{"id":6833,"date":"2020-02-04T10:03:17","date_gmt":"2020-02-04T16:03:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.poweradmin.com\/blog\/?p=6833"},"modified":"2019-12-06T16:08:21","modified_gmt":"2019-12-06T22:08:21","slug":"how-to-decommission-a-data-center","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.poweradmin.com\/blog\/how-to-decommission-a-data-center\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Decommission A Data Center"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>The potential for disrupting business is much greater when you decommission a data center than if you\u2019re constructing one. The process involves a lot more than just shutting down servers, turning off switches, and dismantling storage racks. In this article, we\u2019ll consider some of the specifics and best practices required to achieve a smooth decommissioning process.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Why Decommission A Data Center In The First Place?<\/span><\/h2>\n

There\u2019s a growing trend for companies to move away from on-premises data centers, and into co-located rental accommodation, or the cloud. This trend is likely to continue, with the pace of data center closure accelerating over the next three or four years. Some analysts reckon<\/a> that anywhere between 10% and 100% of businesses worldwide have it on their agenda to decommission one or more of their existing data center facilities.<\/span><\/p>\n

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So in the foreseeable future, more IT administrators and engineers will be called upon to dismantle their data center infrastructure. Even with these mostly smaller-scale architectures, the process of decommissioning is a complex one, involving several steps. The critical stages are as follows.<\/span><\/p>\n

Make An Inventory Of Existing Assets<\/span><\/h2>\n

Basic information such as what equipment you currently have, what software is installed on this hardware, and what data is stored on each device should be listed in an inventory file known as a configuration management database or CMDB. This database acts as a repository for all configuration data associated with your physical and virtual IT assets.<\/span><\/p>\n

Map All Dependencies That Exist Between Data Center Resources<\/span><\/h2>\n

In a typical IT setup, the front ends of certain applications will depend on back end databases, processes will rely on the stable IP addresses of specific servers, and so on. The number and nature of these relationships will tend to increase, the older a data center is.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Breaking critical dependencies as you decommission is a sure fire way to create unwanted disruptions. So it\u2019s essential to map out all of these various relationships before you start. Having this knowledge will enable you to segment the process into manageable sections and proceed with the decommissioning in phases, which can be planned so as to minimize disruption.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hire Or Consult A Decommissioning Provider \u2013 But With Due Diligence<\/span><\/h2>\n

Besides the complexity, it takes a considerable amount of labor to decommission a data center, and you may find it easier to contract the work out to an organization that specializes in it.<\/span><\/p>\n

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There are a lot of companies that claim to provide decommissioning services, but not all of them have the experience and reputation needed to make them trustworthy partners. It\u2019s best to exercise due diligence before hiring a contractor. In particular:<\/span><\/p>\n

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