As well as offering ethical and safe computer disposal in and around London, WEEE Technology also offer a range of other services – including an audit of all your company’s IT equipment. Here we look at five key reasons why businesses find this service useful.
As Part of Your Company Balance Sheet
Every UK-based company is legally obliged to file accounts with Companies House. An audit will help identify how much all your IT hardware and software is worth, and this figure can then be entered on the balance sheet as a tangible fixed asset.
Some businesses don’t have up-to-date records of what they own, and the last thing you want to do is pay tax on an item which doesn’t exist, or the wrong amount of tax because you have incorrectly assessed the equipment’s true value.
To Help with Your Overall IT Strategy
An IT audit can help you schedule a planned programme of maintenance. Once you know the make, model and age of every piece of equipment, then you can implement a rolling programme of repairs and, if necessary, replacement.
Audits can also help you implement a disaster recovery plan – if you have a power cut, for instance, have you backed up all your files?
Also, if you are thinking of expanding your business, then an audit will identify which items of equipment are likely to still be fit for purpose or ‘scalable’, and which items you should be looking to replace.
To Help with Regulatory Compliance
An IT audit may be able to identify weaknesses in your equipment. For instance, older PCs and laptops may no longer be supported by technical updates from the software manufacturer. This could mean they are more vulnerable to a targeted attack by hackers.
A proper ‘stock take’ will allow you to take steps to improve your security, which is more important than ever, as the authorities are now cracking down on companies who do not keep their clients’ personal information safe.
The General Data Protection Regulations, which came into effect in 2018, mean that your business could face a substantial fine if you have suffered an unauthorised data breach. You may need to ensure compliance with other, more industry-specific legal requirements as well.
To Fill in Gaps in Your Knowledge
Companies often ask for our audits because they have incomplete records of what they own. It can sometimes be difficult to keep track of everything, particularly if you have staff who work from home.
An IT audit can also form part of a regular, planned stocktake of everything the company owns, or for a specific event such as a potential sale or takeover, when you need to know the total value of all your assets, including computers, PCs and laptops.
To Help with IT Disposal
IT equipment often needs to be disposed of it is no longer fit for the purpose your company wants it for. At WEEE Technology we offer secure data erasure and destruction, as well as safe computer disposal, primarily for companies in north and central London. We have all the latest certification, including a waste carriers’ licence and a waste exemption licence both issued by the Environment Agency, which ensures our regulatory compliance.
We always aim to recycle or repurpose as many items as possible. Sending items to landfill is always a last resort.
IT Audits from WEEE Technology
At WEEE Technology we offer a full report on all your IT assets, not just the computers. We record all the details, including the make, model, serial number and a full specification. Usually our audits are completed in Excel, but we can format them in other programs – just ask and we should be able to comply with your needs.
If you would like to know more about our IT audit services, follow this link or call us on 020 7859 4669.
