Eye On The Market

Data security is the first of three considerations listed by Dell Inc., Round Rock, Texas, as factors when companies are ensuring proper disposal of unwanted IT equipment.

According to an international survey commissioned by Dell, "North American companies are more likely to cite data security as their top motivation for using third-party IT disposal services, while European companies rate requirements or mandates, such as the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE), as the key driver for their decision-making processes."

The research—conducted by technology advisory firm IDC, Framingham, Mass., earlier this year and involving more than 1,000 companies in Canada, Germany, France, the United Kingdom and the U.S.—also found evidence that the IT asset disposal (ITAD) sector is in the midst of a "major transformation," evolving from a relatively new sector to one with established processes.

Approximately one-third of companies in the IDC survey use a third-party ITAD provider. Small companies are far less likely to use IT disposal services compared with medium- and large-size companies, the IDC survey found.

Other survey findings include:

• Forty percent of organizations in North America opt for donation as a method of disposal, with the preference evenly distributed across organizations of all sizes.

• Sixty-three percent of banks use third-party disposal services compared to professional services (22 percent), education (25 percent) and retail organizations (26 percent).

• More than half of financial services, health-care and retail organizations cite data security as their primary reason for choosing an IT disposal provider.

Companies that don’t currently use IT disposal services cite cost (31 percent), data security (25 percent) and preference to donate/resell systems (20 percent) as the top three factors. Additionally, 15 percent said the issue of not knowing how to choose a qualified provider was a significant factor.

"This survey and other IDC research indicate that leading companies recognize the necessity to manage the risks that could come from the retirement of their technology hardware," David Daoud, IDC research manager and lead analyst on this report, says.

Officials fear that Arizona’s problems with ID theft could worsen in light of the state’s new law prohibiting employers from knowingly hiring illegal immigrants.

According to an Associated Press news item, Arizona’s employer-sanctions law, effective January of 2008, is expected to increase the demand for fake green cards, Social Security cards and driver’s licenses created from authentic numbers.

The law mandates employers verify the employment eligibility of workers through a federal database. However, the database is unable to identify fraudulent documents.

According to the report, authorities say they expect incidences of ID theft to increase as well as the establishment of large-scale criminal enterprises that produce fake documents made from real names and Social Security numbers.

A Bush administration law could further affect ID theft in Arizona. Employers could be prosecuted for failing to fire workers whose names don’t match their Social Security numbers.

Richfield, Ohio-based GIE Media Inc.’s Recycling Today Media Group recently received two awards from the American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE).

The March 2006 cover of Recycling Today has received ASBPE’s Central-Southeast Region award recognizing cover design. Recycling Today Art Director Karen Angus designed the cover, which features an illustration by Ryan Etter of Missouri. Editor in Chief Brian Taylor wrote the headline, deck and cover story.

Angus also designed the opening spread for the Secure Destruction Business March/April 2006 cover story "The Future of Destruction," featuring an illustration by Etter. Senior Editor Dan Sandoval wrote the article.