Planning a data centre relocation is a job of tremendous significance, whether you operate a big organization or a small business. From several months to more than a year, the lead time for a data centre move can be anywhere. Below are six steps toward a successful relocation of the datacentre.
Step One - Critical Early Preparation
Careful and detailed planning is the secret to an effective data centre relocation. This is where 90 percent of the time and effort should be spent. You can predict problems, prepare for contingencies, and prevent unforeseen pitfalls with careful preparation.
It’s important to understand the fundamental structure and relationships between hardware, software, and business processes and individuals. You can do this either by moving physical site to physical site, using the cloud, or a hybrid of the both.
Step Two - Why a Data Center Relocation?
Since IT is handled in a single department, every role in the organization is critical for maximum uptime. In several ways, senior management will facilitate the relocation of the data centre, including crafting and sharing a specific vision of why the transfer is taking place. As the project progresses through stages, getting good contact upfront would keep workers more involved and informed. Management will oversee and weigh in on timing among competing priorities.
Step Three - Assign Capable Resources
The most significant role in the relocation of data centers is that of the technical project manager. For logistics, budgeting, risk assessment, communication and people management skills, this employee requires a high level of knowledge for the move. IT moving projects, whether big or small, are extremely complicated and attention to detail is a must. In certain situations, it is possible to appoint two team members as project leaders if one person does not have all of the requisite skills. Assign an individual to the backup point irrespective of the size or method of relocation.
Step Four - Audit Your Equipment and Processes
A comprehensive site audit is the next step in a data centre relocation. In the existing infrastructure an audit team will test the equipment. The evaluation is for recognizing vital machines that may be critical and will need to be relocated first. All the dependencies will be mapped between various pieces of equipment. When the evaluation is complete, decisions about which devices need to be upgraded, decommissioned, or replaced are made.
Step Five - Select a Method for Your Data Center Relocation
The form of relocation that will better suit your needs is another important decision. There are several strategies, such as: physical to physical, physical to virtual, virtual to virtual, cloud to physical, cloud to virtual. In some cases, a hybrid approach is required.
Step Six - Document and Test
Testing needs to happen in your current environment before the actual relocation. A baseline will be set this way. The compatibility of IT equipment can be assured by well controlled monitoring. Price, time and project integrity can also be saved.
Equipment tagging is another aspect of the documentation. For each object being transferred, include the serial number and warranty information. Warranties for moving clauses need to be checked. There is also a need to review service contracts and inform individual vendors of the change. This will enable any concerns with licensing to be addressed.
Finally, start testing immediately once all the equipment is installed in the new location. To confirm the proper location and installation use your audit inventory list. During this final phase of your data center migration project, application testing of systems and applications takes place.
