Case Study: Data Centre Decommission

Background

One of our Partners in the US was working with a well-known Scandinavian global brand on their requirement to decommission a large amount of IT equipment from their Data Centres. The Partner reached out to us to see if we could manage and execute the project given our pan-European capability. The first challenge was that the project had to commence in two weeks from their enquiry and had to be finished by a hard-stop date.

The Partner supplied us with the locations of the Data Centres and the asset information that their customer (End User) had provided. The asset information was incomplete so we decided to send a Senior Technician over to the End User’s location to survey the Data Centres, gather more specific asset information and identify potential risks and issues. Armed with the assessment results and the improved asset data, we were able to provide Quotes for the project within two days, allowing our Partner to quickly present back to their customer, the End User.

Preparation

A few days later, now a week before project commencement, we were advised that the Project had been given the green light. At this point we set the wheels in motion. We identified our team, made the logistic arrangements to travel to the End User location, booked the required Ferries and accommodation.

One of the key requirements was to securely transport the decommissioned equipment to one of our facilities for processing. Key to this was identifying a Logistics & Transport company at the End User location, who could comply with our strict security requirements and could agree the specifics of the collections and deliveries. We were able to achieve this quickly by leveraging our Global Partner Network where a Scandinavian Partner was able to recommend and introduce us to a local Transport company.

Execution

We arrived on-site as required with the understanding that there was a hard-stop date.

The execution involved removing all the Disk Drives from the equipment and scanning the serial numbers before on-site degaussing and shredding.

In parallel, the servers, storage, networking, and other equipment was de-racked and asset listed. It was then palletised, strapped and wrapped ready for safe transport back to our secure facility for further processing.

Finally, all of the empty racks had to be removed and repositioned to another End User Data Centre.

This was a major decommissioning project requiring long days and weekend work but the team pulled together to successfully delivered this complex piece of work over 13 days.

The scale of the project can be seen in the numbers below.

The Project in Numbers

Conclusion

With extremely limited lead time we were able to mobilise and successfully deliver a complex decommissioning project in a remote location. Secure ITAD were able to work with the End User and the Logistics & Transport company to achieve the desired outcome in the available time.

The net result, one incredibly happy End User, a very pleased US Partner and an exhausted but jubilant Secure ITAD team.

If you have a similar project in the near future give us a call to understand how we can assist.

About Secure ITAD

Secure ITAD have been a leading ITAD provider since 2014. Based in the UK and Europe with an extended capability to deliver our services globally using our Trusted Partner Network.

Our core competencies lie in Data Centre decommissioning, office closure, on-site Data Erasure and Data Destruction, with an option for the same Data services off-site at our secure facilities.

Our mission statement is simple. “To deliver trusted IT Asset Disposition (ITAD) with unmatched service and security, rock-solid regulatory compliance, and a strong commitment to environmental sustainability. We protect our client’s data, maximize value recovery, and minimize environmental impact—guaranteeing responsible, ethical handling at every step of the ITAD process.”

These are not just words. Our approach is validated by our extensive customer base. This includes the largest household name brands and global social media giants, all sizes of Public and Private Enterprises, through to local Councils and Schools.

We also partner extensively with some of the planet’s biggest ITAD companies who depend on and trust us to deliver on their behalf.

To find out more visit us at www.secure-iad.com