- June 09, 2025
Following the announcement of 3stepIT’s expansion into Canada and the US, our Chief Expansion Officer, Jonas Rosqvist, sat down with a new member of our North American team, John Muir, Regional Manager, to hear about his extensive industry experience and understand more about the opportunity for 3stepIT in North America.
Jonas: Welcome to the team, John. Can you tell us about your background?
John: Thank you, Jonas. I’ve worked in the technology industry for almost three decades. I’m passionate about the value technology drives for businesses, but also the opportunity to help organisations simplify by making technology management more efficient, secure, and sustainable.
I spent 20+ years of my career at IBM, leading various business units around the world. I really started to hone my interest in IT lifecycle services when I was running IBM Global Asset Recovery Services across EMEA and then the Americas. This was at a time when the idea of circular tech management emerged from the back room to the board room, whereas today, it clearly plays a prominent role in supporting organizations in driving operational and financial resilience.
The increasing relevance and demand for circular services really motivated me to explore the sector more deeply, which is when I started working for a specialist provider of lifecycle and ITAD services for data centers. There’s clearly huge growth in this area, particularly for global companies that can offer a comprehensive, end-to-end circular technology management model, and this is what really excited me about making the move to 3stepIT and joining this experienced, industry-leading team.
Jonas: You’ve been living in the US for the last eight years. What do we need to know about the North American market?
John: North America is a huge market. It is recognized as the global hub for growth in technology and shows no sign of slowing down. Clients are looking for more than just traditional ITAD, and this is where I see a huge opportunity for 3stepIT in bringing the “Go Full Circle” model that has resonated so strongly in Europe.
In January, the US President announced a further $USD 500 billion investment and partnership designed to build data centers and computing infrastructure in the US to support the development of AI. This investment is significant, but it’s easily matched by the major tech hyperscalers, like Meta, AWS, and Microsoft, who are all capitalizing on the opportunity for growth. In fact, Apple has just released news of its own $USD 500 billion investment in the US over the next four years, which will also include new “Apple Intelligence infrastructure and data centers.”.
In an addressable market that’s already about two and a half times the size of Europe, we can expect a huge uptick in acquisition and procurement as new tech assets flood the market. However, crucially, as the demand for more data centre capacity grows, new services will be needed to support these critical tech assets to be efficiently managed, monitored, and moved, as well as sustainably and securely decommissioned, wiped, refurbished, and replaced. And that’s where we come in.
Jonas: What are the businesses you work with in the US and Canada telling you about managing their tech?
John: The customers I talk to all want to simplify, without exception. They’re looking for a one-stop shop to take care of all their tech management needs – they want procurement, management, decommissioning, and replacement wrapped up in one comprehensive end-to-end solution.
These businesses are savvy; they know AI and advanced computing drive quicker updates and shorter refresh cycles, and they want a cost-effective way to access the latest digital tools to advance their competitiveness and productivity. They want more information to help them make the right decisions about how to manage their technology, as well as simple and intuitive solutions that embed sustainability across their IT operations.
Jonas: And finally, what value do you think 3stepIT can offer these customers?
John: 3stepIT has a unique offering because its circular tech model covers the entire tech lifecycle, which means one provider and one simple solution for all your tech management needs. This simplicity is gold when organizations need to navigate evolving regulatory requirements, international supply chains, and complex user needs.
3stepIT’s expansion into data centers means we can now offer our customers complete end-to-end lifecycle services for a product that is at the crux of the impact of technology on the environment. So, suddenly, we’re talking about a provider with decades of proven experience who can offer a whole lifecycle service for any brand or supplier and every product class from desktop and mobile devices to data centers.
Better yet, we’re able to clearly demonstrate how our circular tech model improves operational and financial efficiency and drives a return on investment in technology, while delivering a clear sustainability impact.
Customers are excited to work with us because when we talk about sustainability, we’re talking about more than environmental sustainability. For us, sustainability is about optimizing the value of technology, making devices work harder for businesses, driving efficiency and cost effectiveness, and cutting out waste. In other words, when technology drives business value, it can also lessen the impact on the environment, and that’s true sustainability.