From Procurement to Recycling: A Guide to IT Asset Lifecycle Management in India

The way businesses manage IT assets is rapidly changing, and the stakes have never been higher. With e-waste rising and resources dwindling, the old “use and dispose” model is no longer viable. For organisations in India, adopting IT Asset Lifecycle Management (ITALM) isn’t just about compliance—it’s about staying competitive while protecting the planet.

From optimising costs to enhancing operational efficiency, ITALM empowers businesses to make smarter, more sustainable decisions. Let’s explore how this approach drives success, aligns with the circular economy, and helps Indian businesses thrive in a resource-constrained world.

Stages of IT Asset Lifecycle Management (ITALM)

Managing IT assets effectively involves a structured process that spans their entire lifecycle. Each stage ensures optimal use of resources, supports cost efficiency, and aligns with sustainability goals. Here’s a closer look:

1. Procurement

• What It Involves: Selecting IT assets such as laptops, desktops, printers, and air conditioning systems that are durable, energy-efficient, and modular, enabling easier upgrades and repairs.
• Why It’s Important: Smart procurement reduces unnecessary costs, ensures assets last longer, and supports sustainability goals. For instance, choosing 5-star rated air conditioners, which are 61% more energy efficient than 1-star models according to the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), can significantly reduce energy consumption and operational costs.
• Example: Choosing sustainable cooling solutions such as Circolife’s AC on subscription can help businesses save energy bills by up to 30% while protecting the planet.

2. Deployment

• What It Involves: Ensuring IT assets such as routers, switches, laptops, and servers are installed and configured to support seamless operations and enable cloud integration.
• Why It’s Important: Hardware facilitates connectivity to cloud systems, enabling businesses to optimise workloads and reduce reliance on extensive on-premise infrastructure. For example, transitioning to hybrid cloud setups using high-performance local servers and cloud platforms can cut energy consumption significantly. Accenture’s report highlights that deploying energy-efficient hardware for cloud operations can lower carbon emissions by up to 84%.
• Example: A business deploying high-speed routers and firewalls ensures secure and efficient access to cloud-based applications.

3. Usage and Maintenance

• What It Involves: Regular servicing of IT assets such as laptops, networking devices, and air conditioning systems, along with timely software updates and component upgrades to maintain performance.
• Why It’s Important: Preventive maintenance reduces breakdowns, ensures devices perform optimally, and delays costly replacements. Businesses adopting routine maintenance practices can save up to 25% on IT repair and replacement costs annually, according to HCL.
• Example: Upgrading firewalls and routers regularly prevents vulnerabilities, ensuring secure connectivity and smooth operations.

4. Refurbishment or Reassignment

• What It Involves: Extending the lifecycle of IT assets like desktops, smartphones, or servers by refurbishing them or reallocating them to less intensive roles within the organisation.
• Why It’s Important: This step aligns with circular economy principles by keeping IT assets in use longer, reducing unnecessary disposal. With India’s e-waste generation increasing by 73% over the past five years, refurbishment is the need of the hour (Down to Earth).
• Example: Refurbishing desktops for use in training programmes or donating functional laptops to educational institutions ensures prolonged use and reduces environmental impact.

5. Disposal

• What It Involves: Ensuring the environmentally responsible decommissioning and recycling of IT assets that have reached the end of their lifecycle. This includes secure data wiping, proper dismantling, and working with certified e-waste recyclers.
• Why It’s Important: Improper disposal of IT assets poses significant environmental and health risks, with toxic materials such as lead and mercury polluting soil and water. In India, only 10% of e-waste is recycled formally, while the remaining 90% ends up in informal recycling sectors, landfills, or incinerators, according to a report by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Partnering with authorised recyclers mitigates these risks and also ensures compliance with India’s e-waste regulations. Additionally, responsible recycling enables the recovery of valuable materials like gold and copper, reducing dependency on virgin resources.

ITALM and the Circular Economy

The circular economy reimagines how resources are used by keeping them in circulation through reuse, refurbishment, and recycling. IT Asset Lifecycle Management (ITALM) embodies these principles at every stage, transforming IT operations into a sustainable model.

Instead of treating IT assets as disposable, ITALM ensures businesses can:

• Extend asset lifespan: Through maintenance, upgrades, and refurbishment.
• Optimise resources: By prioritising modular and energy-efficient designs during procurement.
• Close the loop: Ensuring discarded assets are responsibly recycled or repurposed.

For Indian businesses, adopting ITALM helps tackle the country’s escalating e-waste problem while aligning operations with global sustainability goals.

Driving Sustainability Through IT Asset Management

IT Asset Lifecycle Management is more than a strategy—it’s the foundation of a sustainable and efficient business. By aligning with circular economy principles, ITALM helps organisations reduce waste, optimise resources, and address India’s growing e-waste challenge. For forward-thinking businesses, it’s the key to building a future that’s both profitable and responsible.