The IT Budget Boost You Didn’t Know You Had

By: Levi Hentges, Vice President / Development, SEAM

When it’s time to upgrade your organization’s IT assets, you might not realize that your outdated equipment still holds value. Depending on the age, original cost, and current market demand, those retired devices could help stretch your IT budget further by being remarketed.

Timing Is Everything

The resale value of IT assets isn’t static—it moves in cycles. Market demand, technological advancements, and even global events can cause prices to fluctuate. Selling at the right time can maximize the return on your old equipment.

Working with a professional asset management partner can take the guesswork out of this process. They’ll help you identify which assets should be sold immediately and which ones are worth holding onto until market conditions improve.

A strategic approach to remarketing doesn’t just recover value—it lowers the total cost of ownership (TCO) over the lifecycle of your IT assets. That means more flexibility for your IT team and a budget that goes further.

Keep Security Front and Center

Hard drives are a prime example of high-demand IT assets, but they come with significant risks. Even after files are deleted, residual data can often be recovered. Reselling a drive without the right safeguards puts sensitive information—about your company, employees, or customers—at risk.

That’s where certified ITAD (IT Asset Disposition) comes in. Certified providers adhere to stringent data destruction standards like NIST 800-88r1, ensuring that every trace of data is completely wiped. These companies are audited by third parties to verify compliance, giving you peace of mind that your data is secure.

With certified data sanitization, your organization can safely resell drives while preserving their value. This approach stands in contrast to shredding, which is necessary for drives that can’t be remarketed but eliminates any resale potential. Certified wiping offers the best of both worlds: maintaining security while recovering value for your IT budget.

However, not all service providers meet these standards. Without certification, you have no proof that data is being properly destroyed. BEWARE of companies lacking certifications like NAID, e-Stewards, or R2, even if they claim they’ll destroy your hard drives. Certification is your assurance that the job is done right—and that your organization stays protected.

Build a Culture of Value Recovery

Getting the most out of your IT assets requires planning from the start. Treat every piece of equipment like an investment that will eventually return value.

For example, keeping an asset’s components intact—rather than parting them out—boosts resale value. Buyers pay a premium for machines that are complete and functional. Similarly, taking care of equipment during its lifecycle—avoiding unnecessary wear, tear, and cosmetic damage—helps retain value.

When organizations approach their IT strategy with value recovery in mind, the results speak for themselves: lower TCO and greater flexibility when it’s time to replace equipment.

Maximize Your IT Asset Value

At SEAM, we specialize in helping organizations across South Dakota and beyond recover the most value from their retired IT assets. From secure data wiping to careful testing and refurbishment, we ensure your equipment is remarketed safely, securely, and for the highest possible return.

If you’re ready to optimize your IT budget, reach out today to see how SEAM can help. Contact us today to learn more about our services.

Levi Hentges is the Vice President / Development at SEAM. He helps clients build and manage their IT Asset Disposition (ITAD) programs to comply with legal, corporate and environmental requirements surrounding their technology devices; including asset recovery and resale, data destruction and secure electronics recycling.