Where Your Relocation Budget Goes, and How Our Buy Back Program Brings It Down

Most of what a data center move costs comes down to one thing: how much equipment you move. Every server, switch and rack has to be packed, loaded, transported, unloaded and brought back online. Our equipment buy back program is designed to lower that cost from two directions at once. It makes the move smaller, and it puts money back in your budget.

Where the money goes in a data center move.

A relocation quote is built from a handful of cost drivers. Almost all of them grow with the amount of equipment.

• Labor - crews to de-install, pack, re-rack and re-cable each piece
• Packing materials - anti-static wrap, foam, crates and shock-protected cases
• Transport - truck space, air-ride trailers, and freight for long-distance or international moves
• Insurance and valuation - coverage based on the value of what's in transit
• Downtime window - the more racks you move, the longer the outage takes
• Old site costs - rent, power and cleanup while the old space is still being emptied

How buy back cuts each of those costs.

When you sell retired equipment to us instead of moving it, it comes off almost every line in your quote.

A simple way to look at it.

Picture two versions of the same move. In the first, every rack in the old room gets packed and shipped, including servers that are scheduled to be replaced a few months later. In the second, those older servers are sold through buy back before move day. The second move has fewer pieces to pack, fewer pallets on the truck and fewer systems to bring back online, and the value of the retired gear is paid to you or credited against the bill. Same destination, smaller invoice.

What we buy.

• Servers and storage - rack and blade servers, storage arrays and shelves
• Network gear - switches, routers and firewalls
• Racks, UPS and power - cabinets, PDUs and UPS units

Offers depend on age, configuration, condition and current resale demand. Not every item will have buy back value, and we'll tell you which ones do before you commit to anything. For the full details, see our post on the equipment buy back program.

How to get the most from buy back.

• Decide early - mark which equipment is moving and which is retiring when you build your inventory
• Send details - make, model, configuration, quantity, condition and photos help us price it accurately
• Time it with your refresh - if new hardware is going into the new site, the old hardware never needs to travel
• Plan the drives - we agree with you up front on how data-bearing drives are handled under your security policy

Our data center relocation checklist walks through the full inventory and planning steps.

Lower the cost of your next move.

If you're planning a relocation, a consolidation or a site closure, send us your equipment list along with your move details. Data Center Relocation Experts will include a buy back offer with your relocation quote, so you can see the real cost of your move before you commit. Call (866) 216-7742 or request a free quote at Get a free data center relocation quote.