to say that the figure isn’t bad at all. Rather, it will create opportunities for business owners and workers in the form of increased employee satisfaction (because they’ll be working on the devices they like best) and reduced or eliminated costs. In fact, we’re moving closer to their prediction that half of employers will require employees to use their own devices for some of their workday.

At this time, most businesses using BYOD are mid-size to large – but in the future,  small companies will benefit from the practice because it reduces overhead costs.

What does all of this mean? There will be an increased need for solid tech expertise to manage and support mobile use. “The risk of data leakage on mobile platforms is particularly acute. Some mobile devices are designed to share data in the cloud and have no general purpose file system for applications to share, increasing the potential for data to be easily duplicated between applications and moved between applications and the cloud.” (Gartner)

If your organization is already making use of mobile devices, or is ready to make the leap, please get in touch with us for the expertise you will need to set great tech management policies!