Salvation Army Trading Company Ltd gives old computers new life
The Salvation Army is known worldwide for its abundant charity work. Its U.K. trading arm, the Salvation Army Trading Company (SATCoL), raises money for charity through nationwide reuse and repurposing schemes.
In one of its latest initiatives to serve the community, SATCoL introduced the resale of donated computers and mobile devices across their retail outlets. To build trust with donor partners for these data storage devices, SATCoL turned to Blancco.
Highlights
Using Blancco secure data erasure, SATCoL has:
Enabled reuse of castoff technology, supporting the community’s most vulnerable people.
Met tough standards for secure, regulation-compliant data erasure at donor companies, inspiring trust.
Set their sights on selling laptops, PCs, phones, and tablets online and in SATCoL’s 240 U.K. retail outlets.
Challenge
Every day, the digital divide becomes wider between those who have access to technology and those who do not. In a society that requires computers to get a job or go to school, many people go without.
At the same time, IT teams replace thousands of used computers and mobile devices each day that still have usable life.
During SATCoL’s initial review of the IT landscape, it was clear that many devices were not reused. Instead, they were mechanically dismantled before recycling. The market was also saturated with recycling and waste management companies, but there were no charity-led initiatives—a challenge SATCoL’s team saw as an opportunity.
SATCoL actively encourages reuse and recycling through approximately 8,000 conveniently located clothing banks and over 240 retail stores, innovative nationwide school programs, and modern processing centers. In a move to develop and produce modern solutions for charitable donations and efficient ways to support the circular economy, the trading organization made it their goal to extend the life of unwanted laptops, PCs, phones, and tablets.
They would remove all stored data, then sell these devices in their shops across the U.K. Resale would not only give equipment a second life but also help raise vital funds to support the work that The Salvation Army does across the U.K.
But first, they had to earn the trust of hardware donors, providing auditable assurance that no one would ever gain access to donor data.
Solution
“In conversation with people in the industry, ‘Blancco’ was the name that kept coming up as the most credible partner,” said SATCoL Service Development Manager Richard Shea.
SATCoL began working with Blancco to examine the ease, efficiency, and security of Blancco Drive Eraser for removing data from computers and hard drives. The organization also licensed Blancco Mobile Diagnostics & Erasure for phones and tablets.
With Blancco’s wide variety of erasure standards and 25+ certifications and approvals, donors know their data is safe. In fact, many enterprises already specify Blancco erasure within their internal standards for end-of-life equipment sanitization. With validated certificates of erasure, donors also know they can meet even the toughest audit requirements.
“Partnering with Blancco is a powerful step towards supporting the most vulnerable in the community. These devices can help with essential daily tasks such as homework for young people, online courses for career progression, and simply keeping in touch with friends and family.” Richard Shea - Service Development Manager, SATCoL.
Blancco’s proven ability to render data safe from unauthorized access means SATCoL can more easily solicit decommissioned computers from businesses, schools, and other donors—setting the stage for additional resale capacity in the future.
Donors also benefit by knowing they are supporting a worthy cause. But that’s not all: SATCoL provides premium data sanitization service to donors free of charge. A tamper-proof audit trail completes the cycle, enabling SATCoL to meet the needs of the widest variety of potential donors, including those in highly regulated industries.
Results
SATCoL’s one-year pilot with Blancco secure data erasure shows that donors are excited to turn over their old computers for reuse.
“We’re a trusted brand raising funds to support The Salvation Army and we pride ourselves on offering excellent service and items that have been given a new lease of life,” said Shea. “Using Blancco and being able to offer IT devices in our shops has diversified our product mix and given the community direct access to good quality items ready to be repurposed.”
Blancco gives SATCoL credibility as a partner that is fully capable of safely repurposing donated hardware. Building on that trust, SATCoL is looking to extend its donor reach across the commercial and government sectors. Blancco’s trusted status also positions SATCoL to pursue accreditations such as with the National Protective Security Authority, which advises and regulates technology usage in the U.K.
As SATCoL works to increase its technology reuse efforts, its relationship with Blancco is keeping pace with its accelerating pace of change. By shifting to a flexible, volume-oriented licensing model, for instance, SATCoL can nimbly scale on demand as it adds new donors.
Its relationship with Blancco as a key technology partner positions SATCoL to add new commercial and non-commercial donors freely and efficiently over the coming years. Through that partnership, Blancco contributes to SATCoL’s mission to deliver technology access to more people while also delivering hope to those who need it most.