Data Center Migration Happening? 4 Steps to Avoid a Headache

data_center_crisisA data center migration can be a challenging task. Plan ahead and know what you’re facing to mitigate avoidable roadblocks you could face in the transition. For data destruction, equipment redeployment and equipment disposition, you should team up with an experienced ITAD vendor to help guide you in the move.  Here are 4 important steps to ensure the end of the project is successful.

  1. Work with all data retention, data security and data destruction personnel.

Work together and plan ahead in order to be certain of assets or storage media that will be retained and which need to be destroyed or erased. Get organized and plan for space, secure storage during the decommissioning process, cost and time to process. Don’t risk data security during this possibly chaotic time.

  1. Determine the assets leased vs owned.

Avoid the high costs that come with accidently sending your ITAD vendor leased assets, which you either have to get  returned or you will have to buy out or replace in your lease. Instead, determine which assets are owned and which are leased, and make sure they are clearly marked and kept separate. Good records and organization up front will save you a lot of cost and hassle later.

  1. Maintain regulatory and environmental compliance.

Just because you are moving equipment out or closing a facility doesn’t mean you can overlook compliance. Make sure you know your organization’s policies, environmental regulations, as well as sector regulations like HIPAA-HITECH, PCI, SOX, etc. Choose an ITAD vendor that will ensure compliance with environmental, worker health and safety, and secure data destruction standards and regulations. Require e-Stewards and/or R2 2013, and NAID AAA for secure data destruction.

  1. Plan for the logistics.

Assess all limitations and restrictions that impact physical access to the building. What are the times and days of the week a truck can enter the dock? What is the height of the dock? What trucks will need dock access, and for how long? Does your facility have special security requirements for the trucks or the workers? Is there space for data destruction, onsite scanning, packing and palletizing of the assets. Avoid problems like having two trucks for different services trying to access a single dock at the same time. Since these things are usually occurring near the end of the project, delays can be very stressful and very expensive. Plan ahead so you avoid all these headaches and ensure the smooth final removal of all the assets and material.

Check out our detailed checklist for more on ITAD in the data center consolidation process.

More From Our Blog...