Datacenter Asset Tracking for Secure Reuse Decisions
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Solution Overview
Problem
The unintended exposure of data from datacenter assets due to uncertain asset history leads to inefficient destruction of assets, resulting in significant financial loss, as there is no centralized way to determine if an asset was previously used or its current state.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a Datacenter Tracking System (DTS) to systematically track assets throughout their lifecycle, using unique identifiers to access asset records, determine volatility, and ensure complete location history, enabling reliable reuse or destruction of assets based on their data-bearing status.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If data bearing assets are destroyed to prevent data exposure, then data security is improved, but financial loss increases due to unnecessary destruction of reusable assets
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary tracking and assessment of asset history before destruction decisions are made. By maintaining location history records and determining whether assets were previously used, the system enables informed decisions about asset reuse versus destruction, preventing unnecessary destruction of reusable assets while ensuring proper disposal of data-bearing assets
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms by continuously tracking asset location history and providing information about asset usage status. This feedback loop allows the organization to understand the actual data exposure risk associated with each asset, enabling optimized destruction policies that balance security requirements with asset reuse opportunities
2Productivity
If centralized tracking system is implemented to determine asset history, then asset management efficiency is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tracking system is designed to perform multiple functions: tracking asset location, determining usage history, assessing data exposure risk, and guiding destruction decisions. By consolidating these functions into a single universal system, the patent improves asset management efficiency without proportionally increasing complexity, as the same infrastructure serves multiple purposes
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques disclosed herein may include receiving a request to transfer an asset. The techniques may include accessing an asset record comprising an asset type, an asset location, and a location history for the asset. The techniques may include determining whether the asset is a volatile asset using the asset type. The techniques may include determining whether the location history is a complete location history for the asset. The techniques may include determining whether the asset is an unused asset using the location history. The techniques may include determining whether the asset is listed in an inventory list using the asset location. The techniques may include approving the request based at least in part on a determination that the asset is the volatile asset, the location history is the complete location history, the asset is unused, and the asset is in the inventory list.