A successful data center migration requires plenty of careful planning to ensure cost efficiency and minimal downtime. If you're planning on implementing third-party data center and colocation services for your organization, it's important to consider all of the details of every aspect of the process – from selecting a data center provider to making sure your equipment will fit in the new space.
Common Data Center Migration Challenges
Companies often run into issues along the way as they transport their IT equipment to a new location. Here are just a few of the typical problems you can encounter without proper planning:
- Going over budget due to failure to account for all expenses, such as the cost of temporary networks needed to transition data from the old site to the new one.
- Equipment damage resulting from an inadequate risk assessment and lack of communication with the transportation team.
- Taking more time than anticipated because of a lack of project management and failure to thoroughly assess what the migration involves, as well as application and equipment needs.
Crucial Factors to Consider Before a Migration
Your business should begin planning for a migration months in advance and involve your colocation provider early on. You'll want to think through the following factors:
- Leadership and project management
- Third-party vendors
- IT and network needs
- Transportation requirements and process
Here are just some of the steps you'll want to take to lay the groundwork for a successful move with minimal downtime and issues:
- Establish a data center migration team with people from each of your company's departments.
- Appoint a project manager.
- Plan out every step in detail and make sure every member of the team is aware of them.
- Carefully evaluate all vendors involved. Carry out site visits.
- Conduct a thorough risk assessment and ensure you're prepared for everything that could go wrong, including potential equipment damage.
- Make sure your clients know about the migration and any anticipated downtime so they can plan ahead.
- Involve the finance department in the planning process and create a detailed budget.
- Set goals and establish a timeline for the migration.
- And much more.
Streamline the Process with Advice from Our Experts
Our team of senior trusted advisors work with various data center and colocation service providers in our partner network. Let us leverage our expertise to assist you in finding a provider that meets all your requirements. We even have an app that allows us to give our clients virtual tours of data centers around the world and consider their pros and cons.
We can also offer advisory services at every stage of the data center migration process, ensuring that everything goes as smooth as possible for your organization and maximizing your ROI. Get in touch with our advisors today by calling 877-599-3999 or emailing sales@stratospherenetworks.com.