Customer
A large public university serving approximately 23,000 students and 2,400 faculty members operates dozens of computer labs, research centers, and administrative offices across its campus.
As part of a five-year technology modernization initiative, the university replaced outdated computers and servers used across academic departments, libraries, and administrative offices. The refresh included retiring 412 desktop computers, 58 rack servers, 73 networking switches, and 486 storage drives distributed across multiple campus buildings.
Because many of these devices stored student records, research data, and administrative information, the university required a secure and organized asset disposition process.
Challenge
The university faced logistical and data security challenges due to the distributed nature of its IT infrastructure.
Retired equipment was spread across nine academic buildings and three research facilities, making centralized asset tracking difficult. Many devices had been placed in temporary storage rooms after being replaced, creating a growing backlog of equipment awaiting disposal.
The university also needed to ensure that student data, faculty research files, and internal records stored on the devices were completely destroyed before the hardware left campus.
In addition, the institution had strong sustainability commitments and wanted to minimize electronic waste generated during the refresh.
What Did We Do
Ampletech Refresh coordinated with the university’s IT department to execute a multi-stage IT asset disposition program.
The first step involved collecting equipment from all campus locations and transporting it to a centralized processing facility. Each asset was logged into a tracking system to ensure full visibility across the disposition process.
Storage devices were then removed from the hardware for secure data destruction. Out of the 486 drives collected, 391 drives were sanitized using certified data wiping software, while 95 drives were physically destroyed due to age or hardware failure.
All devices were then evaluated for reuse potential. 218 desktop computers and 27 servers were successfully refurbished and redeployed through secondary markets.
The remaining equipment was dismantled and processed through environmentally responsible recycling programs that recovered reusable materials.
Result
The university successfully retired more than 500 IT assets without compromising data security.
All storage devices were processed through secure destruction procedures, ensuring that student and research data could not be recovered.
The refurbishment of reusable equipment helped extend the lifespan of many devices while reducing electronic waste. The program also generated approximately $74,000 in value recovery, which the university reinvested into its campus technology upgrades.
Detailed reporting and certificates of destruction were provided for compliance and internal audit documentation.
Summary
A major university needed to retire over 400 computers, 58 servers, and nearly 500 storage drives during a campus technology refresh. Ampletech Refresh implemented a coordinated IT asset disposition program that ensured secure data destruction, responsible recycling, and value recovery through refurbishment. The project allowed the university to modernize its IT infrastructure while protecting sensitive academic and administrative data.
