Data Centre Migration - Case Study

Case Study Customer

Location

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Project Requirement

Equipment

Data Centre Move

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Additional Services Missing

Introduction Founded in 2003, our client has evolved from an indoor hotspot provider into the number one wireless broadband network in Europe.

In addition to thousands of indoor locations, they also provide extensive outdoor coverage in cities like Amsterdam, Stuttgart and The City of London.

With a successful expansion plan they have already expanded to Germany, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway, and are actively looking for further expansion opportunities.

Partnering with some of the world’s leading telecommunications operators, device manufacturers and broadcasters to deliver a world class wireless broadband experience for those on the move.

Unit 10, Hounslow Hall Estate, Drayton Road, Newton Longville, Milton Keynes, MK17 0BU Tel +44 (0)845 413 6000 Fax +44 (0)845 413 3250 Email sales@puffinsolutions.com

Requirement Project Scope A key driver to the project was to minimise the impact on existing service levels to both internal and external customers. As a result Puffin Solutions worked with the client to produce a phased programme of works where key clusters of servers and associated network hardware were de-commissioned, de-racked, moved and re-installed in a single period of time, making sure that this time period was as short as possible.

In addition, as the majority of these devices were live, it was essential to complete the work outside of normal business hours.

Once the phases and clusters had been identified, Puffin Solutions attended the original facility to audit the existing connectivity that related to the devices to be moved in each phase.

This audit allowed a patching schedule to be recorded so that the same connectivity could be replicated in the new facility.

On the day (or night) of the actual move, the hardware was powered down as the services were taken off each device.

The devices, associated rails, power cables and data cables were removed from the racks and then packed carefully in anti-static bubble wrap. Once all the devices relating to each phase had been de-commissioned, packed and labelled the devices were transported to the Project Scope new location. Within the new location, the rails were installed in to the racks, the devices were unpacked and installed in keeping with the new rack layouts. The original data connectivity was then installed in keeping with the original audit. Once the data installs were complete, the power cables were re-connected ready to be powered up by the client.

As part of the installation, all cables including copper, fibre and the power cables were labelled at each end to allow for future maintenance.

Finally any rubbish relating to the move was removed from site and disposed of in line with both the clients and Puffins environmental policies.

Conclusion

Unit 10, Hounslow Hall Estate, Drayton Road, Newton Longville, Milton Keynes, MK17 0BU Tel +44 (0)845 413 6000 Fax +44 (0)845 413 3250 Email sales@puffinsolutions.com

Project Requirement As a major Service Provider based in London our client is undergoing an extended period of growth.

As part of this growth they were moving from existing offices within London to a new purpose built facility just outside the M25.

In addition they needed to move from their current hosting facility to a new location.

Timescale’s were very tight as the lease on the current offices was due to expire so there was considerable amount of pressure to make the move without impacting on service levels.

The client needed a partner that had the experience in decommissioning hardware, providing logistics and then reinstalling the hardware safely and quickly within the new facility.

Challenges Project Scope The key challenge was minimising the interruption to service levels. To ensure this it was essential to make sure that the moves happened over the shortest period of time. It was also essential to ensure that the cable audits were done thoroughly to ensure that the original connectivity was duplicated at the new location.

The challenges were over come through close co-operation between the Client and Puffin Solutions. The ability to record accurate details of the existing patching, the flexibility of Puffin Solutions to work with the changing requirements and the ability to work out of hours meant that these challenges were overcome.

Conclusion With all parties involved working closely to plan and schedule the moves our client achieved a seamless transition from their old hosting facility with no noticeable interruptions to the service provided to their clients.

Additionally new updated schedules and audit results were submitted to facilitate future maintenance.

Unit 10, Hounslow Hall Estate, Drayton Road, Newton Longville, Milton Keynes, MK17 0BU Tel +44 (0)845 413 6000 Fax +44 (0)845 413 3250 Email sales@puffinsolutions.com