A new widescreen screen arrives on your desk, along with a brand-new
computer to power it. It has all the bells and whistles on it; Windows
10, Microsoft 365, virus and ransomware protection, all connected
to a super-fast dedicated business leased internet line.
It's just like Christmas, as the boxes open, all the kit is shiny
and fabulous looking. And albeit that your old system was something
similar, it was slower and its best days were behind it. Your eyes
are glued on the new. Within 15 minutes your new equipment is the
new heart of operations. So, what happens to your old equipment?
Often it's thrown out, staff might give them to their kids, or
it's sold on eBay. But before any of that happens, the first stop
has to be the deletion of all the information on it.
DELETE ALL PERSONAL INFORMATION
No matter what method you choose to exit your various technologies,
the first thing to do is to back up your data. Make sure you have
captured all your information onto disk, USB, cloud storage etc.
Sign out of all your online accounts, unpair it from any Bluetooth
devices etc, mouse, keyboard, wireless display. And then erase your
computers hard drive, by degaussing the hard drive this demagnetises
the data on the hard drive.
By doing this, all your business data will be removed, you will
be taking your computer-ware back to the original state in which
you bought it. Imagine, if were to throw out your old computers,
out onto a skip, and think job done. Computer hackers will often
check rubbish tips for old computers. They are always on the lookout
for ways to hack into your business, and then hold your IT systems
for ransom. Or, if you sell your old tech as scrap, what would happen
if just one of those scrap computers had not been dealt with properly.
Who's to say that your equipment, once resold and fired up, that
it suddenly gives them access to your network? Equally, if you intend
to donate your old equipment to a charity, start-up company etc?
And you’d like them to be able to use the old hard drive,
then absolutely make sure to use the factory reset to wipe it of
all information. But as a matter of best practice, at CNC we would
always suggest removing the hard drive completely.
Computers
for Charities
The great thing about Windows 10 (And Windows 8) is the Factory
Restore function, or as most people call it a ‘factory reset’.
Pop into the Start menu, type in reset, and press Reset this PC.
You’ll be offered, ‘Remove everything’. Done.
Sadly, Windows 7 does not have a reset action, so you’ll need
to overwrite your files, it takes a little longer, but it acts in
the same way. For Mac users, you’ll need to use a Start-Up
disk, and press Erase. Job done.
WEEE WASTE
Many of us are familiar with WEEE Waste rules, but it's always
good to remind yourself. There is a good way of being environmentally
friendly about your electronic waste, in a simple go-to way. Everything
that has a plug on it comes under WEEE jurisdiction, and if you
don’t follow the rules about how you exit your business tech,
you can get seriously fined.
Regulations:
waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
There are all sorts of rare earth materials in your old computer
waste. So, if you decide to get rid of your old technology, find
out where it's being sent. So that it can be extracted safely and
correctly. Sometimes it can just end up ignominiously in a landfill
site, which is not good at all, as hazardous materials can leak
out into the soil. Nor is it a good thing to give it to a company
that is not ethically transparent about what it does next with your
old tech. Some companies have been known to send it to a developing
nation, where children are employed to pick through the bones of
potentially hazardous materials to extract valuable materials, like
gold.
And just a thought as to why you should consider recycling your
computer tech. When the minerals are originally mined for your technology,
lots of corrosive acids and carcinogenic toxins are used in the
process to make a computer. Processing one ton of rare earth metals
can produce nearly 2,000 tons of toxic waste. So, recycling your
old kit ethically is a good way to go, to reduce the number of new
minerals being mined for.
If you have any doubts or concerns about what to do with your old
tech, then please call us or talk to your account manager, and we
can have your systems exited correctly for you
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RORY
MCILROY, AND HOW TO DO AN IT INFRASTRUCTURE AUDIT…
Pounding a 43mm round white object through the heavens 550 yards
to slip into a golf hole just 10 centimetres wide, takes some doing.
Somehow, if you set up the basics of your golf grip, stance, aim,
and posture right, spend a bit of time focusing on your short-game
distance, look at improving your blade angle, along with your stance,
to create a more centered strike, which leads to a better strike
platform, then strategically there’s your short par 4s and
lay-up 5’s to consider. And once you’ve done that 18
times, you will have played a round of golf. Click
here for more
WINDOWS
11, THE SAME YET DIFFERENT…
On the 5th October 2021, Microsoft officially launched its new
operating system, wait for it – Windows 11. It’s a phased
launch of the company’s first major operating system update
in six years, and it is available as a free download. However, before
you download it, read on. Click
here for more |