How a National Radio Company Disposed of 13,000+ Units of Diverse Equipment Safely and Securely
At a glance
A national satellite radio and audio entertainment company needed a reliable way to retire technology across broadcast operations, production, corporate computing, communications, and infrastructure environments. The equipment included servers, storage systems, network hardware, telecommunications devices, computers, displays, audio/video equipment, removable media, data tapes, and thousands of loose hard drives.
With technology spread across different operational environments, the company needed to coordinate equipment collections, protect proprietary and subscriber-related data, maintain accurate asset records, and document final disposition.
Keystone implemented an ITAD program with equipment collection, secure transportation, receiving, serialized and quantity-based auditing, data destruction, reuse evaluation, e-waste recycling, and reporting.
THE CHALLENGE
Manage over 10,000 pieces of equipment, protect proprietary and subscriber-related information, and manage a diverse technology population across media and entertainment operations.
The entertainment company needed to:
- Maintain a documented chain of custody from authorized equipment release through final disposition.
- Protect proprietary programming, production files, subscriber-related information, employee records, financial data, credentials, and infrastructure configurations.
- Manage a high-volume, diverse equipment stream in broadcast, production, corporate, telecommunications, and infrastructure environments.
- Ensure data-bearing equipment followed the required sanitization or data destruction process before reuse or recycling.
- Identify reusable equipment for value recovery and direct non-reusable electronics into responsible recycling streams.
- Maintain reporting that connected each service event to its inventory, data treatment, and final disposition.
The solution
One centralized ITAD program for controlled logistics, serialized asset auditing, data destruction, certified e-waste recycling, and value recovery.
1. Coordinated collection planning across multiple points
Keystone coordinated each service event with the client, confirming equipment scope, authorized release, handling requirements, and logistics before pickup. This gave internal IT teams a planned collection process without having to manage every equipment movement independently.
2. Documented chain of custody
Every equipment release was documented, establishing when Keystone assumed responsibility for the assets. This gave the client a clear record of custody and accountability from the point of collection.
3. Controlled transportation and receiving
At Keystone’s facility, incoming loads were reconciled against their collection records before processing, helping ensure equipment was accounted for before entering the audit and disposition stages.
4. Detailed asset inventory and reconciliation
Keystone recorded asset details including category, manufacturer, model, condition, serial number, storage information, quantity, pallet, and job association. By tracking serialized and quantity-based audits, Keystone provided IT teams with a consolidated inventory to support internal reporting.
5. Secure data destruction
Data-bearing equipment were identified and routed through the required sanitization or physical-destruction process. This helped the company maintain control over sensitive information before equipment moved to reuse or recycling.
6. Value recovery and responsible e-waste recycling
Reusable equipment was evaluated for value recovery. Equipment that was no longer suitable for reuse was directed into responsible recycling streams, helping the company recover value where possible.
7. Final disposition and detailed reporting
Keystone maintained records connecting each service event to its equipment inventory, data treatment, and final disposition. This provided the company with a documented overview of the ITAD process to support asset management, security, finance, and sustainability reporting.
13,634
units managed
4,936
HARD DRIVEs recorded
4,558
INVENTORY RECORDS
43
SERVICE EVENTS
1
itad process
The outcome
One accountable ITAD program for a complex media and entertainment technology environment without compromising data security, asset accountability, or responsible final disposition.
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