What are the most important considerations when decommissioning a system?

Plan as below - What has to be EOL'ed - List dependencies -- Hardware -- Software -- Users -- Upstream and Downstream apps - Communicate -- Be ready for surprises - Plan for migration if some software's are in use and hardware has to be EOL'ed - Backup data. - Remove top secret / confidential data if any as per policy. - Once all users / apps are migrated to new systems, shutdown and do a scream test - Once scream test is pass, remove systems from environment with data wipe. - Remove firewall rules if any - Clear DNS entries

Decommissioning a system is a critical process that involves retiring or taking a system out of service. It's important to handle decommissioning carefully to avoid data breaches, security vulnerabilities, and operational disruptions. Here are some key considerations when decommissioning a system: 1.Data Security: 2.Backup and Recovery: 3.User Communication: 4.Documentation: 5.Regulatory Compliance: 6.Asset Management: 7.Security Measures: 8.Environmental Impact: 9.Transition Planning: 10.Verification and Testing: 11.Legal and Contractual Obligations: 12.Monitoring for Anomalies:

Decomm is a critical end-process in the asset/data lifecycle management. in a nutshell key steps with dependencies 1. Identify your assets (ensure CMDB is always up to date). 2. Ensure Asset and data classification is up to date 3. Ensure data backup is complete and up to date to avoid data corruption. 4. Ensure cyber and tech measure like monitoring, access controls are in place. 5. Effective change management and ongoing communication with data stewards and custodians. 6. Any vendor dependence should be addressed 7.Ongoing testing and validation of data

Identify the technical owner and business owner of this current system in use. Data backup and prevention for further use in case of any compliance requirement. Is this service is migrating to other system, in that case integration and testing to be done. Decommission the CI from other databases and update the records

I believe the first thing is to understand how all the system components is related to each other and the business impact of decomposition Then we have to formalize the decomposition plan to minimize business impact but taking into account all precautions e.g. security, data protection

Simplicity is the key when decommissioning a service. The goal is to do it quickly and securely, without unnecessary bureaucracy. The burden of filling out documents, creating multiple tickets, seeking authorization, and completing the task can be a headache. Automated processes can help streamline the decommissioning process, reduce stress, and save time, all while ensuring compliance.

Every detail needs to be thoroughly communicated with stakeholders. Necessary details like downtime also should be explained to clients and partners. The reason for the decommisioning must be backed by data and all maintenance window must be as per the agreed upon SLA for the system and/or services associated with it.

At the point of a certified, validated verified and successful data migration. Below is the summary of a procedure I would undertake to decommission a system: 1. User awareness and change management training/sessions to take effect and assist in a smooth transition to a new system. 2. Identify and document a list of users, functions, and processes in the legacy system. 3. Auditing and documenting the legacy system architecture to define data sizes, types, models, and infrastructure. 4. Follow through with compliance i.e., banking for instance, what regulations does the Central Bank offer on retention and future system accessibility? 5. Verify the legacy system licensing mode with the system vendor (for support SLAs).

This is why good documentation when you’re planning on building systems is vital - you can use it when planning the decommission process. For instance, in this age of cloud and virtualisation it’s easy to power off then delete large numbers of VMs. But what about all the other stuff such as firewall rules, anti-affinity rules, IP allocations, licensing etc? Then what are the legal, contractual and other standards which govern the data and systems? E.g. financial records which have minimum retention requirements, secure destruction due to HIPAA or PCI for instance. So when producing design documents, be sure to be as detailed as possible, as you really do reap what you sow.

Keep it simple and specific. Define the process focusing on Data archival and migration. Also it's important to define a process of data retrieve; which is readable and clear in case it is required anytime in future. Communication with the stakeholders is a key, as well as it's important to define re-installation process incase it's required in any unforeseen circumstances.

Effective communication is crucial when decommissioning a server or service. How many times do we discover that a critical resource is no longer available because it was decommissioned without warning? The owners of the systems must approve the change and be consulted throughout the decommissioning process. Implement a robust communication and alerting strategy to ensure that the Configuration Management Database (CMDB) is accurately updated and that monitoring systems reflect the changes.

In my experience, communication is a often overlooked component. Communicate as much as is possible and have an issue management plan, to address any spill overs.

Communication and coordination is critical in the decommissioning process, but so is knowing when to reach above the stakeholders to push a project forward. M&As in particular are often rife with protectionist stakeholders (rightly) fearful that the decommissioning of a system or infrastructure will cost them their jobs, and may be opposed to your efforts. Knowing when to involve leadership and being able to effectively communicate the objective benefits of decommissioning to them will help your efforts move forward and ultimately improve organizational agility.

We implemented a S-Now workflow for server decommissioning. This workflow includes stakeholder approval and notifications and creates decom SC tasks for all of the teams involved: Config-Mgmt, Network, IT-SEC, sys-admin backup, storage, SailPoint, monitoring etc. etc. As the process has matured more of these have become automated so human error/miss is eliminated.

