Cascade report notes refurbished computer equipment values have stabilized

Average refurbished laptop values rose 16 percent in the last quarter of 2023 compared with the last quarter of 2022, according to Madison, Wisconsin-based Cascade Asset Management’s “Tenth Annual ITAD Benchmarking Report,” which looks at current information technology (IT) asset program trends while also referencing the evolution of IT asset disposition (ITAD) practices over the last decade.

That increase follows the 44 percent decrease in laptop resale values in 2022 as changes to global markets affected the secondary market industry, Cascade says.

The report was compiled from a survey of 50 enterprises and organizations collectively representing more than 168,200 employees and 15 industry sectors, according to the company. Additionally, Cascade evaluated more than 1.6 million assets processed between 2019 to 2023, including desktops, notebooks, tablets, smartphones and servers.

According to survey participants, “managing data security and privacy risks” is the top concern when disposing of retired technology. This response earned a weighted average of 4.79 (on a scale of 1 to 5), notably surpassing the second-place response of “sustainability,” which received a score of 4.14 out of 5.

Regarding ITAD challenges in 2024, security ranks as the predominant issue, with 32 percent of respondents commenting on the topic. The need to maintain security when retiring IT assets is getting more complicated as 43 percent of respondents indicated that more than 20 percent of their workforce is now remote.

This year's survey participants provide evidence of the increasing adoption of environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) practices within organizations. Thirty-five percent indicate their employers categorize ESG goals as "very important," while an additional 19 percent recognize them as “important."

While the average price of refurbished desktop computers was down by 57 percent at the end of 2022 compared with the previous year, desktops only lost 2 percent of their average value throughout 2023. Laptops fared better with a 16 percent increase in resale prices by year-end compared with a 44 percent drop in prices in 2022, the report indicates.

In the 10 years that Cascades has been releasing its benchmarking study, organizations have indicated they are holding onto their computer equipment longer. The average age of laptops is 4.29 years when organizations retire them, up from 4.02 years a decade ago. Desktops also reportedly are held six months longer now than 10 years ago, with a current average retirement age of 4.69 years.

"A decade ago when we initiated our inaugural 'IT Asset Disposition Benchmarking Report,' our primary goal was to share knowledge and insights among our customers and industry peers to help all of us improve our programs and processes," Cascade CEO Neil Peters-Michaud says. "This core objective remains as relevant today as it was then."

He adds that since the survey was launched in 2014, 600 ITAD professionals have contributed information about their programs, and Cascade has reported on the processing activity of more than 2.75 million assets. “This body of knowledge has enabled us to develop the most comprehensive and consistently reliable ITAD benchmarking study available, and we are excited to share this annual report with IT asset management and disposition professionals," he says.

A complimentary copy of the report is available by request here Cascade also will present its findings as part of the free and open-to-the-public webinar Feb. 14.

Cascade Asset Management provides secure chain-of-custody transportation solutions, data destruction, computer refurbishing, resale programs and recycling services from production facilities in Wisconsin, Indiana and Florida and on-site for customers across the United States. The company is ISO 9001, ISO 14001, e-Stewards and NAID AAA and says it adheres to the NIST Guidelines for Media Sanitization.