How to Minimise Downtime During Data Center Decommissioning

Servers are built to last. They run 24/7, 365 days a year. They also feature hot swappable parts, meaning the parts that suffer from the most severe wear and tear can easily be replaced and upgraded. With all this said, the time may still come when you need to upgrade your whole server, and this means you need to decommission your current setup. 

This creates many new potential issues; how do efficiently move to your new server? What do you do with your old server? And how do you minimise downtime? This article looks to answer all your questions and give a guide on how to decommission your obsolete server in the most efficient way possible.

Why It’s Important to Minimise Downtime

It may be time to make changes to your data centre, but you do not want to do this at the cost of your business' efficiency. Data centre downtime can mean critical applications and services to your business are unavailable, disrupting business operations and aeffecting customer service. This loss in vital applications can also mean a loss of revenue as you are unable to operate and may suffer from a major loss of productivity. 

Comprehensive Planning and Risk Assessment

Decommissioning your data centre presents you with two options: take on the decommissioning process yourself, or work alongside an ITAD partner who has plenty of experience in this task.  We would recommend using a highly experienced ITAD partner for this reason. And even if you are planning to work with an ITAD partner, you still have a significant role to play.  

Before you contact your ITAD provider, you should conduct a detailed assessment of your infrastructure, identifying potential risks and creating a comprehensive inventory of all the assets currently within your system and their condition. This helps identify whether your assets are fit for resale or if they need to be sent to resource recovery. 99% of used IT hardware, we receive here at Techbuyer is refurbished and resold, the remainder is ethically recycled. E-waste is an ever-growing concern, and it is vitally important that you are responsible with how you handle surplus equipment. You should also identify the data on all your storage devices. You don’t want your data going missing during your transition!

Conduct a detailed assessment of your infrastructure, identifying potential risks and creating a comprehensive relocation plan that outlines every step, responsibilities, risk mitigation strategies, and realistic timelines. Effective planning and communication with stakeholders are essential for a smooth transition. 

Once you have a detailed list of everything in your data centre, plan the sequence in which systems will be decommissioned. Make sure to prioritise critical systems and services to further reduce downtime. 

Redundancy and Backups

Before decommissioning, ensure you have a robust backup and redundancy plan in place. Perform complete backups of all data, verify their integrity, and consider temporary redundancies (e.g., cloud-based services) to maintain critical operations during the process. 

This is arguably the most important aspect of the process as it regards the safety of your business and your customers’ private data.  

Out-of-Hours Deployment

Be sure to conduct the decommissioning process out of operational hours, usually evenings or weekends. This is to minimise the impact on business operations, potentially completely mitigating any downtime, and allows for a much smoother transition.  

Data Security and Sanitisation

Implement proper data sanitisation procedures to ensure sensitive information is securely wiped or destroyed before equipment is decommissioned or disposed of, preventing potential data breaches. 

Post-Decommissioning Monitoring

The process does not end just because your obsolete equipment has been decommissioned. Your job now is to regularly monitor the performance of your new server to make sure that everything is running smoothly. If there are issues, then this means that you can catch them quickly have them amended with minimal issues. By following the advice provided here, you will go into the decommissioning process prepared and confident. You will minimise any downtime, ensure business continuity, and mitigate potential risks associated with the process.

At Techbuyer, we have over 18 years of experience managing the entire lifecycle of IT equipment. our team provides a secure, professional and effective IT decommissioning process that is flexible to your times and needs. We take care of every aspect of the decommissioning process, including a secure chain of transport and industry leading data security.  

Our services don’t end at decommissioning, as we also cover your replacement hardware. For more on our full lifecycle solutions, be sure to visit our decommissioning page.