By 2025, 80% of enterprises will have shut down their traditional data center.
Gartner, ‘The Data Center is Dead and Digital Infrastructures Emerge’ April 2018
View our decommissioning checklist for helpful tips.
Corporate Data Center Shutdown
Sims Lifecycle Services has a proven track record in systematic and secure data center decommissioning. Our clients trust us to get it right every time.
Our client is a leading global diversified insurance provider who ranks in the Fortune 100 list of the largest companies based on revenue. Operating in 18 different countries and employing 50,000 people worldwide it is one of the largest property and casualty insurers. This company is working with Sims Lifecycle Services (SLS) to manage the decommissioning of their enterprise data center in Warsaw, Poland.
Our client is one of the world’s fastest growing companies in its field, more than doubling in size, leading to increasing technology and data center needs. Having successfully begun their journey to the cloud some years ago, this organization is continuing to evolve its infrastructure by moving out of data centers and into the public cloud.
The Challenge
Transitioning to the cloud means that a global company needs to divest from their owned and operated data centers, decommissioning, securely destroying data and disposing equipment in a sustainable way. The following decommissioning services were required:
- Disconnecting cables
- Removal of all racked equipment and cabinets
- Physical inventory count of equipment
- On-site destruction of data
- Stage, pack and ship equipment
- Move equipment to a SLS Circular Center where assets are prepared for resale or recycling
- Environmentally sustainable recycling of equipment
The Solution
SLS helps companies manage ongoing technology shifts in data centers. SLS was chosen for this project because of our record of success providing decommissioning of data center equipment. We work with businesses who are closing down corporate data centers as work moves to the cloud providing bulk on-site data destruction services, inventory registration and complete resale services for retired data center equipment.
A successful decommissioning project requires effective planning, coordinated efforts and assurances of no disruption to the live environment. SLS provided this through defined processes and strong project management. In advance of the planned decommissioning SLS provided the project schedule, employee security details and vehicle details.
Prior to project commencement SLS undertook a site visit to perform a detailed audit of the location and service requirements. During the work, SLS attended the client’s site with our qualified technicians, planned to minimize numbers of people on-site and optimize speed of decommissioning. Consistent with our client’s requirements, SLS ensured that data was destroyed by degaussing, that inventory was accurately audited and tracked and logistics was optimized to reduce costs and environmental impact.
Engaging SLS as their data center decommissioning partner provided assurance of security, compliance and environmental responsibility. SLS managed the removal and disposition of the data center equipment from start to finish, giving complete confidence and assurance of data destruction and inventory accuracy.
SLS leverages global resale channels and smart pricing analytics to place retired data center assets back onto the market for resale. Only assets and materials that cannot be reused are routed for recycling. This obsolete material is processed to recover and extract raw materials that can be used to manufacture new products. Our clients benefit from programs that deliver maximum financial value and environmental sustainability without compromising data security or compliance.
The Sustainability Benefits
During the decommissioning project, over 4,500 assets were reused or recycled, avoiding 247 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. That’s the equivalent of removing 53 passenger cars from the road for one year or saving the annual energy use of over 29 households.