During a recent explanation I was giving on the lifespan of enterprise storage systems, I received an interesting question: what happens with systems taken 
out of service? There is a tendency to give a flip answer to that question, and it did bring laughter. But it is a legitimate issue, and I tried to explain what usually happens.
The most common option when replacing an enterprise disk-based system for primary storage for critical applications is to demote that system to usage for secondary storage. Secondary storage can mean less performance-critical application data storage, a backup disk target, or test/development data. The timing for replacing a system varies, but for larger enterprises the system is often used as primary storage for three years and is replaced after five years. The cadence for replacement is usually dictated by maintenance costs, increasing failure/service rates, and technology change.
Randy Kerns contributes regularly to the TechTarget blog, Storage Soup and is a member of TechTarget’s Editorial Speaker Bureau. Randy Kerns teaches classes on storage technology regularly in the United States and Europe.
Randy Kerns brings expertise that ranges from virtualization everywhere to very long term archive. He draws from over 35 years in the computer industry helping storage companies design and develop storage system products for their markets as well as advising technical professionals on how to build the best storage infrastructures to streamline their business processes.
