Glu, the end-to-end channel services provider, has launched Horizon Reuse, a module within Glu’s Horizon Platform that manages IT hardware through its entire lifecycle and enables enterprise partners and users to ease their way into the circular economy.
The scale of the problem with redundant IT equipment has been thrown into focus by the United Nations’ Global E-waste Monitor, which predicts that the 62 million tonnes seen in 2022 will reach 82 million tonnes by 2030.
In the small IT and telecoms category, e-waste amounted to 4.6 billion kilos in 2022 and only 22% of that was documented as collected and recycled.
For larger organisations, it’s a major headache to track, monitor and replace all pieces of IT hardware, but Horizon Reuse makes it easy to go green.
It identifies what a partner and their customers require, designs the right setup, installs it all, supports those using it, and replaces the equipment when the time is right.
Horizon is Glu’s lifecycle management platform, helping partners and customers manage technology from pre-sales and solution design through deployment, adoption, support and renewal to secure collection, reuse and responsible recycling to maximise value at every stage and support the circular economy.
It also means that customers can securely remove surplus and end-of-life technology, potentially get some money back and protect their data.
If a server, laptop or phone needs to be replaced, it carries data and the Horizon Reuse service ensures that the information they contain is securely erased or physically destroyed, depending on the agreed treatment of each piece of equipment.
Unwanted equipment is collected, data secured, then the remaining value is confirmed and paid following collection and final grading, which considers whether items can be redeployed, resold or responsibly recycled.
The upshot is that customers can seamlessly remove surplus and end-of-life technology, protect their data, recover residual value and support the circular economy through one simple, fully managed service.
Many organisations, however, still manage this final stage through disparate suppliers, spreadsheets and ad hoc manual processes.
Horizon Reuse connects IT asset disposal directly to the wider technology lifecycle, creating a clear, auditable journey from initial purchase through to secure collection and final disposition.
The service supports all vendors and all types of technology equipment, including:
- Laptops, desktops and monitors
- Mobile phones and tablets
- Servers, storage and data-centre equipment
- Switches, routers, firewalls and wireless infrastructure
- Printers, peripherals and workplace technology
- Surplus, legacy and end-of-life equipment
Billy Haining, co-founder of Fareham-based Glu, said: “Every laptop, server and switch a business owns will one day need to leave the estate, yet that final step is still too often handled through spreadsheets and disconnected suppliers.
“Horizon Reuse closes that gap, giving customers one secure, simple, auditable route that protects their data, recovers residual value and keeps working technology in use for longer.”
The result, he says, is greater visibility, stronger governance, improved financial returns and a more sustainable approach to technology ownership.
