Lifecycle service
Retire & Recover
End-of-life infrastructure creates exposure if handled improperly, and opportunity if handled well.
The challenge
End-of-life infrastructure creates exposure that most organizations underestimate. Hard drives containing sensitive data end up in recycling streams without proper destruction. Equipment with residual configurations reveals network architecture to whoever buys it.
HIPAA, PCI-DSS, GDPR and state privacy laws each impose requirements on how data must be destroyed and documented, and the penalties have teeth. Yet decommissioning often receives less attention than any other lifecycle phase, treated as cleanup rather than risk management, by internal teams without the certifications and equipment that proper destruction requires.
How we work
We approach decommissioning as a compliance and risk management exercise. Every engagement begins with your regulatory requirements, data classification policies and documentation needs. Our destruction processes meet NIST SP 800-88 Rev 1 and use NSA/CSS EPL-listed equipment. Every asset is tracked from identification through final disposition, with certificates that document what was destroyed, when, by whom and how.
Asset recovery programs identify value clients often do not realize exists. Equipment obsolete to one organization may have years of useful life for another. Revenue-sharing arrangements mean proper decommissioning can offset its own cost, and R2-certified recycling ensures what cannot be reused is disposed of responsibly. We also manage secondary-market timing so that releasing thousands of identical assets does not collapse their price.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What data destruction standards do you follow?
NIST SP 800-88 Rev 1 for clearing, sanitization and destruction by sensitivity level. For classified or highly sensitive data we use NSA/CSS EPL-listed equipment and procedures. Every event is documented with certificates that satisfy auditors across regulated industries.
How much value can we recover?
It varies with age, condition and demand. Recent-generation servers and networking equipment can retain enough value to offset decommissioning cost entirely. Older equipment still carries commodity value. We provide fair market value assessments as part of every engagement.
Can you handle tight deadlines?
Yes. Silicon Valley to Iceland: 17,000 assets, three countries, 14 days. Portland: an 80,000 sq ft facility decommissioned five days ahead of a six-figure penalty deadline.
What documentation do we receive?
Complete asset inventory with serial numbers, certificates of destruction for all media, chain-of-custody records and final disposition reports designed to satisfy HIPAA, PCI-DSS, SOX and other frameworks.
Do you handle hazardous materials?
Yes. Our R2-certified processes cover batteries, displays and components with hazardous substances, with the certifications and carrier relationships required for transport and disposal.
Can you work with our asset management systems?
Yes. We import from and export to common platforms, or spreadsheets, and reconcile our records against yours at completion so nothing is missed.
Project examples
Where we have done this before
WeWork: 1,800 locations
Coordinated IT asset disposition across 1,800 locations during Chapter 11 restructuring: 100,000+ assets, PCI-DSS and SOX compliance, zero data incidents.
Read the case studyGroupon: 21,000 servers, 3 data centers
Position-level decommissioning of 21,000 servers across Sacramento, Dublin and Ashburn during a parallel cloud migration, with SOX and GDPR compliance and zero production impact.
Read the case studySilicon Valley to Iceland
Decommissioned a 7,500 sq ft colocation suite with 17,000 assets across three countries in 14 days, with NIST-compliant destruction and asset value recovery.
Read the case studyProper decommissioning protects your organization.
Let’s discuss your requirements.