Best practices for secure data center decommissioning

Achieve maximum data security with Iron Mountain Asset Lifecycle Management.

Data breaches can have devastating impacts on a business, and in many cases, they are often preventable. For instance, when data center assets are decommissioned without adequate sanitisation, it can put businesses at risk of significant financial and reputational consequences if a data breach occurs.

And that’s exactly what happened in 2022 to a leading financial services company. They agreed to pay a $35 million penalty to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for data security lapses that included unencrypted hard drives that had not been adequately sanitised and were being resold on auction sites.

No one wants to wake up to a story like this about their company. This type of incident demonstrates the criticality of decommissioning data center assets properly and, most of all, securely to ensure sensitive information doesn’t become vulnerable to exploitation. Businesses that adhere to these best practices avoid data breaches and potentially grave consequences.

How to Avoid Data Breaches

To prevent a breach caused by inadequate sanitisation, consider partnering with a data centre decommissioning service provider that has the necessary experience and resources to ensure your protection. These qualified providers follow strict data sanitisation procedures, including software-based wiping or shredding of storage devices. Secure decommissioning also means there is a strict end-to-end presence of physical security, audit trails are maintained, and certificates of destruction are provided.

“The three most important tasks to execute correctly, and to which ITAD executives should pay special attention, are transportation logistics/chain of custody, data sanitisation and recycling.”

Asset Lifecycle Management Best Practices

Iron Mountain Asset Lifecycle Management (ALM) offers a comprehensive and secure data centre decommissioning solution tailored to each client’s specific requirements. Our proprietary software, Teraware^TM, ensures complete data destruction and enables thorough reconciliation of assets to be decommissioned. Iron Mountain also incorporates a physical reconciliation process to confirm every drive has been accounted for, virtually eliminating the potential for data-bearing device escapes. Iron Mountain provides a complete audit trail to support regulatory compliance – issuing Certificates of Sanitisation or Certificates of Destruction for every serialised asset.

Beyond Data Security: Achieving Sustainability and Value in Decommissioning

Iron Mountain ALM goes beyond just data protection during data centre decommissioning by offering comprehensive solutions for total data destruction and responsible asset remarketing. By repurposing memory, remarketing components, and giving decommissioned hardware a second life, Iron Mountain helps clients minimise e-waste, reduce their carbon footprint, and work towards a greener future while improving their bottom line. With customisable, scalable services, clients can rest assured that they are not only getting the best value from their decommissioned assets but also contributing to global sustainability efforts.

The Smart Choice for Secure Data Centre Decommissioning

Iron Mountain ALM is the ideal partner for businesses seeking maximum data security, compliance, and financial returns in their data centre decommissioning. With our proven expertise in secure data destruction, asset disposition, and logistics management, we offer a complete solution for sustainable IT best practices. By partnering with Iron Mountain ALM, businesses can successfully avoid data breaches caused by inadequate sanitisation, and the potentially devastating consequences that come with them.

Learn how we can support your business needs with our Data Centre Decommissioning services.