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Erase, Reuse, Recover: Extending IT Value in an Unsteady Economy

Enterprises are operating in one of the most uncertain economic periods in recent history. Between recession risk, shifting trade policies, and cost-heavy tech stacks, IT leaders are under pressure to extract more value from their existing investments.  

Fortunately, strategic data sanitization supports IT asset reuse, cloud optimization, and better data hygiene to help organizations get more from their existing resources. 

Stephanie Larochelle Stephanie Larochelle is Content Marketing Manager at Blancco, where she covers secure data erasure and IT asset lifecycle management for corporate IT teams, ITAD providers and mobile device processors. She brings more than a decade of technical writing experience and a background in military service, information security and cybersecurity that informs her approach to data protection and regulatory compliance.

Businesses bear down for a fragile outlook 

As Wall Street heads toward a bear market, businesses are following suit: bearing down to plan around challenges such as budget crunches, supply chain disruptions, and rising economic pressure. A rapid jump in recession risk—up to 60% by some estimates—has companies reassessing spending before conditions worsen. On top of that, global instability, energy supply issues, and US–China trade disputes are driving up costs and threatening supply chains. 

These challenges are prompting businesses to cut back, and many are starting with IT. Leaders are focusing on reducing technology costs as a practical way to manage through leaner conditions. 

IT cost concerns are putting progress on hold

IT cost savings were already top of mind coming into 2025, with 92% of company leaders planning some form of cost control. Economic uncertainty is only intensifying that focus. Enterprise IT leaders are working to reduce spending across their tech stacks while preserving the investments needed to stay competitive. Hardware budgets and cloud usage are among the first areas under review. 

IT leaders target hardware efficiency 

Demand for IT hardware has started to slow, with global spending projected to decrease slightly by 4.5% in 2025. This modest reduction reflects a broader shift as companies delay refresh cycles and reassess infrastructure investments.  

According to the 2025 State of IT Report from Spiceworks, top measures companies are taking to reduce hardware spend include:  

Cloud cost control has lost control 

Cloud costs are a growing concern: 51% of organizations are saying they’re spending too much and 14% are describing their costs as “way too high.” A major challenge is lack of visibility; nearly 9 in 10 professionals say it limits their ability to manage spend effectively.  

Historically, one key driver affecting spend is the amount of data stored unnecessarily. Redundant, obsolete, or trivial (ROT) data continues to consume storage and inflate cloud bills, with some reporting as much as 30% of unstructured data being ROT. Also, according to Seagate, as much as 68% of data lies dormant and untapped. Managing this is critical from both an economic and environmental objective; data storage devices and transmissions create a massive 330 megatons of carbon dioxide annually.  

For ESG goals, as well as IT budgets, corporate data hoarding hurts: Cutting the Carbon Footprint of Enterprise Data Storage 

How data sanitization supports smarter IT resource management 

Data sanitization plays a strategic role in how organizations manage IT resources. When erasure is built into workflows, enterprises make smarter decisions around device reuse, storage management, and resource allocation.  

Extend IT asset lifespans  

Many mobile devices and laptops are replaced long before their usable life ends. iPhones can last up to eight years, and Samsung devices around six, yet enterprise refresh cycles average just two to three years.  

With certified erasure, these assets can be safely reassigned without compromising security. Even devices previously used for sensitive data can be reassigned to lower-security roles. 

Blancco enterprise case study: Top Technology Company Erases 4,000 Servers Simultaneously

Recapture residual device value 

Secure enterprise data erasure opens the door to recovering value from assets that would otherwise be retired. Erased devices may be eligible for return, refund, or credit through RMA programs. Donated equipment may also qualify for tax benefits if proper erasure standards are met. These steps help IT teams get more out of their existing investments. 

Optimize cloud storage 

As cloud expenses come under greater scrutiny, organizations are taking steps to reduce unnecessary storage. Secure erasure plays a role here too. It supports efforts to eliminate ROT data that no longer needs to be retained but continues to incur costs. 

IT asset reuse and cloud spend optimization can help your enterprise get more value from existing resources while maintaining security and compliance. By incorporating secure data erasure into these efforts, you can streamline operations, reduce unnecessary storage, and extend the lifecycle of devices.  

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