Companies should be aware of the constantly changing security environment and the ever-increasing threats, new legislation and best market practices. This was the key message at a recent event hosted by Xperien to address the challenges of the new Protection of Personal Information (PoPI) Act with regards to IT Asset Disposal and Cyber Crime.

At the first IT Asset Disposal (ITAD) conference on the African continent, delegates were cautioned to ensure that offline security was not forgotten in the noise of growing online threats. Experts discussed the principles of ITAD and explained why company executives need to consider regulatory compliance and prevent reputational loss.

Xperien CEO Wale Arewa spoke about cybercrime, the PoPI Act and ITAD. "Companies will be forced to change their processes to ensure that the personal information and data they collect is protected. The successful adoption of this Act will depend on a comprehensive understanding of the principles of the new law."

PoPI Act expert Dr Peter Tobin called for more enforcement. "The PoPI Act allows people like you, me and the man on the street to understand much more about the information that is being collected about them, to get their name on the street, the opportunity to get consent, to understand the purpose and to ask questions about how securely the information is being held."

IT Asset Lifecycle Management specialist William Robertson says event is a first of its kind, recognising the significant role that hardware, software and information assets play in balancing the ICT value equation.

He says one shouldn't lose sight of the greater good and overall value that ICT assets, and the people that manage them, can bring to an organisation. "IT Asset Management (ITAM) is the underpinning yet mostly misunderstood 'building block' of the ICT world. No service or solution can exist without the foundational ICT hardware and software."

"As such, ITAM is the good practice framework to assist organisations in maximising the value derived from their IT assets, while also minimising the risks that come with governance and legislative compliance," he explained.

Robertson says in most organisations, hardware and software expenditure consumes in excess of 50% of the ICT budget and this represents a sizeable investment in the future value of the organisation.

"Yet without the proper supervision, the potential value of this investment can be heavily eroded and end up on the scrap heap, with nobody being any the wiser. The role of the IT Asset Manager is thus to establish the ongoing ITAM policies and executive support for the programme objectives and to measure and communicate the successes thereof to promote continued cross-functional support," he added.

"The event was a resounding success given the exchange of information, knowledge and ideas. Everyone has walked away far richer than they arrived, and the benefactor of all of this will be both the individuals and the ICT community at large, as we each pore our newly learned skills and ideas back into the businesses that we support," he concluded.