Connecting For Good - Refurbishing Program

Waste not, want not. Don’t dispose of your PCs… Repurpose.

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Post Written by Brant Myers, Director of Operations for Excel Anesthesia

Part of my role at Excel Anesthesia is to maintain and manage the IT stuff around the office. Over the last year we have improved our workflow by changing some of the applications we use on a daily basis. As it happens, our old PCs just couldn’t keep up with these changes.

We were left with a choice.  We could upgrade our existing equipment, or buy new machines.

Fortunately, new PCs were not only outlined in our IT strategic plan last year, but also included in the budget.  We purchased and installed new PCs for our corporate office in 2013.  As a result, I have the task of making sure the old PCs are disposed of securely.  Based on my past experience, this is usually not an easy task and can be expensive. Part of the expense is making sure that data on the old machines is destroyed so that we maintain HIPAA compliance.

Connecting For GoodI know of local organizations that recycle old computer parts, but these PCs might still be useful to someone willing to take the time to rebuild them and install more memory (RAM).  As I was deciding the best course of action, got an email from my long-time colleague Rick Dean.  Rick and I had run into each other many times over the years at not-for-profit IT events.  We loved to “talk shop” and share our IT experiences. We’ve kept in touch over the years, mostly through LinkedIn, but it was his recent email that caught my eye.

Connecting For Good - Refurbishing ProgramRick is a founding board member of Connecting for Good, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to making sure that everyone has access to broadband Internet, regardless of their income. While Internet access is available at libraries, schools and other public institutions, they believe connectivity in the home is essential for all Kansas City families if they are to fully participate in our digital society.

Connecting to the internet requires a computer and an internet connection.  Their computer refurbishing program provides lower cost access to computer hardware.   This program was a perfect fit for our needs, and Connecting for Good will be getting all of our old machines.  Everybody wins, and we feel like we are doing a good deed instead of just recycling the old PCs!

Do you normally recycle your old machines?  Do you keep them in a closet to collect dust because you didn’t know what to do with them?  I hope this is a good for solution for you… please let us know!