EDITOR’S QUESTION
Try to make documentation as streamlined
and functional as possible. You don’t need
immaculate visual recreations of each
and every piece of equipment – focus
on straightforward rack layout drawings
using basic rectangles to represent the
shape and size of the equipment for a
quick and functional drawing.
Ensure that it features asset schedules
that include basic information such as
hostname, U position, make/model, serial
number, date installed, warranty end date,
purpose and owner.
I also strongly recommend documenting
your patching schedule, at the very least
noting where each cable runs to and from.
A good tip from my experience is that, if
you’re hosting in a colo facility, you should
consider getting your vendor to rack, stack
and document your equipment.
TIMOTHY ARNOLD,
HEAD OF COLOCATION
AT SIX DEGREES
unning outdated
equipment in your
data centre is a drain
on finances and
resources and can
introduce security risks
to your organisation. I’ve personally
seen 12-year-old equipment that’s never
been patched and never been turned off,
the security implications of which are
significant and warrant serious pause
for thought.
R
When it comes to managing outdated
equipment, I believe that prevention is
always better than cure. This starts with
what many see as the ‘f’ word – functional
documentation. It’s dull and time
consuming, but the fact is that functional
documentation allows you to identify
outdated equipment and formulate plans
to deal with it.
www.intelligentdatacentres.com
It may cost you in the short-term, but
it will transfer the burden to them and
provide you with accurate records.
RUNNING
OUTDATED
EQUIPMENT
IN YOUR DATA
CENTRE IS
A DRAIN ON
FINANCES AND
RESOURCES AND
CAN INTRODUCE
SECURITY
RISKS TO YOUR
ORGANISATION.
Once you’ve created a schedule of
functional documentation, you’ll be in a
position to carry out an audit to identify
if you have any outdated equipment
running in your racks. When it comes to
addressing this equipment, the rule of
thumb is to prioritise the oldest equipment
first. However, don’t just blindly replace
like for like; consider if you should
virtualise servers running on old tin as part
of a broader digital transition strategy.
For any outdated equipment that needs
to stay in situ – perhaps it’s running
a critical application and downtime
and migration need to be considered
carefully – minimise your risk exposure
by updating to the latest patch levels and
keeping a supply of hard drives and hot
swappable power supplies.
In summary, document your racks,
identify any outdated equipment, create
a schedule for switching off or migrating
away and take steps to minimise risk for
any outdated equipment that needs to
remain in situ for the time being.
Issue 02
31