Often, IT departments shy away from replacing equipment because of the seemingly high initial investment and instead, choose to maintain older systems to save money. However, when the costs associated with older equipment such as support, efficiency, and downtime are taken into account, costs to maintain older systems can accumulate to be much more than initial replacement costs. Understand and measure the hidden costs of old equipment in the data center to make better decisions when it comes time for replacement.

Understanding Equipment Cost Items

Most data center equipment has an average lifespan of about 3-5 years. For instance batteries should be replaced every 2-3 years, servers every 4 years, and HVAC systems every 5-7 years. When equipment reaches its end of life, the decision must be made whether to continue supporting old equipment, or to replace with new equipment.