The SaaS-ification of IT asset disposal

Hey there are Web services for just about every other part of your supply chain process, so why not responsible IT asset disposal?

That's the pitch from ServoTerra.com, which essentially is a business-to-business exchange platform that lets businesses connect directly to technology recycling companies. The service was built on top of the Force.com platform by Appiro, a cloud solution provider.

So here's where I step in and note that there are quite a few exchanges out there that help companies with the liquidation process (FreeFlow is another extremely notable player here), but ServoTerra.com Steve Wagner has tied his model more closely to end-of-life considerations for technology where many of the other options here have tied their services to the trading of assets that might be considered excess inventory out in the supply chain.

Wagner's company has even struck a partnership with Blancco, which is a service that offers disk wiping over the Internet to comply with privacy and security considerations when turning in used equipment. "Our exchange is designed for equipment that has a second life," he says.

The other consideration is that companies can use ServoTerra to track more closely where their equipment ultimately winds up, which is important for compliance considerations, Wagner says. Customers include OpSource, Rackspace Hosting, Time Warner Cable, Dell, 3PAR and Super Micro Computer. Companies pay a transaction fee for the service of between 5 percent and 15 percent of the transaction.