Data Center Decommissioning Projects

Decommissioning Data Storage

Why are More Companies Today Investing in Data Center Decommissioning Projects?

With the increasing sophistication of cyberattacks causing irreversible reputational and revenue losses, the number of companies hiring decommissioning services and migrating to the cloud has quadrupled over the past five years.

Mordor Intelligence, a leader among marketing research companies, provides remarkable statistics regarding the rush to decommission data centers and move sensitive data to the cloud:

• In 2020, the cloud migration market sustained a value of $119 billion. By 2026, that market value is expected to reach nearly $450 billion
• Organizations repeatedly cite the scalability, ease of implementation, higher effectiveness, mobility, and the improved ability to recover data after a breach
• Declining interest in data center outsourcing indicates a monumental surge towards a hybrid form of infrastructure services
• Experts predict that as long as the COVID-19 pandemic continues a cycle of abating and surging, many organizations will continue to expeditiously develop data center decommissioning projects and migrate to the cloud
• Microsoft recently reported a 775% increase in requests for cloud-based services since the start of the pandemic
• Replacing legacy systems with more secure and affordable cloud services is another big reason for the significant spike in demand for data center decommissioning services.

Other explanations given by businesses that are choosing to undergo a data center decommissioning involve the ability to employ multiple apps and swapping programs with little to no technical effort.

What is a Standard Decommissioning Checklist?

Managers of corporate data centers learned early in the push to implement decommissioning projects that data sanitization, data erasure, and ensuring they responsibly recycle equipment requires an in-depth plan of action.

A basic checklist for a decommissioning project would involve the following steps:

• gingAssigning a dedicated supervisor to oversee the project
• Establishing an available budget that can be increased or reduced by a specific amount
• Identifying workflows that are essential for avoiding critical losses of data or power
• Itemizing all software and hardware assets that will be impacted by the decommissioning project
• Appropriate use of data discovery tools to prevent omission of assets
• Compiling an exhaustive inventory of servers, routers, racks, firewalls, networking equipment, and all other assets. Including a list of software licenses affected by the decommissioning event
• Determining if individual items can be recycled, remarketed, or reused. This step can also help supervisors recognize possibilities for asset recovery
• Planning for the decommissioning process by estimating how long it will take, what backup systems will be needed during the process, and trying to avoid interrupting the company’s peak operation hours
• Verifying multiple times that all data has been backed-up prior to powering down
• Disconnecting and tagging decommissioned equipment
• Completing the project by engaging legacy replacement equipment, migrating to the cloud, or both (hybrid)

Data Erasure and Physical Destruction of Decommissioned Items: Choosing the Best Data Center Decommissioning Services

Companies should never hire an Information Technology Asset Disposition (ITAD) before thoroughly researching the decommissioning service they plan to use. Only companies offering the following benefits can be depended on for complete destruction of sensitive data and to responsibly recycle devices:

• Is an R2/RIOS certified, hard drive destruction and electronic waste recycling company that issues authentic Certificates of Destruction validating the device cannot be reconstructed and accessed
• Can provide references and proof of years in the data center decommissioning service business
• Offers pick-up services for companies with large amounts of decommissioned equipment
• Utilizes only proven methods of sensitive data destruction–degaussing, electronic shedding, and solid-state shedding
• Recycles decommissioned equipment using environmentally friendly methods that significantly reduce water and energy resources

Potomac eCycle offers these benefits and many more. Contact us today to learn more about our comprehensive data center decommissioning services.