Refurbished versus used IT: key differences that make all the difference for business

Kwirirai Rukowo, General Manager, Qrent.

---

Refurbished IT is gaining traction in the South African market, but many organisations remain resistant to refurbished technologies, believing it to be the same as used and second-hand technology.

This is according to Kwirirai Rukowo, General Manager of Qrent, who says there are still stigmas and misconceptions around refurbished technology, even though many leading enterprises in South Africa now depend on refurbished devices such as laptops, desktops, tablets, printers and projectors.

Rukowo says: “The refurbished IT market gained traction during the COVID-19 pandemic when a supply chain crisis meant new devices were hard to come by. Driven by an immediate need to equip remote workforces, many organisations turned to refurbished devices for the first time. They haven’t looked back and many leading enterprises have since adapted their procurement policies to specify quality refurbished devices instead of new ones.

“We currently have close to 40 000 refurbished assets sitting with various clients in South Africa and several of them are blue-chip enterprises using these assets to carry out business-critical tasks,” he says.

However, some organisations still have concerns that refurbished IT is the same as second-hand IT, which may be unreliable or inferior, with hidden faults and poor performance.

Rukowo highlights crucial differences between quality refurbished IT and second-hand or used IT:

Most second-hand devices available for sale are older devices that are slowing down, and which come with no performance guarantees or warranties. A trusted and reputable supplier like Qrent has a highly qualified technical team to upgrade the aesthetics, components and software of each machine and carry out extensive quality checks. Properly refurbished machines are backed by comprehensive service and support options and are supported with a warranty.

In most second-hand devices, quality and performance are sacrificed in the interest of cost savings. With refurbished devices procured through a registered, authorised refurbishment company, devices are as close to brand new as possible, but at a far lower price.

IT equipment will inevitably reach the end of its useful life within a few years and be relegated to landfills. Refurbishing IT equipment doubles, or even triples, its lifespan, reducing e-waste and supporting zero carbon initiatives. Each refurbished laptop that remains in use for longer reduces the need to manufacture a new laptop, which takes approximately 190 00 litres of water and produces over a third of a tonne of CO2 on average in the manufacturing process.

Rukowo says: “Cost is an important consideration in this economic climate. But controlling costs doesn’t mean organisations should risk compromising performance and security by acquiring untested second-hand devices. Professionally refurbished IT allows businesses to equip their workforces with reliable and high spec devices for a fraction of the cost of new devices.”