Secure and sustainable data center decommissioning

Top health-tech company fasttracks data center decommissioningwhile ensuring data security andenvironmental sustainability

"The SITAD service meant we didn't have to needlessly tie up resources andcould take care of more pressing building closure and cloud migration tasks."
Company spokesperson

Cloud transformation drivesintegrated health solutions

"Iron Mountain did a fantastic job de-racking, removing, and cataloging all our redundantdata drives, while taking care not to disrupt any live servers that were still in operation."
Company spokesperson

Rapid, reliable disposal of end-of-life servers

Secure chain of custody

To help meet that critical path, the company chose the IronMountain® Secure IT Asset Disposition (SITAD) service forthe rapid decommissioning and secure wiping of data heldon its legacy rack servers.

“We run lean IT operations and aren’t really staffed forthis kind of work,” said the project lead. “Iron Mountainare well-respected and probably the industry leader forinformation management from paper records archiving todata storage and destruction. So, it made sense to leveragetheir expertise, especially around secure chain of custodyprocesses and certification.”

Over the following weeks, Iron Mountain specialistsphysically dismantled, palletized, transported, scanned,documented, and disposed of over 600 end-of-life serversand associated data drives.

Importantly, the SITAD service provided a clear audit trailfrom the point where the assets were picked up to whenthey were checked in at the processing plant. Vehicleswere fitted with GPS trackers and lock sensors, whiledrivers were thoroughly screened and even got alertsfrom RFID-enabled key fobs if the vehicle was ever leftunlocked.

Immovable deadline

Famed worldwide for innovation, the companyis at the forefront of connected healthcare andhelping clinicians to deliver better diagnosisand treatment. Additionally, through cloudtechnologies that support data sharing andanalysis, making it easier to deliver moreeffective, lower-cost integrated health solutions.

Facilities management and IT strategy areintegral to this vision. Globally the company ismoving away from cumbersome
on-premises technology to a more agile cloud-enabledbusiness, supported by considerably less realestate and avoiding unnecessary expense.

The priority was to close its data center andconsolidate all critical data within a private cloud,hosted 25 miles away in another U.S. facility.With new owners scheduled to take charge ofthe old building in eight weeks there wasn't amoment to lose.

Environmentalstandards met

"When you're disposing of data-laden IT equipment you wantto be absolutely sure it will be handled professionally with allthe correct paperwork and won't ever turn up on a landfill site.With the Iron Mountain SITAD service that's never in doubt."
Company spokesperson

Speed tempered with caution

The SITAD service released the IT team to focus on data migration, systemshutdowns, and other high priorities. As a result, the company was able tovacate the building on time and meet its legal obligations to the new owners.It also had the reassurance of demonstrable compliance.

"Knowing we'd retired all our servers and wiped the data in the proper wayand had the certificates to prove it was very important," added the projectlead. "I was also struck by how Iron Mountain tempered speed with cautionand got it done."

Ongoing economies of scale

As well as safeguarding against possible data breaches, the project furtherenhanced the company's Global Environmental Policy and its strong trackrecord in green business practice that stretches back to the 1970s.

"Having seen the results, we've introduced Iron Mountain to our otherbusiness units, so they can get economies of scale and streamlinetheir supply chains too," concluded the project lead. "Not just fordecommissioning servers, but also for the remarketing of PCs, laptops,mobiles, and other IT assets. That raises income, which can be offsetagainst the cost of future technology refreshes."