?Define the procedures for conducting formal validation , including testing, and documenting the removal of the system from the operational environment. ?Verification of the data retrieval procedures and technology need for the BCP. ?Verification of the data records. This may include piloting work to be done before the actual migration takes place. ?If data is to be moved to a replacement system or a cloud service provider/XaaS, the test strategy for verifying the migration should be defined. ?In case of an automated migration or conversion tool is to be used, validation approach defined to ensure the fitness of the automated tool. ?Verification of data retrieval and report generation from the migrated system by data owner.

Integration tests play a crucial role in assessing whether the absence of a service will affect the overall structure of your system. It's vital to have a deep understanding of dependencies to make informed decisions. Avoid making assumptions and rely on concrete data and testing to guide your judgment.

When wiping assets, take an engineer’s approach of rigorously verifying successful decommissioning. Implement robust validations using canaries and dark launches to minimize disruption. Monitor system-wide impacts on interconnected services. Evaluate potential degradation from the user’s viewpoint. Architect resilient fallback mechanisms to limit downtime. Approach this as an optimization challenge - utilize experiments and data to refine migrations. Collaborate cross-functionally to capture diverse feedback. Smooth decommissioning enables velocity. With care and discipline, we can upgrade infrastructure, securely retiring legacy systems while protecting productivity and user experience.

If the system can be monitored for a period of time prior to it being brought down, this permits the system administrator to determine that all reliant parties have successfully been migrated elsewhere. Then after a comfort level has been reached the system can be retired without risk of disrupting operations.

By thoroughly documenting and reviewing the lessons from the decommissioning, organizations can foster continuous improvement. This not only ensures that future decommissions are executed efficiently but also helps in maintaining a knowledge base that can be invaluable for other IT projects. ?Identify Gaps ?Highlight Successes ?Compile Feedback ?Update documentation ?Checklists decommissions. ?Training Material

Decommissioning is not as simple as shutting down and forgetting about it. It involves updating various systems, including monitoring, patch management, and tracking dependencies, among other tasks. We are always striving for improvement. This involves documenting the process, creating checklists, and ultimately establishing an automated workflow. This process is implemented through interactive steps.

Maintaining a system inventory is no easy task. Your tool should handle this automatically. If you're still doing it manually, things can quickly get off track. Ensure there's an automated check-in and checkout process in place.

Make sure there is a procedure to physically secure decommissioned systems in a secure environment. Offline assets are at a high risk to be lost, stolen, or otherwise be left in storage where unauthorized persons can gain access. Secure offline data containing devices in locked rooms with access log records and security camera coverage until repurposed or disposed of.

Decommissioning a legacy application should not be treated as if it’s merely a piece of systems infrastructure. These applications often served as the lifeblood of an organization chronicling years of an organization’s triumphs and failures. It has served as the source of truth and its future utility should not be diminished simply because the application that housed it is no longer viable. Organizations who've developed a strategic decommissioning discipline recognize this information has many stories to tell that can help guide future decisions. This information shouldn't merely be archived, but rather, repackaging in an enduring and standards-based form where it can be made available to future users and AI agents at the point of need.

In my experience, decommission in general is intiated by IT. Because in it's intiation, it misses business owner input, especially hardware (servers); the process runs smoothly through change management. But in the end, hardware remains redundant (unused, stored in dust) without fully auctioned off or destroyed. We may need to add Business at the beginning of the process to determine the final resting place of these beautiful 'servers'.

most important is to document the reason for decommissioning and draw lessons learnt. Decommissioning can be due to many reasons but most commonly due to technological reasons, for that when selecting it is important to understand the upgradability of certain system, the development roadmap, sustainability of solutions/spare parts...

When decommissioning a system, legally ensure compliance with data protection laws, adhere to contractual obligations, protect intellectual property, maintain necessary records, manage risks and liabilities, meet notification requirements, and follow environmental regulations for hardware disposal.

In my experience of recent decommissioning of systems/solutions a good communication plan to your internal customers is essential. Make sure everyone understands what is happening, why and when. What do they need to do and by when. We have used a 3 x 30 days approach to make sure but you could easily cut this down if your comfortable to. 1st 30 days - Communicate that you are decommissioning all the services and share with the effected people and tell them what they need to do. 2nd 30 days - Close down the servers or solution and wait to make sure there is nothing business critical effected 3rd 30 days - As long as you had no issues in the last 60 days start the actual process to remove the servers or solution. Communicate your success.

Data Security: Ensure all sensitive and confidential data is securely removed or transferred to a new system. Proper data erasure or destruction is crucial to prevent data breaches. Compliance: Comply with legal and regulatory requirements for data retention and disposal. Document the decommissioning process for audit purposes. Backup and Recovery Hardware Disposal Communication Documentation Testing Contingency Planning Budget and Resources Personnel Training Communication Plan Documentation Retention Risk Assessment