Turning Retired Infrastructure Into $2.1 Million in Recovered Value

A major data center organization was preparing for a large-scale infrastructure refresh. Thousands of servers and related equipment had reached end of life and needed to be removed quickly so operations could continue uninterrupted.

Historically, the organization relied on a local recycler. The process was simple: pallets were picked up, equipment was scrapped, and little information was provided afterward.

From the client’s perspective, the hardware was fully depreciated and assumed to have little or no resale value. Their priority was speed, not recovery or detailed accountability.

That approach created several challenges:

• Limited visibility into what assets were removed or where they went
• No systematic valuation of retired equipment
• Minimal chain-of-custody documentation
• Potential exposure to data security and compliance risks

What looked like a routine decommissioning project was quietly leaving both money and risk on the table.

Mender partnered directly with the client’s logistics and operations teams to deploy the Mender Method—a proven, end-to-end framework for decommissioning IT assets that maximizes value recovery while ensuring full compliance and accountability.

Comprehensive Asset Auditing

Every piece of equipment was cataloged down to the serial number level. This created full transparency into the decommissioned inventory and established a clear chain of custody.

Value Identification and Recovery

Instead of treating the equipment as scrap, Mender evaluated components for resale and reuse through established secondary market channels. Equipment that would have been destroyed was converted into recovered value.

Workflow Optimization

Working alongside the client’s teams, Mender streamlined the decommissioning process to reduce operational burden and keep the project moving efficiently.

Compliance Verification – A Critical Discovery!

During auditing and testing, Mender discovered more than 400 data-bearing drives still installed in servers, even though a prior vendor had been contracted to remove them.

The drives were immediately quarantined, the client was notified, and the devices were securely returned for proper handling. This step eliminated a significant potential data-security exposure.

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In just 60 days, the project delivered measurable operational, financial, and risk-reduction outcomes:

• $2.1 million in recovered value returned to the client
• 300 pallets of equipment processed
• 13 truckloads managed with full chain-of-custody documentation
• 3,900 servers audited and dispositioned
• 400+ data-bearing drives identified and secured
• Complete serial-number-level reporting providing total asset visibility

Just as important, the organization gained confidence that every asset and every drive had been accounted for and handled responsibly.