Why you should use an expert when decommissioning legacy SAP systems?

As applications and systems reach the end of their lifecycle, they’ll be replaced with newer, more modern user interfaces. Keeping these ancient systems alive to preserve data is costing you money. This is where getting a decommissioning expert involved is recommended.

• Do you know which legacy systems should stay operational and which should be decommissioned? 
• Do you know what data actually needs to be maintained? 
• Do you know how long the archived data from your legacy systems should be retained? 

If not, you’ll need an expert to help you safely decommission your legacy systems. 

What is decommissioning and how to get started?

Decommissioning is the process of moving legacy data to a repository where it can be easily accessed through modern technology. By doing this, you keep only the data that is required for future purposes like audits or inquiries. 

Simplifying your data management process can have many positive impacts on your business: 

• Save money by retiring older, expensive-to-maintain systems 
• Drive sustainability by moving to modern, less power-hungry systems 
• Reduce the business risks that come with unreliable and potentially non-compliant legacy IT landscapes   
• Better resource allocation, focusing on business priorities instead of ‘keeping the lights on’ 

To effectively migrate your data, you’ll need an information lifecycle management (ILM) strategy to manage data throughout the decommissioning process. This will help you identify systems for decommissioning and ensure safe decommissioning.

Why hire a decommissioning expert?

In the context of an ILM policy, an expert can help you with your decommissioning process by identifying what data to retain from your old servers. They can also help you with extracting as well as archiving that data and give you front-end access to the data you are keeping. 

Because of legal compliance requirements, it’s vital to ensure efficient access to the right information for audit and fiduciary purposes. 

A proper archive solution ensures retention management and long-term preservation. By archiving necessary data, you can switch off the system and eliminate associated costs. This way you can satisfy retention policies, preserve your data, and ensure regulatory compliance.  

Additionaly, an expert will assist you in creating the business case for decommissioning. In our experience the cost savings associated with decommissioning one or a few, pays for the cost of decommissioning further systems. We call this the decommissioning factory.  Taking a wider look at your complete landscape and not just one single system can make this a more appealing, cost effective exercise.  With expert help you can get access to know-how in putting together such a business case.