We all have that drawer at home. You know the one, filled with old cables, chargers, and bits of tech we just can’t throw away. (I’ve got one myself.)
There’s probably an iPad 2 and a BlackBerry in there. It’s nostalgic and harmless. In a corporate environment, that same mindset is anything but, and can cost your business
My eldest son, Sebastian, recently joined the ranks of the employed, having qualified in 2025. I was now faced with the reality of helping him make sense of the frankly overwhelming number of important decisions ahead of him: medical aid, life cover, retirement savings, financial management, and budgeting.
Walk into almost any company’s storage area and you’ll find a collection of old laptops, monitors, boxes of cables, hard drives and chargers for devices no longer in use.
There is real risk in these items no one thinks of. Old devices don’t lose their data just because they’re no longer in use and become more vulnerable over time. They don’t have modern encryption or protection. All it takes is one of those devices being misplaced, stolen, or incorrectly disposed of for your business to be compromised.
The IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report consistently shows how lost or unmanaged assets carry a significant financial impact.
The Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR) has also found that gaps like poor asset control and unsecured devices remain some of the easiest entry points. From an asset finance perspective, you are holding onto assets that no longer have value but still carry risk.
Even without a breach, this environment creates drag. It takes up storage space and IT loses visibility. You end up with assets that are not managed. These “ghost assets” are often overlooked in risk reports.
Instead of owning equipment indefinitely and carrying the risk that comes with it, use it, then move on from it. Don’t hold onto it “just in case”.
A lifecycle-based approach, whether leasing or structured refresh, means you can let go of equipment when it is no longer needed. At end-of-life cycle equipment is returned and data is securely destroyed. Your business stays up to date with technology and remains secure.
That messy drawer at home? Keep it. If for no other reason than the memories. In your business, though, the same behaviour creates risk.
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