Don’t put your business at risk of cybersecurity hacks and theft. If you have hardware that’s more than 10 years old, it’s probably out of maintenance coverage for the operating system and various software installed on the machine. Rather than limping along hoping nothing bad happens, it may be time to upgrade your hardware and get rid of your old servers and other digital legacy equipment.
Recently, we have seen a shift to remote working environments. This has raised many questions when it comes to managing security on legacy equipment. Keep your legacy systems up to date by replacing them when needed and partnering with a solid partner to destroy decommissioned machines.
Updating Your Legacy Servers
Servers supporting legacy software applications or connected to the internet put your company at risk for compliance and security requirements. However, it’s hard to get the ball rolling with all the other things on your plate as an IT manager, owner or other stakeholder in the business.
Here’s a checklist to help you inventory out-of-maintenance servers and equipment:
- Assess all servers in your data center to identify vulnerabilities.
- Document the location of each server and what legacy systems it supports.
- Determine whether you need to migrate data off of each server prior to decommissioning it. This may include requisitioning replacement equipment or migrating to cloud-based environments.
- List any server sitting in your environment but no longer used for immediate decommissioning.
- Coordinate decommissioning, data migration and any other tasks associated with eliminating the vulnerable servers.
Follow this checklist and follow up with our team when you’re ready to dispose of older equipment. At Atlantic Shredding & Destruction Service, we encourage businesses to maintain their equipment inventory and call us for a fast quote to expedite any needed approvals when the need arises to update your equipment.
Safely Decommissioning Your Old Equipment
Here are three reasons why keeping old servers puts your business at risk:
- Legacy systems are typically not compatible with security features such as single-sign on and multi-factor authentication. They may also lack the latest encryption and antivirus protection. Decommissioning outdated hardware makes it harder for cybercriminals to jeopardize your company’s cybersecurity.
- Older hardware and databases create dependencies on physical servers that hackers exploit. Sometimes, you can no longer update software assets due to legacy dependencies. You may not want to interfere with reporting systems integrated into legacy systems. However, continuing to support outdated ERP tools just puts off the inevitable and introduces an unnecessary security risk.
- Legacy systems don’t support full-stack security. Whether it’s spaghetti code or dependency on standalone servers, most legacy systems interfere with transparency, impeding the ability to provide full security monitoring.
Whatever reason you’re holding onto your legacy equipment, there’s probably a better reason to fight for the budget to provide the necessary upgrades to reduce your risk of a data breach or system failure.
Atlantic Shredding & Destruction Service safely discards your legacy equipment. Contact us today to destroy or discard your old servers and other outdated equipment or to get a free quote.