Best Practices for Planned and Effective Data Center Migration The data center is a business asset that, like other assets, must be upgraded at regular intervals to reduce costs, improve efficiency, and minimize damage to the environment. However, migrating to a new datacenter involves something more than simply replacing the hardware. The core functions of any organization’s business can be at risk due to a flawed or hasty approach during the migration. Read ahead for information on the various aspects and facets that an effective migration plan must encompass. Data Migration Best Practices The data center migration strategy must cover these four aspects:
a. b. c. d.
Planning Design Implementation Operation
Planning Creating a detailed plan is an important step that can help reduce costs, minimize risks of errors, and get rid of obsolete hardware, software, and data structures. The planning process must begin with the value justification for the migration and must include inventory and performance assessment of applications, review of the current design for improvements, and consideration for the logical and physical connectivity after the data center migration plan is put into action. Design The designing process should cover a review of the business process and existing disaster recovery plan along with a detailed plan for the migration of all the applications and data. This process should also cover analysis of the impact at service level and comparison of the various migration methods available at the firm’s disposal. The firm must also use data center migration tools to design and validate the new infrastructure before implementing the plan. Implementation Implementing the planned design and proceeding ahead with the migration of the data center is the most important part of the process. This should cover all aspects like • Checking for business continuity • A pilot implementation to assess the effectiveness of the plan • Optimization of all applications • Building of the new infrastructure and provisioning of necessary transportation services. The organization should be in a position to work from the migrated data center after the completion of this stage.
Operation The functioning of the migrated datacenter should be tested and assessed with rigorous data center migration testing for monitoring of the service level and analysis of the transaction volume. A wellplanned migration that complies with all best practices should not hamper the smooth operation of the firm even during the implementation of the strategy. Benefits of Utilizing Data Center Migration Services Even a firm with a skilled in-house team may find it difficult to migrate to a new data center without mistakes or disruptions in operations. Working with a third-party service provider specializing in such activities will provide numerous benefits like: • Determining whether the migration will result in commercial benefits for the organization • Strategic planning to ensure the firm enjoys maximum benefits from the upgrade • Preparing a detailed strategy covering all aspects from the initial planning to the testing of migrated services • Implementing the plan in a time-bound and goal-oriented manner • Tackling unexpected issues and complications during the migration without impacting the routine operations of the organization Conclusion Since migration to a new data center is not a decision that can be taken very often, it is important to consider your present and future requirements to maximize the benefits from such a move. Reference http://www.hcltech.com/it-infrastructure-management/data-center-services