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Making Use of Old Technology in Your Business

No matter what type of business you run, you’re always going to have excess items, equipment or even stock to use. Maybe you overestimated how much stock you could sell during a period of time, or maybe you’ve recently upgraded a fleet of computers in your office but you aren’t sure what to do with the old hardware. This excess adds up, takes up storage space, and might even cost us money in the future, so it’s always a good idea to declutter our offices.

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No matter what type of business you run, you’re always going to have excess items, equipment or even stock to use. Maybe you overestimated how much stock you could sell during a period of time, or maybe you’ve recently upgraded a fleet of computers in your office but you aren’t sure what to do with the old hardware. This excess adds up, takes up storage space, and might even cost us money in the future, so it’s always a good idea to declutter our offices.

While stock is easy to manage if we have too much excess, what do we do with technology? Not only does it take up a lot of space, the value of technology gradually decreases over time, meaning we have to take swift action if we want to get the best out of old equipment.

Sell it to others

The most common option is to sell your old equipment. You could make a decent chunk of cash and most technology retains its resale value even a year or two after its initial release date. Many computer building enthusiasts love to pick up old office hardware, and there are even refurbishing companies that will buy your outdated equipment in bulk so they can repurpose it for their own uses. You can use a website such as eBay or Gumtree to find suitable buyers for your equipment, but keep in mind that you’ll have to handle the advertising in order to get noticed.

Recycle it

The responsible thing to do with equipment that is broken is to recycle it. Throwing it in the trash isn’t preferred because there could be dangerous components such as batteries that could become a hazard. Instead, contact a specialist such as Direct Resource Management that will properly dispose of your old technology. They are thorough about it, even going as far to wipe data off each device before breaking down the components and recycling parts.

Repurpose it

Old equipment that is still perfectly usable seems like a waste to recycle, and if you can’t get much money from reselling it after you’re done with it, you might want to consider holding onto it. For instance, if you set up another office location or if you hire new employees, you could have them work on outdated hardware for a little while as you gauge how good of a fit they are for your business. You can also repurpose hardware by giving it a different use. For instance, you could use a computer in your boardroom to display presentations instead of lugging around a laptop. If you run a software company, it might also be useful to keep old computers around so you can test for compatibility issues with older operating systems or hardware.

Keep it for spares

If you’re tech-savvy or have tech-savvy members on your team, then you can keep old technology for spares. For instance, maybe your new printer and old printer share some similarities and you can repair the new one when it breaks using parts from the old one. Or you can re-use keyboards and mice from your old computers, and you might even be able to take components from older technology and fit them into newer items. For instance, hard drives and RAM sticks can be reused from computer to computer if they are compatible.

HubSpot