VIRTERA Tech Journal

VIRTERA announced that it has introduced a new eDisposal Service to provide end-to-end lifecycle management of electronic waste. As part of its service delivery, VIRTERA has entered into an agreement with TechTurn.

Electronic waste is becoming a serious global issue due to the increasing volume of technology assets being discarded and the challenges of safely disposing of lead, mercury, cadmium and other hazardous materials contained in computer equipment. The U.S. Government Accountability Office estimates that 100 million TVs, computers, and monitors are discarded annually and according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as many as 500 million personal computers became obsolete and entered the municipal solid waste stream between 2000 and 2007.

As companies leverage VIRTERA's virtualization and consolidation services, the disposal of legacy equipment such as servers, desktop computers, laptops, and printers becomes necessary. With this new service, VIRTERA will work with clients to understand the challenges and scope of any necessary equipment disposal and determine which assets are to be reused or recycled. The service also covers the packaging of assets, transportation to recycling centers, and tracking individual assets by serial number through the disposal process. VIRTERA will also verify that data on any assets are wiped according to U.S. Department of Defense standards. If required, VIRTERA will provide certification for any disposal of assets or data destruction.

As part of virtualization and consolidation initiatives, some discarded technology assets still have inherent value. Working with TechTurn, VIRTERA will reimburse clients based on current market values. In some cases this can offset the cost of responsible disposition or provide positive cash flow.

VIRTERA is also practicing internally what it preaches to clients externally. Employees are encouraged to bring in their old, obsolete cell phones, laptops, and computer equipment for responsible disposal or recycling. Any funds VIRTERA receives from this equipment will be donated to charity. The company has also made a commitment to purchase only EPEAT Gold certified laptops moving forward. EPEAT is a system to help purchasers in the public and private sectors evaluate, compare and select desktop computers, notebooks and monitors based on their environmental attributes.

VIRTERA's eDisposal Service is offered as a stand-alone service, but the company expects most clients to request it as part of virtualization and consolidation initiatives.