A data center lies at the foundation of all your company’s applications and data storage. If it ceased to function, the day-to-day operations of your business would come to a halt. The same goes for the ability to keep an eye on and store mission-critical activity.

Unfortunately, shutting down or decommissioning a data center is something every business is bound to experience - there’s no escaping it. 

However, you can control how you react to this situation. Arming yourself with the necessary know-how will give you the best chance to smoothly transition to a new system without jeopardizing your company’s data and security.

Whether you’re changing locations or updating the IT infrastructure to rely more on cloud computing, shutting down or decommissioning a data center is not a simple feat. 

Before you move forward, you should know exactly what this undertaking entails and which operations it can affect. Here’s what data will need special precautions in the migration of your data center.

What needs to be moved from your old database

The first thing to do when faced with the task of database migration is to take note of how much and what’s being moved. Every database is its own beast, and even though some of the things we listed might be absent from your database, some things are bound to be there:

• Applications: Not all applications are stored locally on your employees' devices. Some are accessed from shortcuts that provide access to software on your local network. Additionally, certain local apps rely on databases stored on data center hardware. 

• Database servers: Many applications are constantly communicating with and adding data to your company's expanding database, so it often balloons to a mind-blowing number of gigabytes. Because the information is accessed by multiple parties at the same time, it all ends up being stored in the network of your old data center. This is why it’s crucial to ensure all access paths and shortcuts stay intact on the user side of things when all of this information is moved.

• Security measures: Companies rely heavily on a firewall to protect their data from unauthorized access. Because it’s one of the key security measures, make sure to carefully review and transfer its configuration files before setting up the firewall on your new data center. 

Antivirus is another essential tool in keeping your network grid and company data safe. You have to ensure that the AV of your choice is well-configured on your net data center. Every time your older equipment is decommissioned, you should use the opportunity to review your existing security configuration. Check if it is providing the required level of protection and if anything needs updating.

• Support configurations: Last but not least, all of your support configuration and network settings need to be moved to your new data center. Move any configurations that can be used to access your data, such as FTP servers, network frameworks, or gateway settings.

Data migration the right way

Decommissioning a data center is stressful for a reason. However, if you approach it the right way, the entire ordeal can go down without hiccups. A certain amount of planning is required, and if you break down the process into smaller chunks, this trying event becomes a non-issue.

If all else fails, you can hire experts to help guide you through this painful process. After all, extra manpower can never hurt.