Move it safely — retire it securely
A data centre move is one of the highest-risk projects an IT team runs: get the audit, sequencing or labelling wrong and you face extended downtime, lost kit, or data exposure. Servnet plans and executes the whole thing — survey, de-rack, transport, re-rack and commission — with the same certified field engineers that deliver our on-site support, working out-of-hours to keep disruption to a minimum.
When hardware is being retired rather than relocated, the same rigour applies to decommissioning: certified data erasure to NIST 800-88 and ADISA standards, WEEE-compliant recycling, and a buyback route that recovers residual value. Every asset is tracked end-to-end with a documented chain-of-custody.
What We Move & Decommission
Rack & blade — Dell PowerEdge, HPE ProLiant, Cisco UCS, Supermicro and more.
SAN & NAS arrays, expansion shelves and tape libraries, shut down cleanly.
Switches, routers, firewalls and structured cabling, re-patched to plan.
Full cabinets, PDUs and UPS — de-rack, transport and re-rack to elevation.
In-House Move vs Servnet Managed
| Stage | DIY / In-House | Servnet Managed ✓ |
|---|---|---|
| Asset audit & labelling | Manual, error-prone | Full register, rack elevations, cable map |
| Downtime window | Often overruns | Out-of-hours / weekend, planned & rehearsed |
| Transport | General courier risk | Air-ride, GPS-tracked, fully insured |
| Data security | Drives in transit, uncertain | NIST 800-88 / ADISA erasure + certificate |
| Disposal | Skip / unverified recycler | WEEE-compliant with full audit trail |
| Value recovery | Written off | Resale & buyback offsets project cost |
Before, During & After the Move
Pair relocation with the rest of the Servnet lifecycle — support, refresh and buyback.
Relocation & Decommissioning — FAQs
A fully managed move in five stages: (1) audit and asset survey with rack elevations, dependency and cabling maps; (2) graceful power-down, labelling and anti-static packing; (3) secure, GPS-tracked, insured transport with signed chain-of-custody; (4) re-rack and re-cable at the destination to agreed elevations; and (5) commissioning, health checks and sign-off with as-built documentation. We work out-of-hours and weekends to minimise downtime.
Chain-of-custody is documented from rack to rack — every asset is logged, sealed and signed for at each handover, and vehicles are GPS-tracked and insured. Where drives leave site for decommissioning, data is sanitised to recognised standards (see below) and a certificate is issued. Method statements and risk assessments are agreed before any work begins.
Secure data erasure follows NIST SP 800-88 (Clear and Purge) using ADISA-aligned processes, or witnessed physical destruction for media that cannot be sanitised. A certificate of data destruction is issued for every asset, with a full audit trail — supporting GDPR / UK data protection and your internal compliance policy. The exact method is matched to the data classification of each device.
After certified erasure, each asset takes one of three routes: redeploy and reuse (tested and re-imaged back into your estate or spares pool), resale and buyback (value recovery that offsets the project cost), or WEEE-compliant recycling for genuine end-of-life items, with an environmental audit trail. We recommend the best route per asset.
Yes. Equipment with residual value can be bought back or resold through Servnet, offsetting relocation, refresh or decommissioning costs. We assess current models and storage during the audit stage and provide a valuation alongside the project plan — see our refurbished hardware pages for the buyback route.
Yes. End-of-life equipment is disposed of in line with the WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) regulations through approved channels, with documentation for your environmental and audit records. Nothing goes to landfill, and you receive a full chain-of-custody and disposal audit trail.
Planning a Move or a Decommission?
Tell us the site, rack count and timeline — we’ll scope a managed relocation or secure decommissioning project, with a buyback valuation where it applies.