As your company's data center grows, so will your needs. Sometimes, the existing building and infrastructure just aren't enough to keep up with those changes. If this is the case for you, it's time to start looking at how you can mitigate the growing pains. One of the most effective, though time-consuming, ways to do this is by relocating your data center to somewhere else. Here are a few tips to help you get through the data center move process with minimal stress and disruption:
Evaluate Your Infrastructure Carefully
The first thing you should do if you've decided to relocate your data center is to evaluate all of the equipment that you have on-site. Think about what you're actually going to move versus what you might eliminate or replace at the new location. Anything you can replace with new equipment will minimize your downtime because you can have the new equipment delivered and set up before you migrate everything.
Don't use that as an excuse to spend money you don't really need to spend, though. Only replace the equipment that isn't keeping up or that's at the end of its traditional life cycle. There's no need to go into unnecessary debt just to simplify the process because that can affect your day-to-day operation budget heavily.
Decide How You Want To Handle The Move
Once you know what you're moving, you need to determine if you want to move it in stages or all in one bulk move. If you do it in stages, you can minimize your operation's down time by moving some operational portions and getting a core infrastructure up and running in the new location before you take everything down in the existing one. That allows your staff to transition to the new site before the entire data center comes down, even if it means operating on somewhat limited resources in the new location until the rest of the equipment is set up.
You'll also need to determine if you want to move it all on your own or if you want to hire a mover. Working with a data center relocation company may simplify the process for you because you won't have to worry about mistakes or losing productivity.
Do Operational Testing Before You Migrate Everyone
Before you actually take down the core infrastructure at the old location, do thorough testing on the new system. Make sure that the system is operational and that all of the components are responding properly. That way, you avoid any surprises when you get everyone back up and running. Otherwise, you risk finding that some servers aren't responding and you may have sectors of your data center that can't work until you get it fixed. Avoid the emergency triage mode by making sure everything responds.
Contact a company like Migra Systems for more information and assistance.
