Looking for Hardware Life Cycle Info

[justin]

I am looking for information about hardware life cycles in nonprofits. It seems to me that there is a a lot of discussion about tech planning, TCO, and the need to budget annually for technology, but I haven't seen much on asset management or a life cycle approach to hardware for the nonprofit sector. Are those of you working on technology plans including a "planned replacement" for hardware? If so, how long does equipment live in your organizations? What about planning for disposal?
would you help for the same ?

[Mel]

in general, the best practices for hardware replacement are the same for both the commercial and nonprofit sectors. In general I tell my clients that they should expect their workstations to last from three to four years (three is ideal, four is usually reasonable). I recommend that an estimated retirement date is assigned to hardware when it comes in the door to help with ongoing budgeting.

[denny]

I think it is great that you are looking at mid- to long-term technology planning in your non profit. I have not heard about many experiences of that happening, but I agree with the comment that it is similar to the situation for commercial enterprises.
On the issue of disposal, it is only likely to become more regulated over the next years, so it is good to plan. I would suggest that you check out the Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility Web page that has resources on recycling hardware: www.cpsr.org/program/environment