Retiring company IT is a sequence of decisions: what equipment is leaving, what data it holds, whether it can be reused and what record the organisation needs when it is handed over. Send us the actual asset types and location so we can discuss an appropriate service.
Inventory equipment and storage
List desktops, laptops, servers, network storage, printers, phones and loose media by approximate count. Record any asset or serial identifiers needed for reconciliation. A device may contain several storage components, and a failed or powered-off machine can still hold data. Keep leased equipment, items under retention or legal hold and third-party assets separate until release is authorised.
Decide the treatment
Suitable equipment intended for reuse may be considered for verified data erasure. Media not intended for reuse may be considered for hard drive destruction, SSD destruction or another method appropriate to its technology. A failed erasure should be reported as an exception and given a different route. Our method comparison helps frame the choice.
Agree transfer, processing and evidence
Give the collection postcode, site access and handover contact. State whether the drives are loose or still installed, and whether an asset-level list, witness arrangement or particular record is needed. Ask what the available completion evidence will identify; reconcile it to the release inventory. The ICO's asset management guidance includes keeping records of secure hardware disposal.
Ask about your batch
We will confirm service availability, the proposed scope and the records that can be provided for the equipment and site. with the types, quantities and postcode. For larger arrays, see server and NAS disposal.
Further reading: ICO asset management guidance.