IT decommissioning guide: explanation and useful tips

What is IT Asset Decommissioning exactly? Companies can use their data center equipment beyond its lifecycle with proper long-term maintenance from Evernex. Yet sometimes technology and operational or software prerequisites change. To stay up to date you might need to replace outdated hardware with more relevant products to add more value to your business needs.

What is IT Asset Decommissioning?

That’s where IT decommissioning comes in. IT decommissioning is the process of disposing hardware assets or IT equipment safely, securely and complying with all regulations. Server disposal or IT asset disposition might seem fairly straightforward, but there are several best practices worth taking into account when it comes to IT Asset Disposal (ITAD).

Why is it important to manage IT Asset Disposal?

When IT Asset Disposition is not in accordance with industry standards, it is a great contributor to e-waste. In 2015, over 90% of unused IT hardware was illegally dumped or traded, according to the UN Environment Programme. This kind of activity has a direct negative environmental and economic impact. It leads to data theft, IP rights infringement, violations of data storage and disposal compliance regulations.

Therefore, the importance of IT asset disposal and its consequences should not be underestimated. Especially when considering how it affects a company’s attempts to increase its sustainability. Recycling IT hardware provides the opportunity for a company to boost its eco-scores. Reusing discarded materials avoid the need to manufacture new ones. And so reduces carbon emissions.

What are the processes involved in IT asset decommissioning disposal?

Carrying out the decommissioning and disposal process correctly involves several steps. Such as:

• Keep accurate records of replaced IT equipment.
• Ensure if the information is backed up and erased.

Useful Tips IT asset decommissioning

The following are some useful tips for IT asset decommissioning. These tips will help you manage the IT asset disposition or asset decommissioning process successfully. And help you to set up a good decommissioning process flow in line with your disposal needs.

Tip 1: Note Down the Entire Decommissioning Process

To avoid unwanted hazards during the IT hardware decommissioning or IT asset disposition process:

• Create a logbook with data information about ITAD and the decommissioned parts.
• Create a Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment regulations and policies (WEEE) checklist.

Tip 2: Check the Identity of the Asset

Whether you carry out the process in-house or decide to outsource it to a company that provides ITAD services, it pays to keep detailed records of everything.

• Maintain an asset management system.
• Check the identity of the IT asset.
• Make sure to match the equipment and user details with the logbook details.

This type of inventory will help you ensure that every piece of hardware is accounted for before, during and after the ITAD process. It’s also a good way to prevent confusion about the amount of assets and the location of the hardware that needs to be decommissioned.

Tip 3: Don’t Forget to Backup

A company’s IT equipment contains all sorts of information. Data destruction is key to the ITAD process.

• Make sure all relevant and useful data is backed up before destroying the IT equipment.
• Make sure no information can be retrieved afterwards.
• Don’t erase things that you might miss in the future.

The process of data erasure can be rolled back only up to a point. In case of need, make sure to contact one of the companies that specialize in asset recovery.

Tip 4: Disable User and Network Access

Before removing the outdated hardware from the network, make sure that all the user access paths from old IDs are disabled as part of the ITAD process. This will help you ward off the threat of data theft from hackers or ex-employees that might be looking for something of value. Cutting off external access to the data is a crucial first step in the decommissioning process, as old IDs are a potential source of trouble.

Tip 5: Make Sure to Destroy the Asset Physically

To ensure the safety and security of your data, it is often advisable to destroy your hardware physically during the IT asset disposition process to ensure total data destruction. There are organizations that offer this service and use industrial shredders and other devices to completely destroy your machinery. Before going ahead with this process, make sure that all the details are carefully logged and backed up and then destroyed completely to prevent unwanted hazards.

Tip 6: Contact Evernex

We specialize in providing secure IT asset decommissioning and data center hardware disposal services that help companies eliminate storage growth, cut costs, increase efficiency and ensure compliance with regulatory obligations for data security regarding sustainability.

This is a great option if your company wants to entrust the ITAD process to an experienced business that offers IT asset disposal services to avoid mistakes and headaches. In addition, our commitment to sustainability through recycling ensures that we reuse all valuable ores that can be salvaged during the decommissioning process.

Read more about IT Asset Decommissioning or Contact us to get your questions answered.