KOcycle Rapidly Scales Trusted IT Lifecycle Business, Nails ‘0% to Landfill’ Disposal with Blancco

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Recently B-Corp certified, KOcycle has thrived as an IT lifecycle solutions provider focused on sustainability and security. With Blancco as the exclusive supplier of its data erasure solutions, the UK-based business provides “technology services that make a difference, putting social responsibility at the forefront to be a force for good for people and the planet”—and does so at scale. The result? Expansive company growth, multiple industry recognitions, positive community impact, and trust from some of the world’s biggest brands.

Highlights

Supported by Blancco data erasure solutions, in a recent 12-month period, KOcycle has:

  • Supported clients across 5 continents
  • Planted over 30K trees to support carbon sequestering
  • Diverted more than 150K assets from landfill
  • Donated 100s of devices to support “Digital Inclusion”
  • Maintained an IT asset “0% to landfill” pledge through secure reuse and responsible recycling

Challenge

Data security is a looming concern as businesses rely on critical and complex IT hardware. Throughout an asset’s lifecycle, enterprise leaders must grapple with reducing risk and adhering to a growing list of data protection regulations.

Yet when it comes to managing the data-dense IT used within data centers, by their employees, and throughout their operations, enterprises face mounting supply costs when purchasing IT—and a potential glut of e-waste when disposing of it.

Thankfully, remarketing or reselling these used devices recovers costs at the end of a device’s first life, which is typically only three to five years long. It also alleviates environmental harm, allowing devices to be reused rather than adding to landfill. But to overcome the risk of future data access and to ensure regulatory compliance, today’s data-reliant businesses need trusted, proven solutions from expert providers.

KOcycle is a rapidly growing business intent on providing secure and sustainable IT lifecycle solutions to some of the world’s premier organizations. With the aim of becoming the UK’s leading end-of-IT lifecycle partner, KOcycle needed a data sanitization solution that shared its mission of saving used enterprise IT from landfill and delivered peace of mind to its clients.

Such a solution also needed to handle high volumes of devices efficiently, be quickly scalable, and easily integrate with other operational software.

Solution

From its beginning, KOcycle has focused on becoming a leader in data security and sustainability, meaning finding a like-minded and intensely capable data sanitization provider for its ITAD business was critical.

After a lengthy market analysis to determine the right wprovider, KOcycle selected Blancco Technology Group as the company’s exclusive partner for all data erasure products.

With the most tested, approved, recommended, and certified data erasure solutions in the world, Blancco equipped KOcycle to offer market leading ITAD services. Professional training for technical and operational staff further cemented KOcycle as an indispensable enterprise partner for protecting data, ensuring regulatory compliance, and enhancing sustainability.

Since day one, we have elected to use Blancco as our toolset for data erasure to ensure our clients’ compliance with leading international standards. Blancco is now embedded within our process and has offered us a scalable solution in line with our rapid growth.

Mike Mclellan – Technical Director, KOcycle.

KOcycle brings together security and sustainability by using Blancco data erasure solutions to sanitize IT equipment of all data:

This enables them to keep computers, drives, smartphones, and more out of landfill and safely give IT equipment a second life with new users.

In turn, reuse cuts greenhouse gases by avoiding emissions used to create new devices, also reducing water and mineral consumption related to the creation of new technology.

Blancco seamlessly integrates with KOcycle’s ERP system, allowing their teams to process more assets faster and pass cost savings to clients.

Blancco software also verifies all assets are sanitized to established industry standards, then provides a tamper-proof certification of each device as part of a documented audit trail. KOcycle takes documentation a step further, aligning it with their bespoke client portal with a report to each client on the mineral and water resources they have preserved through the circular economy.

“The combination of KOcycle’s robust processes, accredited premises, dedicated people, and Blancco’s market leading technology gives our clients confidence that their data is handled the right way and that our clients continue to use us for all of their IT lifecycle needs,” says KOcycle Technical Director Mike Mclellan. “KOcycle’s data erasure services, powered by Blancco, give our clients peace of mind that their assets and data are in safe hands.”

Results

The strength of these features has helped KOcycle grow exponentially, enforcing customer trust beyond UK borders to 50 other countries (and growing) in just five years—all with a team approaching 30 staff, or “KOcyclers.” It’s also enabled them to support digital inclusion by ensuring safe device donation to those that need it most.

The secret?

The foundational principles of security and sustainability: Working with KOcycle, businesses transform their end-of-life IT equipment from a liability to an opportunity. Reusing enterprise IT assets is good environmental stewardship that helps support climate initiatives, with each client receiving a sustainability report for their own internal use. This commitment to environmental care on behalf of its clients and within its own operations recently resulted in KOcycle receiving the coveted 2023 Special Award for Sustainability from the UK IT Industry Awards.

Yet security is never left behind. Blancco provides the most globally tested, approved, certified, and recommended data erasure solutions in the world, making it a perfect fit for KOcycle’s commitment to client data protection.

Braintree Council Chairman Councillor Diana Garrod joined KOcycle Founder and Managing Director Oliver Mason at the inaugural tour of KOcycle’s new facility. The tour included a look at IT assets certifiably erased with Blancco software, showcasing its focus on secure and sustainable IT asset disposal.

KOcycle has also invested deeply in people, process, and premises to provide a secure chain of custody for equipment—from the customer’s location to KOcycle’s site all the way through to resale or recycling, including precisely documenting erasures with tamper-proof and digitally signed reports.

Further enhancing its commitment to data security, KOcycle recently opened a new hardened operations facility with state-of-the-art resources for IT asset disposition. It features futuristic security defenses, such as an alarm that fills the facility with smoke if intruders are detected.

With a spirit of innovation and a mission to serve, KOcycle uses Blancco software as part of its contribution to a more sustainable and secure future.

About KOcycle

KOcycle was founded in 2018 with a mission to provide technology services that make a difference, putting social responsibility at the forefront.

Secure data erasure with Blancco products is key to KOcycle’s ability to safely extend the life of assets. The firm has grown exponentially, becoming synonymous with sustainability in technology and turning the world’s number one waste stream into a force for good for people and the planet. To learn more, visit kocycle.com.

About Blancco

Reduce Risk. Increase Efficiency. Be Sustainable. Blancco Technology Group (AIM: BLTG) provides organizations with secure, compliant, and automated solutions that accelerate the transition to the circular economy. Each year, tens of millions of Blancco erasures allow top-tier organizations to protect end-of-life data against unauthorized access, safely redeploy data storage assets, and firmly comply with increased data protection and privacy requirements. Our precise device diagnostics help move used IT assets confidently into the circular economy, enabling enterprises, IT asset disposition (ITAD) vendors and recyclers, and mobile industry stakeholders to operate more sustainably.

Globally approved, recommended and certified by governing and industry bodies around the world, Blancco is the industry standard in data erasure and mobile lifecycle solutions. With 35+ patented or patent-pending ideas, we continue to grow the number of innovative solutions global companies can rely on to accelerate operations, secure their data, and grow their businesses. Read more about us at blancco.com.

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