By David Daoud: The rise of hyperscale data centers has redrawn the boundaries of the ITAD industry. For companies in the business of decommissioning, reselling, and recycling retired IT hardware, the most important clients are no longer Fortune 1000 banks,...
Understanding Market Conditions:
Preparing for Tomorrow’s Challenges & Opportunities
The ITAD
Sector Pulse
Syndicated Research & The ITAD Marketing Leadership Tracker
This series is where analysts share their latest understanding of market conditions affecting the ITAD sector. Analyses are published at minimum twice per month, with the likelihood of more as the sector gets more active, to help industry executives stay abreast of issues affecting their business. A quarterly Zoom conference call is also held for subscribing clients. Topics include industry developments, economic trends, general IT sector developments and much more.
Analysts will also share proprietary data when it is appropriate within a publish document. Data comes from CS’ primary research, and/or from open source secondary research.
The Latest Analysis:
Research: Hyperscaler Data Center Decommissioning — The Magnificent Seven and the Lesser-Known Massive ITAD Opportunity
By David Daoud: The rise of hyperscale data centers has redrawn the boundaries of the ITAD industry. For companies in the business of decommissioning, reselling, and recycling retired IT hardware, the most important clients are no longer Fortune 1000 banks,...
Rethinking Data Security in the New Generation of Enterprise AI Devices
By David Daoud: We spent some time looking at the latest generation of computing devices and how the embedding of AI could drastically reshape the risk profile of corporate IT departments. The new systems that are about to replace the PCs, systems that we’ve known for...
Tariffs, Tech, and Turmoil: How the New Trade War Is Reshaping IT and ITAD
The effects of the new U.S. tariffs on imported technology have been felt immediately with the stock market negatively reacting to sweeping tariffs that many expect would result in a global downturn. Almost all media outlets and economists agree that the tariffs will...
How Tariffs Are Threatening PC Industry Recovery, But ITAD May Be Entering New Phase of Strategic Relevance
Tariffs are creating a new crisis that’s throwing the PC industry into disarray. While OEMs are halting shipments, we spoke to CIOs who are slashing budgets, and in our discussions with ITADs, the secondary market is also flooded with uncertainty. But setting aside the normal reaction we are seeing, in this chaos lies opportunity. With the right playbook, OEMs can stabilize operations, CIOs can shield their transformation agendas, and more than ever before, ITAD firms can absolutely emerge as strategic enablers in a reshaped hardware landscape.
AI PCs: 10 Things ITADs and Recyclers Should Expect Four Years from Now, Setting Aside Tariff Drama
Setting aside the unfolding tariff war drama and its impact on a large swaths of industries, including ITAD, a new generation of AI-capable laptops, desktops, workstations, and servers will hit the market this year, albeit at a slower pace than expected, promising to...
Analysis: What the Latest Devices Tell Us About the Future of Enterprise IT and ITAD
Enterprise hardware is undergoing a major transformation. The latest systems released in March 2025 reveal that AI capabilities are now embedded by default, shifting performance to the edge with NPUs and AI-accelerated workflows. At Compliance Standards, we’re tracking this shift — from sustainability and energy use to lifecycle impacts — and it’s clear: the next generation of enterprise PCs isn’t just faster, it’s fundamentally different.
ITAD Shake-Up: Mergers, Exits, and Bankruptcies: Who Will Survive the Industry’s Ongoing Transformation?
The ITAD industry is undergoing a seismic shift—bankruptcies, mergers, and market exits are reshaping the landscape. The days of ‘two men and a truck’ operations are over as larger, well-funded players consolidate power. Smome companies are doubling down on ITAD, while others are retreating. The question now is: Who will survive, and who will be left behind?
Ingram Micro’s ITAD and Lifecycle Business: Straddling the Line
Summary: Ingram Micro’s latest 4Q2024 earnings call confirms the company’s focus on higher-margin businesses like cloud, digital solutions, and AI-powered automation. And while it continues to offer ITAD services, we are not likely to see an aggressive push in ITAD....
