Plan the retirement with an equipment list, have every hard drive, SSD and storage module physically destroyed — on-site if your security policy requires — then recycle the hardware through a licensed recycler and keep the certificate of data destruction, weighing records and recycling certificate.
Servers hold a company’s most sensitive data, so retiring them needs more care than retiring office PCs.
1. Build an equipment list
List the servers, storage arrays, switches, routers and other equipment to retire, with their locations. This makes planning and documentation easier.
2. Decide where data destruction happens
- On-site – drives are destroyed inside your server room or data center; nothing with data leaves the building.
- Off-site – drives travel to the recycler under a secure chain of custody and are destroyed there.
Either way, every drive and storage module should be physically destroyed, not just wiped or formatted.
3. Plan the collection
Agree a collection date that fits your migration or refresh schedule, and share access details for the site.
4. Recycle the hardware
After storage is destroyed, servers and network devices are dismantled and their metals, circuit boards and other materials are processed by a licensed recycler.
5. Keep the documentation
File these records with your IT asset register:
- Certificate of data destruction
- Weighing records
- Recycling certificate
EERC supports server and data center projects in Egypt with on-site data destruction, planned collections and certified recycling.