HP Certified to Manage Customers’ IT Asset Disposition

HP has been recognized as a certified IT Asset Disposal vendor by IDC, a leading provider of global IT research and advice.

In evaluating and certifying HP’s IT asset disposal capabilities, IDC noted that business customers can have confidence in the company’s ability to safely and securely decommission IT assets they no longer need ­– whether those assets are made by HP or another manufacturer.

IDC’s Green Recycling and Asset Disposal for the Enterprise (G.R.A.D.E.) certification process was focused on the U.S. market and considered 34 separate functions and tasks. According to IDC, it used “a multidimensional weighting system that incorporates the broad offerings of remote applications, on-site services, logistics, in-plant processing and post treatment.”

Certification criteria cover manufacturing processes and end-of-use practices, including managing disposition of IT equipment in an environmentally sound fashion and helping customers safeguard proprietary information.

Included in HP’s IT asset disposal offerings are the services provided by HP Financial Services, the company’s asset management services and leasing subsidiary, which offers global asset disposition services to manage retirement of companies’ IT assets at end of use. HP Financial Services also offers industry-standard software and processes to overwrite disk drives and help safeguard data that may reside on drives or in memory.

“Environmental regulations around the world are increasingly complex and the penalties for violating them are severe,” said Irv Rothman, president and chief executive officer, HP Financial Services. “Similarly, protecting customer data and proprietary information is a major – and growing – concern for businesses and consumers. Netted out, intelligent disposition of older IT assets is critically important.”

HP Financial Services operates centers dedicated to asset disposition in Andover, Mass.; Nijmegen, the Netherlands; and Herrenberg, Germany. While IDC’s certification process only considered U.S. operations, HP offers comparable capabilities worldwide.

Greater global environmental awareness

Older assets with residual value are typically remarketed, while obsolete or damaged equipment is channeled into HP’s recycling process. HP recycled nearly 250 million pounds of hardware and print cartridges globally in its fiscal year 2007 – an increase of approximately 50 percent over the previous year. HP also reused 65 million pounds of hardware, refurbishing it for resale or donation, which increased its annual reuse rate by 30 percent.

Started in 1987, the HP Planet Partners recycling program now operates in more than 50 countries, regions and territories. The program seeks to reduce the environmental impact of IT products, minimize waste going to landfills, and help customers conveniently and responsibly manage products at their end of life.

Details and a methodology summary for IDC’s G.R.A.D.E. Certification are available in IDC’s recently released report, “2008 Assessment of U.S. IT Asset Disposal Service Providers” (document #213383, July 2008).

HP and the environment

For decades HP has been an environmental leader, driving company stewardship through its holistic design for environment strategy. HP influences industry action through its long-standing commitment to maintain supply chain responsibility, sustain energy efficient operations, reduce its climate impact and offer product reuse and recycling options. HP also makes it easier for customers to recognize environmentally preferable features through HP Eco Solutions, a program that helps customers identify products and services designed with the environment in mind.