More Analyses
- The Climate Disclosure Laws that will Impact the ITAD, E-Waste and Recycling Sectors
- Despite AI, PC Market to Remain Dormant This Year. Implications on ITAD Sector
- Deep Dive Into the Education Sector’s ITAD
- New AI Features to Create More Data Security Risks, to Boost Onsite Data Erasure Services
- Strategic Foresight: The Future ITAD Factory is Already Here
- April Traffic to ITAD vendors’ online platforms up 16%
- Market Snapshot: Private Equity Firms Fueling ITAD’s Data Security Sector
- Regulators in Europe and US Push Against Greenwashing ESG and Sustainability in Investment Funds
- A Look at the ITAD Industry’s Evolving ESG Reporting Tools
- Dissecting Iron Mountain’s 1Q Financial Results: Is the ITAD Sector in Full Recovery Mode?
- The Politicization of ESG: How Various Business, Social & Political Groups have Divergent Views on ESG
- Prelim data shows March marketing activity in ITAD down 0.27%, as most leading vendors experience reduced visits to their sites
- ITAD Vendors Ratings Tables
- ITAD Vendor Reputation Rating Update & Assessing the Industry’s Readiness for ESG
- Questioning Lenovo’s ‘Sustainability-as-a-Service’ Offering
- February ITAD M&A and Transactions Update
- ITAD Marketing Efforts Drop in February 2024, Change in Top Leadership
- Microsoft’s new commercial laptops: Small push on the AI front, better sustainability and ITAD profiles
- ITAD’s Online Marketing Increases in January 2024, according to the ITAD Marketing Leadership Tracker
- ITAD Enterprise Trends: Discussion with Cascade’s Neil Peters-Michaud
- ITAD M&A and Business Transactions: January 2024 Update
- As predicted, the PC market ends 2023 with dismal results, and the writing was on the wall
- ITAD Sector’s 2024 Predictions
- Brief: Brace for possible weak PC sales in 4Q23, but ITAD vendors should benefit from that
- The shape of the hardware and device markets in 2024 and beyond with analyst Bob O’Donnell
- Recycling: 17% of US organizations dispose of their IT equipment as waste
- Active M&A period underway, yet assessing outlook remains unsettled
- Iron Mountain’s acquisition of Regency makes sense: it is getting a small but good reputation firm
- First Impression: Arrow Electronics’ 3rd.-Quarter Performance Confirms Weakness in the Component Sector
- A heated 2024: Intel on overdrive to get its ISV partners to join its AI PC program
- Microsoft’s message: “buckle up, 2024 is coming”
- The ITAD Sector’s Performance: Glass is Half-Full and Half-Empty
- Tech: Qualcomm’s huge ambitions in the PC market
- The AI Opportunity: How ITAD companies can leverage the AI Chips sector even before products are built
- Preliminary data shows improved ITAD industry sentiments in 3Q23, but market fundamentals remain weak
- The Analyst Corner: Tough Times for Marketers
- Market sizing: The challenges of estimating the US ITAD market
- California SB 253 and SB 261 are good news for ITAD vendors
- ITADs and the Labor Market
ITAD at HP: Fragmentation, Market Perception, and the Need for Clarity
Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) and HP Inc. face not only the same market challenges as their competitors but also persistent branding and identity issues stemming from their corporate split. Their fragmented approach to IT asset disposition (ITAD), with overlapping business units and multiple brand variations, has led to inefficiencies and customer confusion. This lack of clarity makes it difficult for enterprise clients to navigate HP’s ITAD offerings, weakening the company’s competitiveness. To address this, HP must unify its ITAD strategy and clarify its branding through a more cohesive marketing and go-to-market approach.
First Take: Cascade Asset Management and Sage Sustainable Electronics Join in First Merger in US ITAD Sector
On January 31, 2025, Madison, WI-based Cascade Asset Management merged with Columbus, OH-based Sage Sustainable Electronics. A one-page online post by Cascade suggests that the companies will continue to operate as two independent entities for the time being. This is the first time that a merger has taken place in the industry, while the most recent transactions in the ITAD sector favored acquisitions.
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