As an IT professional, I’m sure you have a smartphone: probably an Android, iPhone, or Blackberry. Whether it’s for business or personal use, it’s hard to resist all the options and versatility of a smartphone, especially for someone whose life is built around tech.

We wanted to open up the blog this week to find out what apps you use on your smartphone. Last year, PC World featured several iPhone apps on its site. However, since apps sprout up like mushrooms over night, there are probably thousands more techy apps available now then there were then.

Of course, we all have our favorite games, photo apps, and location-based apps. But for this we’d like to hear from you about what apps you use for your IT needs.

While India’s law won’t go into effect until May of 2012, it is an important first step in ensuring that potentially toxic metals and chemicals are recycled ethically. The onus will be placed on the manufacturers of computers to create recycling and/or “take back” programs.’

Like India’s new law, most of the e-waste legislation in the United States also requires that producers rather than consumers make sure electronics are recycled. In India, producers will also be required to inform consumers about heavy metals and chemicals in electronics, so that people are aware of the health risks of dismantling their own systems.

While research has just begun on the true health impacts of improperly disposed of e-waste, here are some speculations on how e-waste might affect our health.

Researches at the University of Cincinnati have undertaken an extensive study on how the metals and chemicals found in e-waste may affect workers in China. Of significant concern is how in-utero exposure to lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium, and PBDEs–which are often found in e-waste–may inhibit the brain development of infants.

It is well documented that exposure to lead can cause hyperactivity, developmental delays, even death. Doctors tell parents to have their young children tested for lead exposure if they live in a house built before 1980, when lead-based paints were widely used.

While lead exposure is known to affect brain development in children, mercury poisoning is proven to inhibit the development of the central nervous system, and cadmium exposure may cause kidney damage.

Chromium exposure, brought to light by Erin Brockovich and the subsequent movie about her, may cause cancer when it is inhaled or consumed in drinking water. And finally, exposure to PBDEs–the main chemical in older fire retardants–seems to cause toxicity in the liver and thyroid, and may adversely affect neurological development.

What is still unclear is whether or not the metals and chemicals in e-waste are entering the blood streams of pregnant women and children. However, we do know that these are the potential risks to improperly disposing of e-waste.

Do you know a local business that’s actively trying to be “greener’? What steps have they taken to reduce their carbon footprint, to recycle their used computers, or to make an otherwise positive contribution to our environment?

Send your nominations to outreach@salmasystems.com and every month I’ll choose a business to feature.

This study was completed before Apple released the iPad, and thus it focused primarily on the Kindle and Sony’s e-reader. More recently, groups have analyzed the potential environmental impact of the iPad; while it isn’t as green as the Kindle, its recyclable aluminum casing and absence of toxic chemicals mean that it, too, has the potential to be less destructive than print books.

Today the top-selling e-readers are the iPad, the Kindle, and Barnes and Nobles’ Nook. And they are selling at an astounding rate. In 2010, Apple reported selling nearly 15 million iPads. While Amazon won’t give the exact numbers, some experts estimate that it sold around 8 million Kindles in 2010.

One thing is certain: the popularity of tablets and e-readers continues to grow. Thankfully, manufacturers are taking an environmentally conscious approach to designing e-readers. E-readers don’t seem to contain the same toxic metals often found in old computers, and they are often made with easily-recyclable parts.

The question, then, is this: will people actually recycle their e-readers when they’ve reached the end of their life? Will our landfills soon be inundated with more e-readers, which biodegrade slower than print books?

Several weeks ago we examined some of the controversy surrounding the EU’s proposed e-waste legislation. This week I’d like to take a look at what’s going on in Australia. Much like the EU, there seems to be constant renegotiation and debate regarding who is responsible for what, and on how to define e-waste itself.

An Australian senate committee discussing the Product Stewardship Bill has proposed several changes to the bill, but opposition leaders say that the bill still requires more clarification before it can be made into law.

Originally proposed by IT and television manufacturers, the bill would require a “nationwide collection and recycling program,” ensuring that materials and metals in e-waste can be reclaimed, and the waste itself will be disposed of safely.

Those opposed to the bill state that it is much too broad and might be hard to implement into practice.

Do you live in Australia? Can you give us the inside scoop on how you or your community deal with e-waste?

This week we spoke with Salma Systems CEO Glen Montgomery about recent issues he’s encountered in the computer recycling and data destruction industry.

The biggest issue I want to address this week is a problem that comes up way more often than it should. We frequently receive equipment from organizations that think they’ve removed their data: either they thought they wiped the drives, and they actually didn’t; or, they thought their staff removed the hard drives, but in fact they missed a few.

For the second time in a row we have encountered a major hospital system that failed to completely remove hard drives from PCs before sending them on to us. We’ve offered to provide data destruction services to them, and they’ve declined.

