LiteHaus Repurposes 1000s of Enterprise Devices for Students & Computer Labs

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LiteHaus International helps students of the Asia Pacific region get a digital education. Thanks to enterprise computer donations, it refurbishes old computers, sanitizes the data from them, and distributes them to schools and students. LiteHaus’s work has benefitted more than 100,000 people to date, bridging the digital divide while protecting the environment.

Highlights

With Blancco secure data erasure, LiteHaus has:

  • Securely repurposed 7,275 computers to keep them out of landfills, preventing 116 tonnes of e-waste and the release of 241 tonnes of CO2.
  • Built 163 school computer labs across Asia-Pacific, serving more than 105,000 students.
  • Sent more than 3,000 computers to students in 87 locales.
  • Injected $3.4 million of social value into local communities.

Challenge

Every year, too many computers go into landfills or get destroyed. That’s because many corporate IT refresh projects decommission fully functional equipment, only to send them for shredding or recycling. At the same time, millions of students have no computer access.

LiteHaus, a non-profit charity supporting digital learning opportunities, bridges this gap by reclaiming disused equipment such as laptops, desktops, and tablets for use in schools. But before that handoff can happen, all traces of sensitive data must be removed from donated computer equipment to ensure safe and secure reuse.

LiteHaus must also process a wide range of computers from various sources in different quantities, all with different data protection requirements. To meet the most needs in the quickest amount of time with limited resources, LiteHaus needed a data erasure process that was fast, thorough, cost efficient, and easily implemented—and they needed to provide donors with auditable proof that they had eliminated all data from donated devices.

Solution

Blancco allows LiteHaus to confidently carry out industry-leading data erasure for the wide variety of enterprise computer donations it receives. Growing cybersecurity and governance requirements make this ability critical. By using Blancco’s software-based data sanitization, LiteHaus also adds value for Australian businesses by providing secure IT asset disposition without charge in exchange for their donated devices. Blancco’s flagship data erasure software, Blancco Drive Eraser, also enables LiteHaus to manage that process completely in-house from original receipt to erasure, reporting, and distribution, minimizing cost and time, no matter what drive types are received or erasure standards are needed.

Blancco Drive Eraser has been rigorously tested by government organizations and industry authorities, resulting in multiple third-party certifications, including Common Criteria certification from the Australasian Certification Authority. That certification assures LiteHaus that Blancco’s data erasure technology for HDDs and SSDs is sound, and LiteHaus can share that certainty with potential donors. A tamper-proof audit trail documents device sanitization results to provide rock-solid evidence that meets the most organizations’ rigorous governance requirements. Data erasure reports are stored centrally in the Blancco Management Console.

Millions of students go without the tools to dream and achieve in the digital age. Instead of letting those very tools go into a landfill, LiteHaus International connects castoff equipment with the right second-phase owners. Secure erasure with Blancco is a critical part of our end-to-end solution.

Jack Growden – Founder and CEO, LiteHaus International.

Blancco secure data erasure has become deeply enmeshed in LiteHaus’s equipment renewal processes. Ongoing partnership with Blancco will encourage more corporate organizations to donate, and Blancco sales and engineering teams will help it scale to hundreds or thousands of devices per day as LiteHaus grows.

Results

By sanitizing data from enterprise computer donations completely and permanently with Blancco Drive Eraser, LiteHaus has been able to support thousands of students with the computing devices they need to further their education. Thanks to the data protection confidence provided by Blancco, LiteHaus is well positioned to strengthen and acquire significant partnerships that further their mission.

For instance, LiteHaus’s engagement with James Cook University transforms e-waste into tools of digital empowerment. The university donated 190 Dell Latitude laptops with full assurance that LiteHaus would thoroughly eliminate any data contained on them, beyond recovery. Fifty of the laptops from James Cook are destined for NRL Cowboys House, a residential facility for Indigenous secondary students attending partner schools in Townsville, Queensland. The students there have opportunities beyond what would be possible in their remote home communities. The rest of the laptops will find their way to Year 11 and Year 12 students across Queensland.

The digital world belongs to everyone, but billions of people experience digital inequality. LiteHaus helps get rid of that lack of access, and Blancco is a critical ingredient in its programs. This work helps interrupt the e-waste cycle and benefits disadvantaged students, schools, and communities. Secure erasure gives computer equipment a fresh start—and a chance to renew hope for the digital leaders of tomorrow.

About LiteHaus International

Founded in 2017 in Queensland Australia, LiteHaus International intercepts landfill-bound computer equipment and redirects it to students. Its Digital Infrastructure Program has built 163 school computer labs in the Asia-Pacific that provide digital learning opportunities to more than 105,000 students. Meanwhile, its Digital Inclusion Program has put refurbished laptops directly into the hands of more than 3,000 learners. Looking ahead, LiteHaus’s “A Million Dreams” initiative is a five-year plan to expand and serve 28 countries across the region. To learn more, visit litehausinternational.org and their Donating Digital Devices web page.

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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