AMI helps Kainos raise £50K for charity and community outreach through resale of old IT equipment

Belfast, 26 February 2020 - AMI, Ireland's leading secure IT recycling company, today announces that it has helped Kainos, a leading provider of digital services and platforms, to raise £50,000 that will be split equally across charitable activities and outreach initiatives. The funding was raised through the collection and resale of Kainos's old IT equipment through AMI's sales channels.

Headquartered in Belfast, Kainos has over 1,550 employees and 13 offices across the UK, Europe and North America. Since its founding in 1986, Kainos has grown to be one of the largest companies in Northern Ireland and has been listed on the London Stock Exchange since 2015. The company leverages technology to overcome business challenges for its 390 global customers.

Kainos implements cutting-edge technology solutions and as a result, has a high turnover of IT equipment. It turned to AMI to manage its entire IT disposal process - including onsite collection, data cleansing, resale of items of value, and responsible recycling of other equipment.

AMI visits Kainos's locations to securely collect its old IT equipment, before erasing data on each device and refurbishing them to the highest standards. This ensures equipment can be resold to maximise revenue returns. The company is also freeing up time for Kainos's IT staff. Managing the disposal of IT equipment internally was a time-consuming challenge for Kainos and outsourcing this process to AMI has freed up an estimated three months of the IT team's collective time each year.

Kainos uses the money generated from the sale of its old laptops, desktops, printers, servers, smartphones, tablets and hard drives to support charities as well as its own corporate social responsibility initiatives. Many charities are set to benefit from the £25,000 as it has been set aside for staff taking part in fundraising activities for charities close their hearts.

Kainos will use the remaining ?25K to support its Academy programme, which aims to improve young people's digital skills and break down the economic barriers faced by many attempting to upskill in technology.

The programme includes hosting coding clubs in local schools and annual coding camps for hundreds of children. It has also partnered with the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) to train teachers to better deliver digital education, and the Prince's Trust, which provides digital skills training to disadvantaged young people throughout Northern Ireland.

Dougie Johnston, IT Operations Manager, Kainos said: 'Kainos aims to stay at the leading edge of innovation and as a result, we have a constant stream of IT equipment being made redundant. AMI offers a one-stop-shop for all of our IT disposal needs - across our UK and Europe offices. Its high level of accreditation also ensures that our disposal process is GDPR compliant. Much of the equipment we dispose of is in very good condition, and the ability to resell this and generate revenue for our social responsibility programmes is a huge bonus.

'Every member of staff has a say in which charities Kainos supports each year, and this funding will be used to help charities which are important to our team. Our technology outreach activities also require our staff to actively participate in improving digital skills in their local community by visiting schools and camps and sharing their IT knowledge. This programme is making a real difference to young people's education and our partnership with AMI will contribute to our continued efforts in promoting digital learning.'

Philip McMichael, CEO, AMI, commented: 'AMI helps organisations to unlock the value in their old IT, and it's fantastic to see Kainos use this revenue to give back to the community. Its Tech Outreach programme is helping to educate, enthuse and inspire children across the UK and Ireland to pursue a career in the digital industry. We are thrilled to help Kainos not only handle its IT disposal in a 100% environmentally friendly way, but also to contribute to the digital education of thousands of young people, helping them to imagine and realise a better future supported by technology.'