{"id":2478,"date":"2023-03-23T06:28:13","date_gmt":"2023-03-23T06:28:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/35.94.173.37\/blog\/?p=2478"},"modified":"2026-07-07T15:12:57","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T15:12:57","slug":"government-asset-scrapping-by-the-pound","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/government-asset-scrapping-by-the-pound\/","title":{"rendered":"Government Asset Scrapping By the Pound"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Government-Asset-Scrapping.mp3\"><\/audio><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong><em>Click here to listen to this post.<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-text-align-left\">Recycling or reusing materials in order to reduce global waste is not the only consideration when disposing of unneeded NI Hardware. With so much personal and proprietary information being stored and shared around the globe each day, the secure removal of data is an equally important consideration. This is especially true for government entities, where cybersecurity is paramount. Read on to learn more about the importance of scrapping government assets and how Apex Waves can help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-558324b82c9fac0cabe9d2b90ab03dc3\" style=\"font-size:25px\"><strong>How Does NI Hardware Store Data?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-text-align-left\">The way that data is stored on NI hardware varies depending on the individual product, as well as the specific software that is used with it. One of the most common use cases for storing data is with&nbsp;<strong>DAQ<\/strong>&nbsp;(data acquisition) devices, which are compatible with software programs such as FlexLogger, DAQExpress, LabVIEW, LabWindows\/CVI, or Measurement Studio. A DAQ device may have internal \/ on-board memory, or it may use a connected computer \/ external device to store data. The software is used to configure the device, control the data acquisition process, and save the acquired data to a disk or database.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/ni-mydaq-top.jpg\" alt=\"Closeup picture of the NI myDAQ\" class=\"wp-image-1929\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-text-align-left\">For instance, a DAQ system may be set up to continually sample analog signals from a number of sensors and store the information in a file on the hard disk of a linked computer. Additionally, the system may be set up to start data acquisition in response to particular occurrences or circumstances and save the data to a buffer in the device\u2019s memory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-text-align-left\">Another example of NI hardware that saves data would be&nbsp;<strong>PLC<\/strong>s (Programmable Logic Controllers). These devices control and automate applications, and they can save data regarding these automated processes to either local memory or a connected database.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-9d449636b91228e592baee9f0112e460\" style=\"font-size:25px\"><strong>ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-text-align-left\">The&nbsp;<strong>EPA&nbsp;<\/strong>(Environmental Protection Agency) outlines some&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/smm-electronics\/basic-information-about-electronics-stewardship\">basic information about electronics stewardship<\/a>&nbsp;on its website, noting the importance of&nbsp;<strong>recycling<\/strong>\/<strong>refurbishing&nbsp;<\/strong>these devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-text-align-left\">The majority of electronic components, including&nbsp;<strong>PCBs (Printed Circuit Boards)<\/strong>&nbsp;contain some amount of potentially dangerous substances; such as lead, PVC, mercury, or fire retardants. Without recycling, debris from test equipment is dumped in landfills where it heats up and releases these toxic chemicals into the atmosphere. Recycling for parts and refurbishing for resale avoids this outcome by sustaining the life cycle of the hardware for as long as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-text-align-left\">As a Value Added Reseller, Apex Waves keeps unneeded\/obsolete NI hardware in the marketplace by refurbishing, testing for performance, repairing, calibrating, and offering ongoing support. As the EPA website notes, \u201c<em>preventing waste in the first place is preferable to any waste management option<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-3d419fbcade60808d91d2d3d377b1ba1\" style=\"font-size:25px\"><strong>GOVERNMENT GUIDELINES<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-text-align-left\">Due to security concerns, government agencies have much more strict requirements for data destruction. The current, most updated guidelines for government media sanitation by the National Institute of Standards and Technology is the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/nvlpubs.nist.gov\/nistpubs\/SpecialPublications\/NIST.SP.800-88r1.pdf\">NIST 800-88<\/a>. These guidelines specify the three options for getting rid of the information storage device depending on the level of confidentiality. The three possible actions are&nbsp;<strong>Clear&nbsp;<\/strong>(reset the device to factory settings),&nbsp;<strong>Purge&nbsp;<\/strong>(physically render data unrecoverable), and&nbsp;<strong>Destroy<\/strong>&nbsp;(render the device unusable in any capacity).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-text-align-left\">The NIST 800-88 outlines the steps that should be taken to determine the action needed, noting that Clear and Purge are the more economical and environmentally friendly options to choose whenever possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/ni-cdaq-home-1024x577.jpg\" alt=\"Closeup picture of the NI cDAQ-9174 with NI-9205, NI-9870, NI-9402, and NI-9211 modules\" class=\"wp-image-1930\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-3069a637a67df6e3dcdc9bb3ab0beb40\" style=\"font-size:25px\">APEX WAVES SCRAPS GOVERNMENT ASSETS<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-text-align-left\">If you are a government organization with scrap NI hardware, contact us at Apex Waves! We will take all unnecessary hardware off of your hands, calculate cost per pound, and provide you with a simple and secure solution for the removal of your assets. Contact us today via email at&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:sales@apexwaves.com\">sales@apexwaves.com<\/a>, or by phone at 919-809-5227.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-57918f074d28cc5a4c4313c1d69e22a5\" style=\"font-size:25px\"><strong>ADDITIONAL INFORMATION<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-outline is-style-outline--1\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ni.com\/en-us\/shop\/data-acquisition\/sensor-fundamentals--data-acquisition-basics-and-terminology.html\">Data Acquisition Basics<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-outline is-style-outline--2\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/smm-electronics\/basic-information-about-electronics-stewardship\">EPA Electronics Stewardship<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-outline is-style-outline--3\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/nvlpubs.nist.gov\/nistpubs\/SpecialPublications\/NIST.SP.800-88r1.pdf\">NIST 800-88<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Recycling or reusing materials in order to reduce global waste is not the only consideration when disposing of unneeded NI Hardware. With so much personal and proprietary information being stored and shared around the globe each day, the secure removal of data is an equally important consideration. This is especially true for government entities, where [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2479,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[68,121,135,170,266,393,666,667,674,732],"class_list":["post-2478","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology","tag-assets","tag-circuit-boards","tag-compactdaq","tag-daq","tag-government","tag-national-instruments","tag-recycling","tag-refurbishment","tag-reseller","tag-scrapping"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2478","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2478"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2478\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3861,"href":"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2478\/revisions\/3861"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2479"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2478"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2478"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2478"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}