Decommissioning & Migration
Asset removal, data-safe handling, site-to-site relocation and disposal with full chain of custody.
- sanitisation evidence
- Per drive
- sanitisation evidence
- moves with rollback
- Staged
- moves with rollback
- SP 800-88 aligned
- NIST
- SP 800-88 aligned
What this service is
Removing equipment is easy. Removing equipment without losing an asset, a drive or an audit trail is the job.
We handle decommissioning and migration with chain-of-custody at every step: inventory before removal, serial reconciliation after, media handled to your data-sanitisation policy, and a certificate trail that satisfies your security and compliance teams. Relocations are planned as projects, with rollback positions and staged moves rather than one big-bang cut-over.
Deliverables you receive
- Reconciliation report: what left, what arrived, what was destroyed
- Certificates of sanitisation and disposal per asset or batch
- Chain-of-custody record end to end
- As-built state of the vacated and destination locations
What is included
- Pre-removal asset inventory and serial reconciliation
- Controlled shutdown coordination with your operations team
- De-racking, de-cabling and containment reinstatement
- Data-sanitisation to your policy (cryptographic erase, degauss, physical destruction)
- Packed, tracked transport with shock and tilt monitoring on request
- Staged site-to-site relocation with rollback positions
- Re-installation and re-commissioning at the destination
- Certificates: sanitisation, disposal, recycling and chain of custody
What is not included
Stated up front so the scope boundary is never a surprise. Most of these are available as add-ons.
- Legal title transfer and asset financial write-off
- Hazardous waste handling requiring specialist licensing
- Customs and export licensing (supported, not owned by us)
- Data recovery from failed media
Method
How we deliver decommissioning & migration
The same sequence every time, so progress is predictable and deviations are visible the day they happen.
01
Inventory and risk review
Assets inventoried and reconciled before anything is touched, with high-risk items — drives, media, licensed hardware — flagged for special handling.
02
Plan and stage
Move sequenced in batches with rollback positions defined, so a failure at step four does not leave a site half empty.
03
Controlled removal
Shutdown coordinated with operations, devices de-racked and de-cabled with ESD controls, packed to transport standard.
04
Sanitisation
Media handled to the agreed method with evidence captured per drive, and certificates issued.
05
Transport and receipt
Tracked movement, receipt inspection at destination, and serial reconciliation against the removal inventory.
06
Recommission
Re-installation, re-cabling and re-testing at the destination, followed by a final reconciliation and certificate pack.
Tools we use
- Asset inventory and serial capture systems
- Data sanitisation tooling with per-drive reporting
- Anti-static, shock-proof transport packaging
- Shock and tilt indicators for sensitive moves
- Chain-of-custody documentation systems
Standards we work to
- NIST SP 800-88 media sanitisation guidance
- ADISA asset disposal practice
- WEEE and local environmental disposal regulations
- GDPR-aligned handling of personal data on media
- ANSI/ESD S20.20 handling controls
Where you already run a documented standard, that becomes our method for the duration of the project. We work to your rack standard, label scheme and change-control process by default.
Questions
Decommissioning & Migration — the usual questions
How do you prove a drive was destroyed?
Per-drive evidence: serial number, sanitisation method, timestamp and operator, plus a certificate. Physical destruction is photographed or witnessed if you require it.
Can you handle cross-border moves?
Yes, including customs documentation support for moves between the EU, UK, US and India. Import/export licensing stays with you; we prepare the paperwork and coordinate the logistics.
Do you do big-bang moves?
Only when there is no alternative. Our default is staged migration with rollback positions, because a single cut-over concentrates all of your risk into one night.
What happens if an asset goes missing?
It stops the job. Reconciliation is done at every handover point precisely so that a discrepancy is found at the point of transfer, not weeks later.
By market
Decommissioning & Migration by country
Standards, safety regimes and test methods differ by market. Open the one you are building in.
Also delivered