Final Check-Out

How do you sum up what Retire-IT does in two words?

When I was working on this summary, I called it the “Final Check-Out.” My nine-year-old son Ryan sings it better than I can write it.

Ryan saw it and immediately asked me if it had to do with the “Final Countdown!” Remember that Swedish rock band Europe and their one-hit wonder? Don’t ask me when he got into 1980’s big-hair glam metal. Actually no, he’s not. He heard it on a GEICO TV ad.

Why do I think Retire-IT can be explained as The Final Check-Out?

The process of check-out/check-in is a fundamental activity of IT asset management programs. Formal check-out/check-in procedures exist in order to ensure accountability. At check-out, responsibility is transferred. At check-in, responsibility is transferred back.

Asset managers quickly become masters at check-out/check-in. Fortunately, ITAM software facilitates easy check-out/check-in. Features that work like a library card make it efficient to issue IT assets to employees and ensure their ultimate return.

IT asset disposition (ITAD) is the process of disposing of unwanted IT equipment. From an ITAM program perspective, ITAD should be considered “The Final Check-Out.”

Final Check-Out, however, differs dramatically from the common check-out. First, and obviously, assets are not returned. More importantly, ITAD vendors don’t behave like employees. Therefore, the Final Check-Out requires specific procedures in order to establish accountability.

The common approach during ITAD is for organizations to allocate assets to the ITAD vendor. This approach, while convenient, is troublesome. ITAD vendors only accept responsibility for assets received.

Why is allocating not enough?

Allocating does not establish accountability and does not meet minimum standards for safeguards required by privacy-protection laws. Allocating effectively whitewashes important issues such as employee theft and driver theft. Allocating assets to ITAD vendors is risky because it can conceal losses and increase damages should a breach occur.

Accountability is transferred when chain-of-custody is established with evidence. Chain-of-custody is established only when an asset is verified as checked-in with an ITAD vendor. In other words, The Final Check-Out is really a final check-in of sorts!

Retire-IT makes sure the Final Check-Out is managed the right way. Retire IT’s Final Check-Out allows you to sleep well at night. That is unless Ryan starts singing to you.

That’s the Retire-IT difference, with or without 80’s rock metaphors.