OceanTech
Complete Risk Mitigation with Data Center Decommissioning

It is a daunting task to effectively and safely decommission a data center. There is a lot more to the process than the mere act of removing equipment and racks from the premises. When it’s time to close, move, or consolidate a data center, an organization needs to safeguard its data-containing assets, adhere to compliance requirements before carrying out data destruction, and follow electronics recycling protocols, among other tasks. While most companies outsource people and processes to execute the task of data center decommissioning, OceanTech, a Minneapolis-based R2 certified company, provides end-to-end services to garner the trust of its clientele.

The trust factor is crucial since data center decommissioning involves timelines and the handling of delicate organizational assets. For example, an organization that uses a collocation facility might need to exit the premises before the end of the month or risk incurring a financial penalty. “We can’t afford to miss an exit date or they’re (clients) going to suffer losses. This is why data center decommissioning is all about understanding the process and gaining the customer’s trust. We stand apart from the competition because we deal with these projects every week throughout the United States, and don’t outsource any functions,” explains Mike Satter, Vice President, OceanTech.

OceanTech acknowledges that every organization employs a different approach toward handling compliance, data security, and internal processes. Therefore, it follows a prudent pre-project process that begins with interaction with the IT leaders at a prospective client. Upon understanding the requirements, challenges, and methodology, OceanTech creates a tailor-made solution, regardless of a client’s stature. Finally, OceanTech’s specially-trained technicians go in, perform certified data destruction, remove IT assets such as racks, switch, cables, and servers from the data centers.

Besides sending in a team of experienced technicians, OceanTech also provides the requisite data destruction solution for effective data center decommissioning. “To maintain compliance or strict client requirements, we are the right team as the decommissioning process implemented is entirely ours.

Even the data destruction solution WipeOS—ensures data security by meeting NIST and all of the other most critical international data destruction standards,” adds Satter who also serves as the President of WipeOS which functions as a subsidiary of OceanTech.

To OceanTech, data center decommissioning isn’t complete until it can retrieve the maximum value for the equipment eradicated from data centers. Boasting of an extensive network of remarketing channels and end-users, OceanTech, financially compensates its clients for every retired asset that has value. “These end-user relationships are the key to getting 2-3 times the value back on equipment,” says Satter, while stressing that the value for the assets isn’t restricted to monetary gains. In certain cases, OceanTech gets involved in charitable acts. For example, when a Fortune 100 company in New York City retired more than 1,000 of its employee laptops, OceanTech completed the task of data destruction before handing over the systems to schools and hospitals in various cities.

To maintain compliance or strict client requirements, we are the right team as the decommissioning process implemented is entirely ours

There are also monetary gains for clients who approach OceanTech for data center decommissioning. Recently, the organization worked on a project that involved 450 fully-populated racks of data center equipment spread across two environments—200 racks in San Francisco and 250 in Los Angeles. By the end of the project and after the cost of services, the client pocketed $540,000 due to the value return of their gear.

OceanTech, which serves over 2,000 customers ranging from startups to Fortune 100 companies throughout North America and Canada, is ready to spread its wings and go global. While citing loyal customer relationships as its strong suit because of its trusted service delivery, OceanTech stands by its dictum of “once a client, always a client.”
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