The process of decommissioning a data center requires planning and preparation. In order to complete the job, you need to identify all potential risks, determine how much time it will take for each phase of the work and communicate your plan with stakeholders in advance.
The “data center decommissioning process” is a checklist that can be used by companies to help them plan for the data center decommissioning process.
For one reason or another, a data center will need to be partly or totally decommissioned at some time. For example, you could elect to replace your physical hard drives with modern SSDs for greater performance and reliability, or you might decide to go completely cloud-based.
The underutilized hard drives must be retired in this situation, not only to guarantee a seamless transition to the new system, but also to maintain the security and integrity of the data stored on the unused hard drives.
There are a variety of different circumstances that may need a proper decommissioning procedure. A data center often includes the storage and transit of sensitive data, which is commonly kept across a large number of storage devices. Unsecured sensitive data might expose your firm to financial and legal dangers if you don’t have a robust decommissioning strategy in place.
With that in mind, we’ve put up a checklist to assist you in creating a complete data center decommissioning strategy. You may use this checklist to keep your decommissioning project on track and guarantee that it is completed safely and on schedule.
Checklist for Decommissioning Data Centers
Phase 1: Determining the scope of the project
The first step entails laying out all of the decommissioning specifics, and we should start by establishing the scope of work:
- The project’s goal(s) for decommissioning
- Key performance indicators (KPIs) that will be used to assess the project’s success
- The project’s timeline (when the project must be done)
- Estimated budget
- Form a decommissioning project group.
- Assign a project manager to the job.
- Make a list of all the people who will be participating in the project.
- The data center’s overall size
Phase 2: Item inspection
- What is the total amount of equipment that has to be removed?
- Use network discovery technologies to locate assets, then conduct physical inspections.
- All hardware and software assets that need to be retired are included on this list.
- Servers
- Racks
- Equipment for storage
- Hard disk drives
- SSDs
- Networking hardware
- Assets in software
- …..
- ….
- And so forth (add as needed)
- Compare the asset list to the Configuration Management Databases that already exist (CMDBs)
- Determine which pieces of equipment need special considerations or technical skills in order to be moved.
- Create a thorough asset map that includes equipment and the locations of defunct items. If required, cross-reference with your CMDBs.
- Contact a Data Center Decommissioning company to figure out what you’ll do with each asset: reuse, sell, destroy/recycle, and so on.
Phase 3: Decommissioning project planning
In this phase, you may begin planning the decommissioning project’s execution based on the itemization you completed in the prior phase.
- Create a strategy for implementation.
- a list of all the tasks that must be completed
- Each job has a PIC.
- Different stakeholders’ roles and responsibilities
- Create a decommissioning project plan and timeframe.
- Determine if the decommissioning project will take place during working hours (particularly peak hours) and whether you’ll need to send out notices regarding possible service outages.
- Establish backup systems and routines to ensure that a major loss of power or data does not occur.
- Determine which vendor maintenance contracts are impacted and terminate them.
- Make a list of assets that will be retired and assign tracking numbers to them.
- Prepare a list of possible stakeholders’ contact information, as well as their preferred means of communication.
- Confirm the asset list once again.
- Instructions for removing emergency generators and other auxiliary equipment
- Cooling system removal instructions, including cabling, piping, ducting, and related tools
Phase 4: Gathering the necessary equipment, materials, and labor.
At each stage of the decommissioning process, consider the tools and manpower requirements:
- Shredders for electronic devices
- Degaussers
- Forklifts
- Hoists
- Pallet
- Foam for packing
- Instruments for use with the hands
- Boxes
- Crates
- Labels
- Materials for packing (bubble wrap, tape, poly bags, etc. )
- Who will be in charge of overseeing and carrying out each work (if you’re employing outside suppliers, make sure you undertake the proper background and security checks ahead of time)
Phase 5: Data erasure and storage device destruction
- Gather important stakeholders ahead of time to discuss the specifics and get feedback on the decommissioning process.
- Determine what sorts of data your company carries and/or creates on a regular basis, and how you should handle each form of data.
- Create unambiguous data eradication procedures. Before starting, determine if any important procedures will need human supervision and authorisation.
- Choose the best data eradication technique for each storage device and/or kind of data: shredding/incineration, degaussing, employing software tools to safely delete data, and so on.
- Make your organization’s requirements for secure data eradication and/or physical destruction clear and thorough.
- Determine which devices will be sent offsite for destruction or eradication and which will be sterilized on-site.
- Disconnect the equipment from the network and mark assets for decommissioning during the actual decommissioning.
Packing and de-cluttering (Phase 6)
- Each piece of retired equipment should be labeled to identify where it is going and who owns it (for assets heading for recycling or refurbishment).
- Attach printouts to the equipment, along with instructions for moving the equipment.
- Depending on the amount of retired assets and/or the needed size, set aside a designated place for asset packaging.
- As you prepared in the previous phases, use the right packaging materials for each item.
- To keep track of all assets, use asset management software.
- Follow the processes outlined in the project plan for clearing the teardown area for on-site decommissioning.
Phase 7: Completion and assessment
- Check with the IT and accounting departments to see whether retired assets have been appropriately reported.
- To ensure safe data eradication, work with your selected IT Asset Decommissioning (ITAD) supplier.
- Obtain a Certificate of Destruction (CoD) for any assets or data that are relevant.
- Calculate the entire amount of money you’ve saved and put it back into your IT budget (with sales of used equipment, etc. ). Appropriate ITAD suppliers will help you at each step of the decommissioning process to ensure that you get the most out of your idle equipment.
- To guarantee compliance, review all essential paperwork both before and after the procedure.
Conclusion
To summarize, your data center decommissioning strategy should include the following seven stages:
- Defining the scope of the project
- Audit of individual items
- The decommissioning project is being planned.
- Equipment, materials, and manpower needs are being prepared.
- Data erasure and physical storage destruction
- Organizing and packing
- Finalizing and assessing
It’s also critical to document the whole decommissioning planning and execution process so that you can discover faults, analyze process changes, and assess the decommissioning process’s performance.
The “data center decommissioning companies” are companies that help with the process of data center decommissioning. These companies have a checklist that helps to make sure everything is done correctly.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you decommission a data center?
A: The process of decommissioning a data center begins with the removal of all hardware and software, followed by physical destruction.
What is a decommission plan?
A: A decommission plan is a set of instructions that outline how to take down or destroy certain machinery.
What is server decommissioning process?
A: The process of decommissioning a server is the removal or disabling, to bring it out of commission. This can be done through power down, unplugging and removing data media (like hard drives) from their computer case until they are ready for use again.
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