IDC's Green Recycling and Asset Disposal for the Enterprise (G.R.A.D.E.) certification has become the standard in the industry for recognizing outstanding asset recovery services. The certification is based on 34 IT Asset Disposal (ITAD) related functions and tasks and uses a multi-dimensional weighting system that incorporates the broad offerings of remote applications, onsite services, logistics, in-plant processing, and post treatment. IDC G.R.A.D.E. certification is currently focused on the U.S. market.

The following vendors have received IDC G.R.A.D.E. certification:

Dell
Hewlett-Packard
IBM
Intechra
Redemtech
TechTurn
Convege
Insight Enterprises

INFROMATION ON G.R.A.D.E. CERTIFICATION PROCESS

STEP ONE: The first step toward receiving G.R.A.D.E. Certification is to fill out a preliminary questionnaire. This questionnaire, in form of an Excel and Word files, helps IDC determine if your organization pre-qualifies for the certification. It is the first step before a more in depth analysis is conducted. After the completed survey is returned, and assuming you pre-qualify, we will move to the second step as described below. If you do not pre-qualify, a brief written assessment will be made and specific areas that need your focus will be brought to your attention. Upon adjusting your practices, you will be eligible for another review.

STEP TWO: The second step involves direct analyst’ engagements through a more in depth assessment across more than 34 variables to determine if you qualify for G.R.A.D.E. Certification. As part of this process a series of interviews will be conducted as well as onsite visits of your facilities. Candidate companies will be required to cover analyst travel and an assessment fee. In the event that your organization does not meet the minimum criteria you will be given the opportunity to evolve your existing process to meet the criteria. Note that the analysis will be transparent, accessible to you but subject to non-disclosure agreement. This agreement will guarantee that nothing about your company will be disclosed by IDC. If you require, an NDA will be drafted. Also note that a written assessment will be made and only provided to you.

STEP THREE: If your organization qualifies for G.R.A.D.E. Certification, you will be incorporated into IDC’s database of certified providers. IDC will then grant you the right to use the written statement of “IDC G.R.A.D.E. Certified” in a press release and some limited use. Subsequently, you will also have the option of purchasing a marketing package valid for one year to leverage the certification. The package includes unlimited use of the logo for one year and a brief company profile including web rights and hard copies written by an IDC analyst highlighting your company’s attributes.

If you would like to understand more about the IDC G.R.A.D.E certification process - please contact Jon Guloyan at (508) 935-4296 or jguloyan@idc.com.