By Jim Elder
As the growth of AI adoption continues to skyrocket, so does the demand for memory. It’s not surprising that dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and solid-state drive (SSD) prices have surged as manufacturers shift capacity toward their most profitable products, forcing consumers and businesses to pay more for PCs, smartphones and storage. In fact, even Apple is raising prices, specifically citing memory shortages.
What is surprising, however, is that despite memory price hikes, many enterprises are destroying devices prematurely to mitigate perceived data risk. Of the devices physically destroyed at large enterprises, such as computers and mobile phones, more than a third are still functional and suitable for reuse, according to blancco’s 2026 State of Data Sanitization Report.
For channel partners, this disconnect represents both a significant opportunity and an urgent conversation to have with customers. In a market where hardware costs are climbing and IT budgets are under pressure, the ability to compliantly recover, redeploy or resell end-of-life assets is no longer a niche add-on. It’s a compelling value proposition that differentiates partners who think beyond the initial sale and positions them as long-term strategic advisors to their enterprise customers. Partners offering lifecycle-oriented services, including secure data erasure and certified remarketing to asset recovery and buyback programs, are uniquely positioned to help organizations recapture value from devices they would otherwise write off.
Partners are well-poised to integrate these offerings into their portfolios and create competitive differentiators along with a real cost lever for their enterprise customers.
Optimizing procurement through data-driven lifecycle planning
The increasing memory shortages and price hikes demonstrate the risks of treating hardware refreshes as a fixed calendar exercise rather than a strategic decision. Rather than simply selling more hardware, channel partners can differentiate themselves by becoming trusted advisors who help enterprises maximize every dollar spent across the entire IT asset lifecycle.
| In 2025, which developments most impacted end-of-life data management changes at your organization? | Global | U.S. |
| New data management (privacy, protection/retention, disposal) regulations | 41% | 46% |
| Sustainability goals, including those stemming from new ESG regulations or NetZero targets | 35% | 37% |
| Changes in data storage technologies used internally | 34% | 33% |
| Cloud migration | 30% | 25% |
| Adoption or increased use of IoT technology | 30% | 29% |
Source: Blancco “2026 State of Data Sanitization Report”
The first step is identifying which systems actually require upgrades to continue supporting users. Partners can help organizations prioritize investments where they deliver the most value and impact. For example, guidance toward analyzing device performance, utilization, failure rates and business requirements before recommending replacements will move customers toward more efficient, data-driven policies.
Partners also can help customers weigh the pros and cons of alternative procurement strategies that cater to greater predictability during periods of supply chain disruptions and fluctuations. Flexible options include device-as-a-service (DaaS) and leasing; however, phased refresh programs may remain the most efficient approach for customers.
Extended lifecycle management
Keeping IT assets in service longer than company policy has traditionally dictated is one way organizations can reduce the impact of market volatility. However, extending the lifecycle of IT assets requires a strategic approach to hardware utilization to ensure systems continue to deliver reliable performance and value.
In many cases, organizations have wiggle room to extend refresh cycles, giving partners an opportunity to help customers implement structured lifecycle management practices across their IT environments. For example, a cascading strategy can delay new capital expenditures while reducing costs. With this approach, partners can help customers build internal redeployment pipelines that move “gently used” machines into less demanding roles or departments, maximizing the value of existing assets before replacement.
Ensuring awareness of modern best practices
Another way to recoup value is to maximize the organization’s efforts to save their IT assets from physical destruction, particularly when devices are functional. Software-based data erasure, which permanently sanitizes data from a device using a mix of overwriting, cryptographic erasure and firmware-based commands destroys data while leaving the data storage device itself usable.
This approach to secure data destruction has become increasingly popular for enabling confident reuse of end-user devices and data center assets. To support customers in extending their device lifecycles for ongoing use, partners should ensure customers are up to date on industry best practices and standards that specifically address media sanitization and data destruction. NIST SP 800-88 Revision 2 (2025) and IEEE 2883-2022 are both modern standards with guidance for data removal. These standards both reinforce software-based approaches as a secure option, guiding organizations to choose the sanitization method based on the device’s media type, data sensitivity and intended next use.
Partners also can recommend a reuse strategy for IT assets that don’t pose a vulnerability. To be enterprise-grade, erasure software must be verified on a device-by-device basis with certified development practices and independently tested.
What are the main reasons your organization purchases refurbished devices?
| Sustainability of ESG goals | 51% |
| For cost savings or affordability | 48% |
| Faster procurement/deployment compared to new | 43% |
| Limited availability or long lead times for new devices | 38% |
| Corporate mandate | 30% |
Source: Blancco “2026 State of Data Sanitization Report”
Partners also can help customers get value back from their used devices by managing buyback channels and can work with IT asset disposition (ITAD) companies to securely erase data from retired devices in line with data security policies. To avoid chain-of-custody risks that can arise when sanitization happens off site, partners can advise customers to, whenever possible, erase devices before disconnecting them from the network — sanitizing the data before the equipment is transported to the ITAD provider.
Beyond cost savings, partners also can position asset reuse as a measurable sustainability win, reducing e-waste and decreasing an organization’s carbon footprint. As part of that, partners can further differentiate their offerings through value-added sustainability services.
As enterprises navigate rising memory costs and increasing pressure to do more with existing IT budgets, channel partners have an opportunity to redefine their role beyond hardware transactions. By helping customers extend device lifecycles, recover residual asset value and make smarter procurement decisions, partners can deliver measurable cost savings while improving sustainability and reducing operational risk. In a market defined by constrained resources and rapidly evolving technology demands, the partners that provide lifecycle expertise – not just products – will become essential strategic advisors to their customers.
Jim Elder is vice president of global pathways for Blancco.
