4 Data Center Migration Best Practices    

Data Center migration involves moving assets from an existing data center, either hardware or software, to another data location. Data center migrations are important for business because most applications outgrow the laid-out infrastructure over time. Some companies require migrating to increase their data storage capacities, while others unveil new features and services. Data center consolidation from TPMs like CentricsIT allows businesses to run more economically and efficiently. With the business infrastructure changing over time, you might consider moving from a private cloud to another cloud solution, moving to a new premise, or data center consolidation. Whichever it is, you will need to have an effective plan to ensure that your data center migration goes without a hitch. Here are some of the best practices to ensure smooth data migration.

Come up with a plan

A well-laid-out plan will ensure that your migration is successful. Planning will involve identifying the type of migration and processes that the task will need to take up. If your organization is planning a data center migration, start by appointing a Project Manager to lead your team for the migration project. Have a team that includes the technical staff that is familiar with the current data center. It is important to make sure that the staff is knowledgeable about the proposed data center to plan for the migration efficiently. Remember to consult professionals who have experience in data migrations.

Identify the cost, scope, and time

You will find that software migrations are more straightforward than relocating hardware. For every migration, you need to assess and identify the best-suited solution for budget and requirements. The project teams should develop a detailed plan with a detailed work structure for every team member. If you miss a task, you might risk causing failure of the whole migration. Ensure you identify the dependencies, estimates, and risks associated with every task. Also, come up with a budget for the project plan while identifying the cost associated with every task. This will give you a clear picture of the migration cost.

Create a data center migration list

The migration list should have all the critical aspects of the migration. When the team follows the lists during the migration, it will ensure that no task is left undone. The checklist should contain the information of the task to be performed and the overseeing officer. It should also consist of the success criteria and mitigation actions in case of failures. Having a detailed checklist increases the chances of success for the whole operation.

Verify the target data center

The proposed data center may promise to be great on paper, but the databases and applications may have a small mismatch during deployment, which can compromise the whole project.  A pre-production assessment for the proposed infrastructures will ensure full functionality after migration. Also, look out for vendor recommendations since they will offer the best advice with their experiences with migrations.

No two migrations are the same; however, you are guaranteed success if you follow a laid-out plan from previously successful data migrations. Ensure you customize your migration plan according to the need of your organization.

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