Everyone can relate to the excitement of getting something new. When you have something new, especially something that was expensive, you take extra special care of it. But what happens when that special something isn’t so new any more?
You stop taking such special care of it.
Which is ok, if we are talking about a pair of shoes. However, when we are talking about electronics, namely network equipment, neglect is a major mistake that you do not want to make!
What difference does it make?
Here’s the thing. IT equipment will always have value. How much value depends on how well you care for your equipment throughout its entire lifecycle in your data center. Including the time between de-installation and exiting your facility. . Many IT managers fail to remember that network equipment does not automatically become garbage once it is no longer a good fit in 
their network. A better option is to take advantage of asset recovery programs.
The Problem?
Asset recovery is that it is often an afterthought. IT is a common misconception that IT equipment that has become antiquated in your network, is obsolete in general, making it garbage to be disposed of. This is simply not true. Just because a particular router or switch is no longer relevant in your network does not mean it is not a perfect fit in someone else’s data center. So, throwing the equipment in the trash is literally throwing away money!
Unfortunately, many data center managers do not realize that their equipment has any value until it is too late. Meaning, the equipment has often been de-installed without care, dis-assembled and left somewhere out of sight and out of mind, which is a recipe for disaster when it comes to retaining resale value.
The Bottom Line
Stop neglecting your networking equipment! It is a mistake that cannot be amended. If you want to get the most return on your initial data center equipment investment you have, Take proper care of your routers, switches, firewalls and servers from day one. Proper maintenance is the key to retaining the highest asset recovery value for your network hardware.
