Electricity + Control December 2020

WRITE @ THE BACK

Safe disposal of IT assets helps scholars

X perien, a leading South African IT Asset Disposal (ITAD) company, recently launched a corporate social investment initiative to support what it sees as ‘forgotten’ students at middle-class independent and private schools in the country. Many of these less established schools are closing down and there was a concern that some scholars would be unable to complete the academic year due to the detrimental impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The initiative aims to provide struggling learners with refurbished laptops to help them overcome the enormous challenge of switching to learning and studying online. Xperien collects redundant computers from corporate companies around the globe, offering a free ‘data-sanitising’ service in exchange. Once sanitised, the equipment is refurbished and redistributed to previously disadvantaged communities. Xperien CEO, Wale Arewa says there is a gap that needs to be filled in assisting scholars from the ‘forgotten class’. “We have developed this programme to assist scholars from private schools at the lower end of the market. “With no support from government, some families who have placed their children in local private schools find it extremely challenging to pay school fees or to purchase laptops to ensure the children can continue their studies. The parents’ priority is to feed and provide shelter for the child or children, before they pay school fees or buy a refurbished laptop at a cost that would rather cover a month’s worth of groceries,” Arewa says. Through its relationship with corporate companies, Xperien has been able to create value from their used equipment to bridge the digital divide. However, when disposing of any IT asset, it is essential that Xperien guarantees the data stored on the asset is destroyed according to industry standards and, more importantly, government regulations. “Our offer to corporate companies is the safe collection of redundant equipment, data erasure and reporting on that, so that they can dispose of their IT equipment knowing they have complied with relevant legislation and have received the best value for their redundant IT equipment,” Arewa says. The need for support has grown exponentially, especially at middle-class independent and private schools, and to meet this need, Xperien has extended its call globally. Arewa adds that many companies that experienced delivery delays due to disrupted supply chains, have now received their IT equipment upgrades for 2020. This means there may be a lot of redundant electronics equipment ready for disposal.

He says IT asset managers should en- sure that all retired IT assets are properly cleaned of compa- ny data before being stored, or given away, or disposed of. This can present challeng- es and potential costs that companies seldom consider, but it must be done professionally. Arewa urges compa- nies to schedule a year- end asset disposal and

Wale Arewa, CEO of Xperien.

data destruction campaign. “This is a good time to clear out storerooms and start 2021 with a clean slate,” he says.

Supporting the circular economy As a well-experienced ITAD company, Xperien (Pty) Ltd supports the circular economy and contributes to reducing the global e-waste problem by optimising and extending the life cycle of IT hardware. “We are a team of professionals who care about our planet, its people and its resources,” says Arewa. “Starting out 21 years ago as a used computer dealer, Xperien has grown to redefine the way corporations use IT hardware. We provide our clients with secure ITAD services and have obtained ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001 accreditations specifically for ITAD. “Our value proposition is to protect our clients’ personal information and intellectual property that resides on their computers, through technology changes and at end-of‑service. We manage our clients’ enterprise and desktop infrastructure in a sustainable way – around the world. Logistical solutions are tailored to accommodate our clients’ geographical spread and to negate the ever- present risk of hard-drive theft from disposed computers.” Xperien provides cost-effective solutions to combat the challenges associated with data loss and to mitigate reputational risk. Its compliance standards meet the NIST 800-88, DoD 5220.22-MandCEGS criteria, particularly in terms of data-destruction processes, and adherence to South Africa’s Protection of Personal Information Act of 2013 (POPIA) and General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) is core to the business.

For more information visit: www.xperien.com

32 Electricity + Control DECEMBER 2020