This type of negligence on the part of organizations is what leads to personal data–SSNs and other private information–leaking out.

The startling thing about this is that we do provide data destruction services and actively encourage companies to consider using us not only for electronics disposal, but for degaussing and shredding as well. We know how important it is to wipe the data when disposing of your old computer equipment.

Here’s what’s clear from what we’ve seen: relying on your company’s internal staff to wipe data and destroy or shred hard drives can be alarmingly ineffective. Salma Systems, on the other hand, does it professionally.

I would encourage all organizations to be absolutely sure they’ve wiped all data before seeking computer recycling services. And the best way to do that is to leave it to the professionals.

Every year, communities and companies get really excited about Earth Day. We throw parties, festivals, and events to celebrate planet Earth. As we should. However, I’m concerned with all the days that come before and after Earth Day.

You probably noticed e-waste recycling events in your community this month. You may have taken your used computers, monitors, and servers to an event like this. I commend you for taking the time to recycle your used electronic equipment. But I think there are some questions that we should ask on Earth Day, questions that will hopefully help us understand how to take better care of the Earth all the other days of the year.

1. Where is your company’s used computer equipment going? If you recycle your family’s PCs, good for you. But what about all the e-waste that your company generates? Do you know if your IT person uses a reputable IT asset management company?

Now, obviously I’m concerned with things like corporate e-waste. Recycling it and re-selling it is what we do. But I sincerely believe that if we want to make a difference we have to ensure that the companies we work for are handling their electronic waste responsibly.

2. What do you do when you see e-waste at curbside trash pickup or in dumpsters? I know I’ve seen this. More often than I want to believe. My neighbors have, on occasion, left an LED monitor or a used Dell computer out on the curb. I cringe when I see this.

While household consumption doesn’t seem to have as much of an environmental impact as corporate and business consumption–at least when it comes to computer waste–it all adds up. Would you be willing to talk to your neighbor about e-waste, and encourage him or her to take it to a computer recycling company?

3. What can we each do to lessen our electronics consumption? This is a tricky one. New laptops, smartphones, e-readers, and tablets hit the market at an alarming pace! It’s impossible to keep up, but most of us want to. We want the newest, most exciting product. Do you ever considering buying a used computer? And if not, how about selling used computer equipment?

It’s not unheard of to purchase a used desktop. Sure, it’s not as sexy as that brand new computer, but it might be exactly what you need for the kind of work you’re doing.

Like I said, I really do love Earth Day, and I appreciate the effort that’s put into it. I just think that we need to put a little more effort into the other 364 days of the year.

One of the biggest issues that IT professionals face today is that of security. You need to ensure that your company’s sensitive files are secure and that your customers’ private information is secure.

I can’t overstate the importance of properly destroying your data, through degaussing, hard drive shredding, or other data destruction services. Your company can even hire someone who offers on-site hard drive shredding services, in order to maintain the chain of custody.

But how are companies seeking security in their day-to-day operations? How do we protect our data everyday, not just when our computer equipment reaches the end of its life?

More and more organizations are committing to datacenter virtualization. By migrating your data to a virtual datacenter, you may be making a wise investment in your company’s security.

While in-house data centers have their advantages, using a virtual datacenter–often known as a cloud computing service—may provide your company with even more benefits. For example, your in-house datacenter will have limits in terms of capacity and security. And using a virtual datacenter may even result in a smaller carbon footprint for your company.

Cloud computing is not just the wave of the future; it’s a growing trend among some of the smartest businesses operating today. Closing a data center in order to migrate your information to a virtual datacenter can save your company equipment costs, security costs, and energy costs, while streamlining your IT operations.

Do you have any experiences with closing a data center? How do you feel about datacenter virtualization as it relates to security? What are your experiences with cloud computing?

Understanding our responsibility for e-waste can be complicated, and there are several important factors to consider when deciding how to dispose of it.

The most obvious issue is the environmental impact. Our landfills are quickly filling up with IT equipment, some of which is probably salvageable, and some of which might be toxic to groundwater. Do you feel that this is an important issue? Do you want to help your company do something green?

Another issue that most people don’t initially consider is the financial factors surrounding e-waste. Some of the IT people I’ve spoken with are afraid that the cost of recycling their old equipment will be too high. Either they’re in a state or country that doesn’t fine businesses who don’t recycle, or they feel that it would be cheaper to send their equipment to the landfill.

What they don’t realize is that organizations like us actually pay companies for their old computer equipment. Businesses replace their electronics every two to six years. And many of these used computers are still valuable in one way or another. Sending them off to the dump has an environmental impact, true. But it also may result in a financial loss.

Before your company discards of your old computer equipment, do your research. You can show your IT professionals, or whoever is in charge of buying new equipment, that there are financial benefits to recycling the old computers.