A recent study by Recon Analytics reveals that mobile phone users in the United States upgrade their wireless devices approximately every 21 months, more often than any other country in the world. As technologies continue to advance and the pace of launch increases, enterprises are experiencing a quick turnaround for their smartphones and tablets.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that 82% of electronic waste ends up in landfills each year and only 18% is collected for recycling. There are a number of options for disposing or recycling used smartphones and tablets, however, most of these mobile recycling organizations do not wipe the sensitive business and personal data that remains on these mobile devices. Though many mobile buyback and recycling companies claim data deletion, their terms and conditions will state that they take no responsibility for the private data on the devices and this responsibility relies solely on the owner. According to David Smith, senior director of customer solutions at GENCO, “As of today, industry standards for the removal of customer personal information (CPI) do not exist.”

Many businesses and organizations implement a Mobile Device Management (MDM) solution to protect the confidential business data on both corporate-liable and BYOD mobile devices. However, if these policies are not fully controlled or enforced, an employee could inadvertently cause a security breach when their smartphone is improperly discarded along with the confidential mobile data stored inside.  Even when employees take precautionary steps such as removing the device SIM card or resetting the device to the factory settings, there are often hidden menus and additional internal memory that remain on the mobile devices. These areas store confidential data such as important correspondence, confidential pins and personal or business contacts.

As businesses and organizations upgrade to the new BlackBerry 10, a number of used mobile BlackBerrys will be recycled or resold in the secondary market. According to a survey by Consumer Intelligence Partners, after the release of the iPhone 4S, 53% of those who upgraded placed their used mobile devices on the secondary market. Wireless mobile phones and devices routinely appear on consumer sites such as eBay, Amazon and Craigslist with sensitive data still intact. A security expert, Robert Siciliano, tested this by purchasing 20 mobile devices from Craigslist users in 2012, finding private data on three of the devices.

e-Cycle mobile buyback, data security and recycling company offers a safe and profitable way for businesses and organizations to protect their confidential data when recycling their used mobile phones and devices. According to e-Cycle CEO, Christopher Irion, 95% of the used enterprise mobile phones and devices e-Cycle receives still contain important data, even though the organizations claim that they took the necessary steps to delete all pertinent information. Not only does e-Cycle increase their clients revenue by reimbursing them for all wireless devices that retain resale value but also provides critically needed recycling and data security as complimentary services. The information on every mobile phone is either deleted or destroyed using the wireless industry’s most rigorous data security measures.

Sell and recycle your mobile phones now and protect your data. Visit www.e-Cycle.com.

For more information, view the article Data in the Dumpster by Stephanie Blanchard, Assistant Editor of Mobile Enterprise.