Firstbase IT Asset Disposition (ITAD) - End of Life Services

Overview

Firstbase offers ITAD services to securely decommission end of life (EoL) equipment. Customers have two options to retire EoL equipment from Firstbase’s global facilities: 

1. Use Firstbase’s ITAD service to decommission equipment. You will receive a Certificate of Destruction (CoD) from us (issued by one of our partners) that describes the NIST-approved methodology used for permanent data erasure. We also offer physical hardware shredding in the US when required. 
2. Use your own ITAD vendor. If you have a preferred partner, or require services that we don’t offer today (such as value recovery/trade-ins or donations), we are happy to accommodate a pickup or shipment from our warehouse to your own vendor. 

This document details how Firstbase customers can: 

• Request IT assets to be decommissioned that are currently stored in any of our global facilities (or arrange a pickup/shipment to your own vendor)* 
• Review Certificates of Destruction (CoD) that describe our NIST-approved methodology for permanent data erasure and/or hardware destruction 
• Monitor the status of assets through each stage of the decommissioning process in the Firstbase platform

There are 4 scenarios where ITAD services are initiated. This content is geared toward guiding customers through scenario 1 (requests for ITAD services); however, the decommissioning process described here applies to all 4 scenarios.

*Note: Firstbase can provide ITAD services only for equipment stored in our global facilities. We are not able to arrange bulk collections of existing IT assets from 3rd party or office locations for disposal at this time. We do not recommend shipping us EoL equipment in bulk that you do not expect to redeploy, since those devices will be subject to both our Legacy Equipment Intake Fee and ITAD Processing Fee. 

How it works

1. Send an email to support@firstbase.com with a csv file containing the list of equipment (including serial numbers) for decommissioning. Let us know if you will be using Firstbase’s ITAD service or if you would like us to deliver the equipment to your own nominated 3rd party vendor. 
   1. If shipping to a 3rd party vendor, please provide us with the delivery address, POC and any shipping instructions. 

2. Depending on the equipment category, Firstbase will action the request as follows: 
   1. Serialized, data-bearing devices* (laptops, phones, tablets) will be picked, packed and marked for destruction in the Firstbase platform. In the Asset Management page, the status will display as Archived with reason code Marked For Destruction.
   2. Non data-bearing equipment (monitors, IT peripherals) will be responsibly recycled in compliance with local e-waste regulations (in the US, our recycling process adheres to a zero landfill policy to minimize environmental impact). In the Asset Management page, the status will display as Archived with reason code End of Useful Life - Destroyed. The process is complete - no CoD is issued since the equipment does not hold any data. 

*Note: All data is wiped from previously used devices when they first arrive at a Firstbase facility (see Firstbase Policies for more details on our standard returns and intake processes). This first pass wipe is done using the OS feature for Windows devices and Apple configurator for MacOS before departing our facility to the ITAD vendor. If we are unable to wipe the data from a device (either because the device is locked or fails to power on), you will be informed by our support team in accordance with our standard repairs and locked device processes (see Firstbase Policies). At that time you can provide us with instructions for how you would like us to manage the device(s). In some regions, including the US, Firstbase can offer physical hardware shredding for locked/failed devices (NIST-approved process). 

3. Firstbase will schedule a pickup or shipment to the ITAD vendor for all data-bearing devices (now picked & packed and Marked For Destruction at our facility). Our decommissioning schedules and SLOs for each region are shown below: 

4. The ITAD vendor will then take custody of the equipment from Firstbase.
   1. If using Firstbase’s ITAD service, the status of the device(s) will remain as Archived in the Asset Management page, but the status reason will now display as Out For Destruction 
   2. If using your own 3rd party service, the status of the device(s) will remain as Archived, but the status reason will now display as End of Useful Life - Destroyed. The process is complete (CoD to be provided by client’s external ITAD service, not by Firstbase). 

5. Within the SLO, Firstbase will share a CoD with you and your team via email, detailing the serials decommissioned and the NIST-approved data destruction methodology used. Once the CoD is issued, the status reason displayed in the asset management page will change from Out For Destruction to End of Useful Life - Destroyed. CoDs are stored in a Firstbase cloud server for retrieval if needed at a later date. 

FAQ

Is Firstbase’s ITAD/data destruction process NIST-approved? 

Yes, Firstbase’s ITAD process meets or exceeds the NIST 800-88 guidelines for data destruction in all regions where we offer ITAD services. In the US, NIST 800-88 now supersedes the older DoD 5220.22-M guidelines, which our process also complies with. Our ITAD service capabilities in each region are summarized below.

Is there a fee for this service? 

Yes, whether using Firstbase’s ITAD service or your own 3rd party service, we charge the same fee for End of Life Processing. Please refer to your order form for your contracted rates. Our standard rates are shown below for each region:

Price includes the cost to pick, pack and coordinate transfer of custody from Firstbase to the ITAD vendor. When using Firstbase’s service, data erasure, hardware shredding (when applicable) and Certificate of Destruction (CoD) are also included. 

Does Firstbase offer any value recovery, buyback, trade-in, or donation options? 

No, at this time we do not offer any of these services.