Redeploy or disposition strategically for better ROI and sustainability.
Data center decommissioning services
OEM-grade engineering, asset lifecycle management, and certified data security in one program. We test retired hardware for reuse first, resell what has value, and certify the erasure of every drive.
What data center decommissioning is
Decommissioning backed by 20 years of OEM engineering
Data center decommissioning is the planned shutdown and removal of the equipment in a data center, or in part of one, including servers, storage, networking, and power. It covers certified data erasure or destruction for every device that holds data, a full chain of custody from the rack to final disposition, and a decision on whether each asset is redeployed, resold, or recycled.
For 20 years we have engineered testing and repair solutions for OEMs. We bring the same tools and analytics to your data center to recover value from retired hardware and protect the data on it. Our data center decommissioning customers include Dell EMC, IBM, Google, Apple, AWS, Salesforce, and GoDaddy.
Every engagement runs with clear governance, end-to-end traceability, certified data destruction, and a program team that owns the schedule, from a few racks to a full data hall.
Track record
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1.4M+
Drives tested and analyzed
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97%+
Repaired HDD and SSD yield
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100K+
Servers, memory, and CPUs processed
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$75M+
Value from one OEM's returned drives
Our process
The data center decommissioning process
Assess and plan
We start with a full assessment of your environment: the equipment, the volume of assets, the data on them, and the regulations that apply. We identify the data you need to keep before anything moves, then build a decommissioning plan around your schedule to keep disruption to a minimum.
Decommission securely
Our technicians remove servers, networking devices, storage systems, and power units following strict protocols. Every asset is tagged and logged in our secure portal, so you can see its status in real time, and equipment travels to our facilities with GPS tracking and tamper-evident seals.
Sanitize and destroy
Every data-bearing device is erased with Proteus to DoD 5220.22-M, NIST SP 800-88, HIPAA, GLBA, and PCI DSS. Where your policy calls for it, we degauss or shred instead. Every device gets a certificate of destruction tied to its serial number.
Recover and recycle
Viable equipment is tested, repaired, upgraded where it pays, and either redeployed in your environment or remarketed through our global channels. What cannot be reused is recycled by certified partners, with valuable materials recovered for manufacturing.
Report
You receive asset tracking records, destruction certificates, value recovery results, and environmental impact data, ready for finance, legal, audit, and ESG reporting.
On site
We bring our factory to you
Deploy our test equipment on site, bring in our engineers, or blend our team with yours. Our on-site team inventories and reviews assets, runs a first estimated market value analysis, sorts physically where needed, and runs diagnostics on network equipment and servers.
Proprietary diagnostics and billions of data points inform the right decision for every asset.
Serialized tracking, digital test results, destruction certificates, reuse and recycling documentation, and environmental reporting.
Resale, repurposing, and component harvesting, backed by a worldwide resale and recommerce platform.
Second life
Where each asset goes next
Screened and sorted assets are routed by Clarity, which weighs product grade, customer requirements, technical qualification, ESG data, and estimated market value.
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Redeployment Wiped, restored, enhanced where needed, and made ready for use back in your environment.
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Remarketing Wiped, restored, and sold through global B2B channels. We run the remarketing for you on a revenue share, or buy the equipment from you directly.
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Recycling Data center equipment recycling by partners with the right environmental certifications, with valuable metals and materials recovered for reuse.
Value recovery
Recovering value from erased drives
Most organizations shred drives because shredding is easy to prove. Verified erasure can be proved too, with a serialized log for every unit, and the drive keeps its resale value. Our whitepaper The Circularity Delta of Data Centers puts that value at $25 to $55 per HDD or SSD. Our false-wipe rate is below 0.01%, and the reuse avoids about 14,100 tonnes of CO₂e a year.
Servers, memory, and GPUs are worth more again, and AI hardware is being replaced faster than ever. In one recent project we decommissioned 2,500 NVIDIA GPU servers and more than 17,000 loose drives across four facilities for a global technology company, with reuse as the first option. Our guides explain the server recycling process and data center equipment recycling in more detail.
Whitepaper
The Circularity Delta of Data Centers
What shredding costs per drive, and how erasure with a serialized log for every unit recovers $25 to $55 per HDD or SSD at fleet scale.
Read the whitepaperClarity
Program analytics in one platform
Clarity tracks every asset and process step across your program and answers questions about it in plain language.
Real-time visibility
Throughput and yield across the program, time per process step, and the bottlenecks worth fixing.
Inventory management
Daily usage tracking, forecasting, the value of stored inventory, and proactive replenishment.
Data-driven insight
Early warning of issues before they cause delays.
AI-enabled answers
Ask questions in plain language and get instant answers, with your key KPIs shown first.
The stack
Engineering, visibility, and test layers
Our modular stack combines a hardware test layer, a lifecycle visibility hub, and an engineering and insights layer, with machine learning feeding results back into every decision.
Choosing a partner
What to look for in a data center decommissioning company
A decommissioning company should certify every erasure against a serial number, keep one chain of custody from removal to the final report, and test equipment for reuse and resale before anything is shredded. Our facilities are audited against these certifications:
- R2Responsible Recycling
Environmental, health, safety, and data security controls at Grapevine, Irving, Memphis, Mexicali, Reynosa, and Penang.
- ADISA
Forensic-level data sanitization.
- NIST 800-88
Data erasure and media destruction guidelines.
