Spring has sprung!
And we aren’t just cleaning out our closets. What better time than spring to refresh what truly matters … your hardware! Apply the same mindset you would to your home to your IT infrastructure – clean, audit, and optimize.
Here are key steps every IT leader should review this season.
Audit Your Inventory
Never underestimate the importance of taking stock of your inventory. Audit your racks – servers, switches, storage arrays – and make sure everything is in proper working order. Note the overall number of systems you have in production to perform the necessary functions for your business. Remove orphaned or decommissioned hardware and properly recycle, optimizing space.
Clean Your Physical Environment
This one should seem obvious, but it is often overlooked. Dust buildup affects airflow and cooling around networking and server equipment. Make sure to wipe down dust-prone areas. Replace clogged filters and clean fan intakes. Cabling is another big one – we all know our cables can get a little out of control. Spring is the perfect chance to reorganize and tidy them up! Lastly, check for environmental hazards such as hot spots or airflow issues. Make sure all sensitive areas are free of debris.
Review Support Contracts and Warranties
Cross your Ts and dot your Is! Revisit your support contracts and warranties to make sure you are not paying for OEM support you no longer need. If the systems you are running do not require OEM support – or your hardware is going out of warranty – consider third-party maintenance as a viable option. Third-party support often costs a fraction of OEM support, freeing up funds for other endeavors. Evaluate all contracts against your hardware to see if third-party maintenance makes sense for your environment.
Evaluate for Hardware Refresh Opportunities
Check aging gear and make sure you are aware of any end-of-sale (EOS) or end-of-service-life (EOSL) dates for your current environment. If you have gear with EOS dates in the next year, consider refresh opportunities before you get bogged down with other responsibilities. Look at your hardware performance metrics and make sure your environment is running at optimal capacity. Components such as hard drives and batteries have a finite life, so it is important to evaluate their status yearly. Remember, pre-owned enterprise gear is a great, cost-effective option for refreshing components and modules that may need replacement.
Optimize and Right-Size
Consider consolidating your hardware workloads to fewer, more efficient machines. Virtualization is a great option for condensing your datacenter stack into only the necessary hardware for top business functionality. Consider right-sizing infrastructure to maximize efficiency, cost savings, and performance within your environment. For example, adjust CPU core count and total installed memory (based on licensing restrictions and current utilization for optimal hardware efficiency), while potentially reducing cost.
Don’t Delay!
There’s no better time to refresh your IT operations than spring! The birds are chirping, the sun is shining, and decommissioned dusty hardware is a thing of the past. Remember to not only physically clean your environment, but also audit the environment, and review contracts for possible refresh opportunities. Spring is an ideal time to reset your IT system – starting the year off strong and free of unnecessary costs.
Want help with an affordable refresh or audit? Talk to our team about pre-owned hardware and third-party support options.
