With so many services now on the market aimed at extending the lifespan of IT hardware, and indeed Procurri promoting exactly this ethos, it can be difficult to know exactly when a business should choose to decommission their servers and replace them with newer ones. Do so too early and you risk prematurely spending unnecessary money while contributing to e-waste and overconsumption, but do so too late and there’s the risk of disruption to the end user if the system malfunctions or fails. Here, the Procurri experts explain all on the lifecycle of a server and when to eventually consider its replacement.
The Average Lifespan of a Computer Server
On average, a server lasts for around 10 years before it ceases to operate correctly – but if well maintained, this lifecycle can be extended up to double that. Prior to this, you may find that individual components fail but these can be replaced and operations continue with new parts in place.
The Stages of a Server’s Lifecycle
There are some key stages of the lifecycle of a server once purchased. These are as follows:
Initial deployment
Once the server has been purchased, it will be installed, configured and deployed. Initial tests will be enacted to ensure performance is adequate, then any adjustments made. The server will then be turned on and services made live.
Operation
As operations begin through the server and any initial teething problems are ironed out, regular work can begin. Software updates and security patches can be installed without issue and everything runs smoothly. By this point all technicians and/or staff should understand their responsibilities with the hardware and work through them diligently. Services run as usual.
Warranty ends
IT hardware comes with a service warranty provided by the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer). These vary in scope and length, but usually cover repairs and faults as well as software updates, and last between 3-5 years. Once the warranty ends, the server does not stop operating but rather is simply no longer maintained by the OEM.
Third Party Maintenance takes over
If server owners choose to extend the lifecycle of their server/s and continue their operations past warranty point without any declining performance, they may invest in Third Party Maintenance. Third Party Maintenance providers, such as Procurri, offer continued support, repairs, replacements, software updates and security patches as an OEM would past their point of service.
Declining performance
If server owners don’t invest in Third Party Maintenance, they will notice the performance of the hardware declines over time. It’s likely that the server will outlive the systems connected to it such as desktop computers, laptops, printers, tablets and phones; although eventually the server itself will not operate adequately to allow these to function.
Decommissioning
Eventually, the server will stop operating – but it should not be left to this point, as allowing it to do so while systems are still connected to it will result in downtime and disruption. Instead, it is recommended that servers are decommissioned once a replacement is in place and ready to go live with its initial deployment; thus re-starting the cycle.
ITAD (IT Asset Disposition)
As e-waste, servers can’t simply be disposed of as normal waste products would be. Instead first, all data held on them must be securely wiped before the hardware itself is deconstructed with any eligible parts recycled and anything else physically destroyed. E-waste can be extremely harmful to the environment, and that’s why Procurri works only with zero-to-landfill ITAD partners. Our ITAD process manages and tracks each asset through processing to redeployment or remarketing to achieve the highest possible residual value – often providing an income stream back to the initial customer.
Signs your Server is ready for Decommission
While Third Party Maintenance may extend the lifespan of your server vastly, it will still eventually require replacement. There are some key signs for businesses to look out for that indicate the server hardware is reaching its EOL (End of Life) point and they should consider decommissioning and replacement. Such indicators include:
Increasing energy bills
Older equipment uses more electricity than newer tech, and so a business’ energy bills will likely be higher for older servers than new. However, if the bills increase despite it not actually using more computing power, chances are the cooling systems used to maintain an ambient temperature are struggling to keep up with the heat generated by the equipment.
Some countries and territories offer grants and incentives to businesses who are looking to replace energy-hungry data center hardware with more sustainable options, so if energy bills are a concern, such schemes can be looked into.
Failing performance
As servers age they tend to lag and become unreliable. Once a server has hit the point of frequently failing, its performance should be analysed and considered against the business’ needs. If luck is on your side, your business will have grown over the time it’s owned the server – and if the server is struggling to keep up with the new amount of traffic and commands, it may be time for replacement.
Hardware failure
While replacement parts and components can be installed to safeguard against minor hardware failures, a myriad of such malfunctions in succession can be considered an indicator of equipment ageing.
Lack of software updates
A server’s software must remain compatible with that of the systems linked to it, or it will begin to fail. Eventually, as a server reaches an age considerably older than those devices linked to it, it will reach incompatibility and be unable to continue to service them adequately.
Lack of security patches
Third Party Maintenance services will provide some security patches and software upgrades past the point of OEM support, but when such patches are no longer available, security becomes a concern. If security patches are entirely unavailable, data breaches are likely to occur and could have legal, reputational and financial consequences for the business. Where older systems attached to the system may need to be removed to update drivers or other old software, such replacements will only work so far.
Decommissioning Servers with ITAD services
The eventual decommissioning of servers is a time-consuming process and should be properly project managed to avoid excess financial cost.
It is always recommended that businesses work with an expert team (such as that at Procurri) so that they may:
- Analyse exactly what needs replacing and what doesn’t
- Identify the best possible replacement for the server – including a breakdown of energy savings, increased security and increased capacity/performance
- Work out a timeline for installation, testing and decommission
- Work out a method and timeline for removal of the defunct hardware
- Adequately and safely back up systems for migration.
What’s more, Procurri are able to provide on-site technicians and engineers as well as project managers to look after the entire process end-to-end, working alongside any of the business’ staff as required. This provides a seamless and stress free service that helps speed up the decommission project without any disruption to the end user.
Once the new server hardware is up and running, the old may be decommissioned and data and systems migrated over. Then, all data must be removed from the old drives, devices and storage facilities before the asset is finally decommissioned.
Data destruction services must be comprehensive and legally adequate. Procurri works with strict data security guidelines such as NIST, DoD, NAID AAA, HMG Infosec 5, alongside other regional standards. We also offer a full suite of data removal services including:
- Data sanitization
- Physical shredding
- Crushing/bending
- Degaussing
The proper disposal of e-waste is then managed. Procurri, for example, will physically remove the old asset/s before working with a suitable partner to then:
- Recycle any eligible parts
- Refurbish and resell any eligible parts (creating an income stream back to the business)
- Ensure any un-recyclable parts are destroyed without negative environmental impact or being sent to landfill.
Want to investigate your options for ITAD with Procurri? Get in touch!
Unsure of if it’s truly time to decommission your server?
It’s always recommended that businesses speak to an expert to investigate the possibilities of:
- Sweating’ the value of assets with Third Party Maintenance guaranteed to negate any downtime or disruption
- Procuring spare hardware parts for replacement installation rather than an entire server decommission
- Investigating options for recycling or remarketing hardware to provide an income stream toward new server hardware
- Processing e-waste with zero-to-landfill ITAD services.
Contact Procurri’s specialist team today to talk through your options and begin the journey to a seamless, stress-free server decommission and data migration.