Effective IT asset disposal is essential for data center health
IT hardware evaluation and procurement are necessary -- and potentially exciting -- parts of data center management. But aside from seeing what shiny new tech can be introduced to your infrastructure, you must also track what IT assets are due for retirement. Consistently monitoring aging hardware and replacing it at the right time is one way to increase uptime, lower security risks and maintain operating costs.
It can be tricky to figure out just when a piece of hardware is ready for disposition. Certain infrastructure components have specific manufacturer guidelines regarding replacement, while others depend on how many times they can be repurposed, have no equal replacement hardware or remain in place due to their longstanding value to the organization.
Aside from evaluation, there are specific steps to ensure the IT asset disposal process is completed correctly. It's not as simple as unplugging a server from a rack and placing it in a garbage bin. The potential complexities of the process make it essential for your team to have effective procedures in place to retire and decommission IT hardware.
As part of a comprehensive disposition plan, you must account for data transfer, workflow configurations and any industry-specific regulations that could affect infrastructure retirement. There's also the consideration of any logistical plans to avoid downtime and properly install new hardware.
This handbook provides a look at ideal lifespans for server and networking hardware, proper disposal techniques and ISO certifications to ensure quality management. With this information, you can develop operational procedures and an IT asset disposal process that supports overall data center health and makes hardware removal as painless as possible.
