With Apple’s September 12 announcement of its faster, lighter and thinner iPhone 5, many businesses are expected to upgrade their fleet of corporate mobile devices. But when it is time to upgrade to a newer technology, one of the biggest problems organizations will face is what to do with their used mobile devices.

These devices that were once so critical to the workforce are quickly cast aside as obsolete. This happens to thousands of mobile phones every day. However, nearly 100 percent of Apple devices still retain a significant resale value, even after 24 to 36 months of use, and can be reused in developing countries overseas where the technologies are highly valued and desperately needed.

In fact, organizations can recoup 75 to 90 percent of their initial investment in their Apple technologies by implementing a timely and responsible mobile reuse and recycling program. Mobile buyback revenues equate to tens-of-thousands of dollars for e-Cycle’s enterprise clients annually.

There is one more important thing for businesses to consider when reselling and recycling used mobile devices, and that is data security. Organizations should not base their mobile recycling decision solely on price and hand over their outdated devices to just anybody. Data security does not end when a phone is retired. Mobile devices are archives of confidential data and if a device is discarded, donated or reused improperly, private data can be accessed. Often, sensitive information remains even after the phone has been brought back to factory settings.

Be certain your mobile buyback company has rigorous processes in place to permanently remove the data on every device, as well as secondary quality assurance testing. If you depend solely upon individual employees to clear data on the devices, you are taking a serious risk of your sensitive corporate information ending up in the wrong hands.

A recent audit from e-Cycle’s internal operations department found that 27% of devices from enterprise clients who claim to have pre-wiped their mobile phones prior to sending them for recycling still contained sensitive information, including key customer contact information, personal photos and videos, and pin numbers.

e-Cycle, the first mobile buyback and recycling company to become e-Stewards certified, provides industry leading end-of-life data protection and ensures mobile security for outdated iPhones and other smartphones. e-Cycle collects used cell phones from businesses, providing reimbursement for all devices that retain resale value. All other devices are recycled at no charge. Using rigorous data protection measures, e-Cycle ensures that the information stored on every device is completely erased. To find out more on e-Cycle’s cell phone buyback, recycling and data deletion services, visit www.e-Cycle.com.