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Tackling data centre challenges

Editorial Type: Opinion     Date: 01-2016    Views: 1528      







Multinational corporations are coming under increased pressure to develop consistent global asset management and disposal policies and procedures, as Dr Anand Narasimhan, managing director, Asset Recovery Services EU & India, Sims Recycling Solutions, explains

The exponential growth in data centres looks set to continue in 2016 and beyond. With the changing dynamics of global cloud computing, service providers are opening new local sites as private and public sector use expands rapidly. Internet use is projected to grow by three billion users over the next five years, mostly outside of Europe and North America.

With performance and data security necessitating data centres to be localised, multinational corporations are coming under increased pressure to develop consistent global asset management and disposal policies and procedures. In Europe, the new EU General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) will place increased obligations on data processors to design robust measures to satisfy both regulators and shareholders.

Developing coherent, consistent strategies and policies around relocation, expansion and decommissioning is key to managing data centre IT Asset Disposal (ITAD) responsibilities. Success requires detailed planning and coordinated parallel activities organised around quick turnaround times. Standardised processes decrease both security risk and logistics costs, while increasing efficiency and pricing consistency.

GREATER EFFICIENCIES
Such approaches create greater efficiencies in organising materials for reuse, remarketing and recycling- methods of recovering value from retired assets that can help offset decommissioning and data destruction costs. A global ITAD service provider can help manage these responsibilities, and mitigate the significant risks associated with this often over-looked element of the data lifecycle.

It is important that organisations pay as much attention to the assets leaving the facility as they do to exciting new technologies arriving for commissioning. All assets must be properly recorded and tracked, and all digital data destroyed. Careful consideration should be given to on-site and off-site options, ensuring appropriate choices are made for handling the volumes of assets to be decommissioned, wiped, degaussed, crushed or shredded.

A reliable ITAD provider should present these scalable options and advise on the right balance of capabilities, while ensuring high levels of security, value recovery and sustainability. They should also provide technical resources that seamlessly integrate with the wider project team, offering well-defined processes and full accountability while ensuring business continuity, data security and the environmentally responsible reuse or recycling of retired equipment.

THE GDPR FACTOR
Data security continues to be a consideration, once hardware is removed from the data centre and transported to a processing facility. A documented secure chain of custody throughout the final asset processing is increasingly critical with the European Union's GDPR, scheduled to take effect in 2018. The legislation introduces statutory obligations for data processors. Carrying out on-site data destruction or using secure end-to-end transportation of data bearing assets to a processing facility is essential in preventing data breaches and the massive regulatory fines they will attract.

Throughout the process, environmentally responsible and secure asset disposition is paramount. Certifications like ISO 9001, 14001, OSHAS 18001 and ADISA provide assurance that a vendor has the ability to prioritise high levels of security, quality, environmental and health and safety principles. Reuse (either as a complete unit or as recovered components) and recycling (for material recovery) diverts IT assets from landfill disposal and supports the 'Circular Economy' concept of extending the lifecycle of our planet's resources.

Data centre projects - whether local, national or global - rely on an ITAD provider's project management skills, diligence towards data security and compliance with environmental regulations. It is a highly delicate balancing act that a certified and knowledgeable vendor can perform confidently worldwide.

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