Data Center Decommissioning Tips
Investing in new equipment, applications, and technology solutions is a top priority for many IT and security professionals. But when it comes to “out with the old and in with the new”, what exactly happens to the old legacy systems, applications and hardware equipment? In this blog post, we look at some data center decommissioning tips and considerations.
With many organizations migrating to the cloud, data center decommissioning is happening at a much faster pace. Digital transformation is prompting many companies to wind down their data centers. Enterprises with servers reaching 5 to 7-years-old are choosing to migrate to the cloud rather than refresh their physical assets or risk server performance degradation and security issues by extending use of their existing data centers. The benefits of cloud are too compelling. Eliminating the costs and burden of maintaining private data centers makes another great case for decommissioning to cloud.
Whether your organization is retiring old PC’s, laptops, smartphones, or servers, it has to be done right. Decommissioning done wrong can result in a serious security leak and could end up costing your company money.
So, what steps can your company take to make sure your proprietary corporate data doesn’t end up for sale to the highest bidder? Here are some key considerations when it comes to retiring your data centers.
Have a Dedicated Project Team
Data center decommissioning requires close coordination and planning. Nominating project managers, team leads, and respective roles and responsibilities is critical for clarity and accountability when it comes to actions and expectations.
Have a Decommissioning Roadmap
Be clear on the step-by-step processes that are required. Detail each step to be taken and assign responsible parties. Also, consider realistic time-frames and man hours to be allocated to each task to determine the overall project timeline.
Aim For Zero Disruption
Upgrading IT equipment for a data center while removing retired equipment is ideally done with little to no disruption to your live production environment. Work on a plan to ensure the decommissioning goes smoothly and that there is no disruption to the live environment.
Audit Trail and Compliance
Clearly understand what actions need to be taken with regard to meeting any applicable compliance requirements and have a mechanism for accurate reporting. This typically includes inventory reports and certificates of data destruction.
Encrypt Your Data as You Move to Cloud
Use a secure channel from your on-premise data center to your cloud provider. Ensure you can accommodate the extra traffic for the migration with a network that can provide the necessary bandwidth. Check to be sure everything is working as it should in the cloud. Once your applications and data are moved to the cloud wipe your servers clean.
Safe Removal of Destruction of Server Equipment
Don’t risk putting your organization’s data in unsafe hands. Work with a trusted partner to remove your equipment for destruction or recycling and resale. Your trusted partner should work with you to design a transparent and secure destruction and/or recycling process tailored to your organization’s needs.
Be sure to do your due diligence about your decommissioning partner so that you can be confident that your equipment is responsibly managed and accounted for. While the decommissioning partner will ultimately be liable for any data leaks, choosing the right partner to securely destroy and resell your assets the right way means you won’t have to worry about that happening.
Maximize Your Returns
Work with a company that can get you the best possible return on your investment through asset resale and recycling via legitimate channels.
Don’t Have Time or Resources To Dedicate to Your Decommission?
Most IT teams are stretched. If your team cannot spare resources to design and execute a data center decommissioning plan, call on some experts. A competent decommissioning partner will provide safe, secure and systematic project management to decommission and remove your IT assets and equipment. By getting experienced project managers to handle the entire process, your IT asset managers and data center managers are freed up to focus on your live production environment.
Whether you are decommissioning IT equipment during refreshes, physical moves or changes, or moves to the cloud, Ascension Global Technology can help you with your equipment and data center decommissioning needs. Contact us to discuss your data center decommissioning needs and for a custom-made plan today.
