Department of Defence leverages Greenbox for Australia’s largest data sanitisation project

5 February 2019 by Hayley Coultis

More than 110,000 IT assets repurposed as part of Defence’s Infrastructure Transformation Program

Canberra, Australia – February 5, 2019Greenbox has completed Australia’s largest technology asset disposal for the Department of Defence, with more than 110,000 ICT devices repurposed.

Greenbox manages its customers’ ICT assets end-to-end, from pre-deployment and installation, right through to critical data sanitisation and disposal to ensure sensitive information is effectively destroyed when a device is replaced.

The $5 million contract was awarded to Greenbox as part of the department’s largest infrastructure program in over a decade, replacing over 110,000 mobile and desktop computers in the latest major project as well as processing another 90,000 devices including monitors, printers, networking equipment and servers.

The sheer nature and volume of the initiative required a partnership that would guarantee all information remained protected and was effectively destroyed throughout the process.

Greenbox was selected for this work because the company offered a value for money option and was appropriately accredited to manage over 110,000 pieces of hardware and data sanitisation while offering a transparent chain of custody for the devices.

“Greenbox has provided Defence with a centralised approach to IT asset recovery by managing this large-scale project to a defined and carefully-documented standard to ensure assets were repurposed, and the data they stored was permanently destroyed,” said Shane Mulholland, Chair at Greenbox.

“Our sites are designed specifically to handle these types of sensitive projects; we have the capacity to sanitise large numbers of devices simultaneously, backed by accreditations that meet Defence’s stringent cyber-security requirements.

“In addition to delivering to the data security requirements for the project, our processes ensured triple bottom line sustainability, with environmental, social and financial benefits. By giving new life to the 110,000 technology assets, we kept 1,300 tons of materials out of landfill, enough to fill 80 shipping containers. Repurposing this equipment provides social rewards by making affordable equipment available to communities in need, while also delivering financial returns.”

Greenbox executed the project across its high-security IT Commissioning Centres in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra – the latter was launched in March 2018 by the then-Australian Minister for Defence Industry, the Hon. Christopher Pyne MP. The large-scale, purpose-built sites allow Greenbox to conduct up to 800 concurrent device wipes per facility, which reduced the overall time to complete the project. This efficiency is coupled with defence-standard security, including hardened premises and personnel who are cleared and accredited.

About Greenbox Systems

Greenbox is a privately-owned IT asset lifecycle management company, with high-security facilities in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra. It provides the government, defence, banking and education industries with end-to-end services across the technology lifecycle, including pre-deployment, connected configuration, deployment, asset recovery and data security. Greenbox has experience in some of Australia’s largest and most complex projects with stringent security requirements, driven by robust governance, ISO-certified processes, and accredited engineers. For more information visit www.greenbox.com.au.