with a new range of power efficient data center equipments coming in, it is not feasible to throw out old equipments just because you have newer products. but at the same time, you cannot use a ten year old server either. so,how often does one have to recycle the data center equipments?
Only as often as I can afford to. I would love to have every new thing that comes out on the market, but it just isn't possible. Still, you don't want to wait to long, because you want to have equipment that is up to date. I would say every 3 to 5 years.
ideally, you have to upgrade your servers once every two years. the idea is to have gained more than what you paid for it and stepping it up just before it starts creating trouble and you end up spending more than what it is bringing in. Also, you need not upgrade your systems every time the market comes up with something new. With two years as your time limit, you still function with equipments that are old but not yet obsolete. Of course, this is an ideal scenario.
if you sell your old IT equipments within two-three years, you can even expect a decent price for them. if you feel that the equipment is old but it is still functioning well, you can think of shifting it to less important tasks.
equipment recycling
