Blame Redemtech's 10-year anniversary (July 2008) for putting us in a reflective mood. The industry has developed much along the lines envisioned by our 1998 business plan; IT Asset Disposition is today viewed as a critical service which is held accountable for privacy and environmental compliance. Residual value recovery, though still important, is only one component of a value spectrum which also must deliver results for Asset Management, Community Affairs and IT Operations. And we are still dreamers - still imagining, and planning for, what comes next for IT.
Bullets flew in all directions. Thieves with rubber faces scattered and screamed. There was a symphony of breaking glass and maniacal laughter. And something sticky adhered to the bottom of my shoe. “Isn’t this great?” someone behind me murmured as I dislodged an old Milk Dud from my Puma. Spoken like a true modern-day moviegoer, I thought.
The U.S. launch of the new Apple iPhone last Friday attracted a lot of attention from consumers, businesses, Apple competitors and the news media. By Monday, Apple reported that it had sold 1 million iPhones in the three days following the release of the latest model, iPhone 3G.
The IT asset disposition business today is highly fragmented and immature, with no generally accepted standards and few barriers to entry. And because the service smacks of being "green," the industry is awash in an entrepreneurial froth, leaving small electronics recyclers in almost every town of any size.
I remember being perched in the swayback chair in my orthodontist’s office when I was about 10, reading a dog-eared Cracked magazine and pondering a cartoon that depicted a humorist’s view of the future of government. A man was slipping a nickel in a box strapped to his head that featured a sign that read: Breathing Tax – five cents for five minutes. The notion seemed ridiculous at the time, even to my politically unaware 10-year-old perspective, but before I could think more about it, the orthodontist came at me with some three-pronged, pointy instrument, rendering all thoughts of future bureaucracy null and void.
During my recent convalescence, my daughter sought to mend some of my woes about being laid up for awhile by offering to go to the public library and pick up some movies. I’d exhausted my small collection of old movies at home and when she asked what I’d like to see, I picked up a couple of nearby video tapes (yes, I still actively use a VCR), most notably The Return of the King and The Return of the Jedi, and told her to find me something along those lines.
Through this forum, we hope to raise awareness of the issues and challenges inherent in managing IT equipment to the highest standards of financial, social and environmental responsibility. We welcome you to join the dialogue. Learn more»
