Baltimore, MD – July 8, 2025 - Early Upgrade, the company behind the DataBot™ automated physical device data destruction system, today announced its official integration into the Powered by Apkudo ecosystem. This strategic collaboration embeds DataBot’s high-speed physical destruction technology and verifiable destruction logs directly into Apkudo’s intelligent device lifecycle platform. As a result, customers now have a seamless solution for secure, efficient, and fully trackable physical data destruction.
The exponential growth of connected devices has created an urgent challenge for organizations and recyclers alike: how to guarantee complete, compliant, and verifiable physical data destruction at scale. Today, most destruction processes remain siloed, manual, and difficult to audit, leaving organizations vulnerable to data breaches, regulatory penalties, and reputational damage. Inconsistent documentation and a lack of real-time visibility further hinder sustainability tracking, value recovery, and operational efficiency.
By integrating DataBot with the Apkudo Platform, Early Upgrade solves these problems at their roots. The enhanced solution combines industrial-grade physical destruction with a real-time, tamper-proof digital chain of custody. Every destruction event, including timestamp, operator ID, model and serial number, location, and before-and-after images, is automatically captured and surfaced within Apkudo’s platform. This eliminates manual reconciliation and spreadsheet tracking, empowering customers with real-time oversight, total transparency, and scalable security.
“The DataBot was built to make data destruction safer, faster, and more accountable, while dramatically reducing the cost of physical destruction processes,” said Josh Beasley, CEO of Early Upgrade. “By embedding the DataBot into the Apkudo platform, we’re giving customers instant access to verifiable audit trails, circularity metrics, and ESG insights without adding a single step to their workflow.”
“Our mission is to optimize every device process and decision from launch to final disposition,” said Josh Matthews, CEO and Co-Founder of Apkudo. “DataBot closes the loop at the point of final disposition, where data security and operational visibility matter most. This integration builds on our existing partnership, with Early Upgrade already managing recycling for Apkudo’s Enterprise Recover customers. Together, we’re setting a new standard for security, efficiency, and environmental stewardship.”
Customers using DataBot powered by Apkudo gain a comprehensive solution that ensures end-to-end compliance with standards like NIST 800-88 and GDPR. Dashboards are fully customizable for enterprise IT, security, and audit teams, offering complete transparency into every destruction event. The solution also enhances sustainability efforts by connecting DataBot logs with upstream testing, resale, and trade-in data, enabling rich e-waste diversion and CO₂ e-avoidance reporting. Operationally, customers benefit from DataBot’s rapid eight-second destruction cycle, cutting labor costs by more than 90%, and from Apkudo’s platform automation, bringing together a single source for device truth. Apkudo customers can now leverage the DataBot, along with Early Upgrade’s R2v3 and NAID AAA-certified recycling services, delivering enhanced value recovery and maximum data security at the serial number level.
DataBot units powered by Apkudo will be available worldwide through Early Upgrade’s direct sales, leasing, and service bureau channels. All currently deployed DataBot units will be eligible for integration with the Apkudo Platform through a secure cloud-based software update. For a live demonstration or pricing information, contact sales@earlyupgrade.com or visit earlyupgrade.com.
Early Upgrade is an R2v3 and NAID AAA-certified electronics recycler and developer of data-centric hardware solutions that protect data, people, and the planet. Its flagship DataBot™ is the first tabletop and portable destruction tool offering verified eight-second device destruction, fire suppression, visual device recognition, and a tamper-proof destruction log.
