Networking equipment reuse is one of the most underestimated challenges in IT asset disposition (ITAD). While servers and storage often receive the most attention, devices such as switches, routers, firewalls, and access points can carry significant hidden risk if not properly sanitised.
In this episode of The Den, Jon Woodward and Adam Burrett explore why data sanitisation for networking equipment is fundamentally more complex than many operators expect.
Unlike hard drives, networking devices lack consistent, standardised erasure processes. Data storage locations, command structures, and firmware behaviour can vary widely between vendors — and even between models from the same manufacturer. This makes generic or manual approaches unreliable at scale.
A key issue discussed is the misconception that factory resets equate to secure data erasure. In reality, factory resets often remove configuration references rather than securely erasing underlying data. Credentials, network configurations, and access rules can remain recoverable, creating real cybersecurity and compliance risk when devices are resold or redeployed.
The conversation also highlights the concept of a “pyramid of risk” within networking equipment. While switches may retain limited configuration data, devices higher up the stack — such as routers and firewalls — can store full network topologies, VPN credentials, and security policies. The higher the device sits in the network, the greater the potential impact of incomplete sanitisation.
As compliance standards evolve and awareness of networking-related data breaches increases, ITADs are being pushed to treat networking equipment as first-class data-bearing assets. Effective approaches rely on repeatable, device-aware processes and confidence in erasure outcomes — not assumptions or shortcuts.
This episode of The Den looks at what good really looks like when it comes to networking equipment reuse, and why proper data sanitisation is now a baseline requirement, not a nice-to-have.