- ISO 27001
Governance, risk management, and protection of sensitive information.
Our facilities also hold ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, CTPAT, and WEEELABEX certifications. Our engineers and test equipment can work in your data center, at our sites, or alongside your own team.
Checklist
Your data center decommissioning checklist
An inventory of every asset by serial number, matched to your asset register
The data you must keep, backed up and verified before anything is powered down
The regulations that apply, such as GDPR, HIPAA, GLBA, and PCI DSS, and the evidence your auditors expect
A sanitization method for each device type, whether erasure, degaussing, or destruction
A redeploy, resell, or recycle decision for each asset class
Logistics with GPS tracking, tamper-evident seals, and a documented chain of custody
Reporting your finance, legal, and ESG teams can use without rework
Case studies
Data center decommissioning case studies
$75M+ from data center drives
A leading OEM of storage devices turned to Reconext to maximize the value of returned storage devices while safeguarding sensitive data and proprietary technology.
Solution
By utilizing our proprietary, certified data sanitization and testing technology, coupled with our specialized software and conversion processes, we created a highly sought-after white-label product for the marketplace, while also minimizing electronic waste and promoting a circular economy.
- Developed a box-in-box solution to manage the return flow with the client's facilities
- Developed a process to ensure all drives were sanitized and qualified for white-label conversion
- Managed the process end to end, with no direct costs to the client
How it works
Our expertise in data sanitization and white-label conversion transformed returned drives into marketable assets, effectively erasing all traces of prior usage and OEM ownership.
- Secure and complete data sanitization of all returned drives
- Conversion of the drives to white-label products through firmware and serial number modifications
- Sustainable disposal of non-recoverable drives through the extraction of rare earth magnets
Remarketed drives generating over $75M in revenue
Hundreds of thousands of drives processed and repurposed for reuse
A white-label process that protects the brand integrity of the client's original devices
Rare earth metals extracted and reused in the production of new drives, for further circular economy benefits
Secure decommissioning at scale: IT assets repurposed for carbon savings
One of the world's largest communications and services companies relies on Reconext for data center decommissioning, processing, and remarketing services.
Challenge
A client with multiple large-scale data centers undergoing frequent technology refresh cycles and upgrades needed a partner to manage secure and compliant decommissioning and processing of retired equipment.
- Data-bearing drives needed to be securely wiped or destroyed
- Servers and components had high value and needed to be recovered
- Assets of value would be remarketed within 60 days
Solution
We leveraged our proprietary, certified data sanitization and testing technology and advanced engineering expertise to create a scalable solution that meets the client's decommissioning timeline.
- Quadrupled hard drive and SSD sanitization within 30 days
- Doubled server testing capacity within 60 days
- Delivered the highest-value returns within the client's partner network
- Managed all logistics and chain of custody requirements
Servers, components, and drives securely decommissioned and tested for reuse
Remarketed servers and drives delivered significant Scope 3 carbon savings, in line with the client's ESG initiatives
High-volume secure processing meets the client's growing needs as AI accelerates data center refresh cycles
Data center decommissioning questions
What is data center decommissioning?
The secure dismantling and removal of data center equipment at end of life, including certified data wiping, physical destruction where needed, and responsible recycling, so data is erased and equipment is reused or disposed of compliantly.
How do you keep data secure?
Proteus performs certified wiping and destruction to DoD 5220.22-M, HIPAA, GLBA, PCI DSS, and NIST SP 800-88, and every device gets a certificate of destruction.
What happens to decommissioned equipment?
Each asset is evaluated. Viable equipment is refurbished and remarketed; the rest is recycled responsibly, which cuts e-waste and increases reuse. Our data center ITAD guide walks through each decision.
Why does decommissioning matter?
It protects sensitive data, keeps you compliant with data protection and environmental rules, and recovers value from assets through resale or sustainable recycling.
How long does it take?
It depends on the size and complexity of the site and the volume of equipment. We build a custom timeline from a detailed assessment to keep downtime low.
What equipment do you handle?
Servers, networking devices, storage systems, power units, cables, and connections.
How do you decommission a data center?
In five steps: assess and plan, remove the equipment securely, sanitize or destroy every data-bearing device, recover value through redeployment, resale, or recycling, and report on every asset. Our decommissioning process guide and five key phases cover each step in detail.
What is a data center decommissioning plan?
A document that sets out the assets involved, the data to keep, the sanitization method for each device, the logistics and chain of custody, the schedule, and the reporting at the end. We build it with you after the assessment. Start with our data center decommissioning checklist and our guide to planning a safe shutdown.
Which data destruction methods do you use?
Software erasure of hard drives and SSDs with Proteus, in-rack erasure and testing with Rackwipe, degaussing when data cannot leave your building, and shredding or crushing when your policy requires it.
What happens to GPUs and AI servers?
We test and validate them, often in the rack with Rackwipe, then redeploy or remarket them. GPUs hold their resale value, so we test them for reuse before anything else. How we recover GPU value.
Do you provide certificates of destruction?
Yes, for every device, tied to its serial number, along with chain-of-custody logs, recycling certificates, and value recovery reports. See our guide to hard drive destruction compliance.
Do you buy retired data center equipment?
Yes. We can remarket it for you through a revenue-share agreement or buy it from you directly, and settlement reports show what each asset returned.
Contact
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“Operationally, a great day is boring. It means we have had no issues, all with 100% quality. Reconext makes things boring for us on most occasions.”