Legal Hold

Customer challenge

When a global technology leader experienced a sudden data center breach during a planned equipment refresh, the situation quickly escalated into a race against time. Instead of proceeding with the scheduled destruction of retired IT equipment, the company was ordered to preserve the assets under a Legal Hold—and they had just 35 days to vacate multiple facilities.

The challenge was immense. Hundreds of heavy server racks—each weighing up to 4,000 pounds and containing highly sensitive data—needed to be removed, transported, and stored without a single lapse in security. The company required a single, trusted partner capable of managing the entire process end-to-end: secure removal, chain-of-custody transport, climate-controlled storage, and future disposition.

The solution

Iron Mountain was ready to respond. Drawing on years of experience in high-security IT asset management, a dedicated team was mobilized within days. Local crews were trained, logistics planned, and a precise chain-of-custody process established. The operation moved swiftly:

• 65 racks were relocated within the local data center
• 135 racks transported between regional facilities
• 35 racks moved from an East Coast site to the central storage facility

At peak, up to 30 racks per day were moved across multiple states. Each asset was stored in an environmentally controlled, highly secure facility equipped with video surveillance, Halon fire suppression, and strict access protocols—ensuring that sensitive data remained fully protected.

Business impact

Thanks to Iron Mountain’s expertise and single-vendor accountability, the project successfully fulfilled all Legal Hold requirements, ensuring that every server rack and data asset was securely preserved under strict compliance protocols. The company was able to vacate all data centers within the 35-day deadline without compromising the integrity of data, avoiding costly penalties or operational disruptions.

This Legal Hold-focused success not only resolved an urgent challenge but also reinforced trust in Iron Mountain as a reliable partner for high-stakes IT asset management. The company relies on Iron Mountain for ongoing global hardware asset projects, confident that even the most sensitive equipment and data can be securely managed under strict legal and regulatory requirements.