How is a Data Center Migration Different than a Data Center Relocation?
A complete Data Center Migration is a complex transformation project encompassing discovery, dependency analysis, planning and execution phases. In contrast, a Data Center Relocation is typically a method of achieving the migration via physical relocation of hardware.
Data Center Migration
To prepare for a Data Center Migration, you must perform a discovery to develop a deep understanding of physical and logical assets within your facilities (data center, data closet, network room, etc.). Assets running in the cloud also need to be known. Once you have collected your complete inventory of assets, the physical gap analysis is performed via a “hands-on” list. These assets are fed into a dependency analysis.
Now that you know what you truly have in inventory, the fun begins. Mapping all of your business-enabling assets (applications) to the “hardware (physical, virtual, cloud)” on which they reside and documenting interdependencies comes next. This may be a simple task, but in most cases, this is the most complex part of your planning. If this physical device is shut down, do you know what it impacts? Did you realize your nightly batch job will fail? Are there specific change windows that need to be taken into account? Did you realize… Did you realize…
The only way to ensure you have everything accounted for is through discussion and adjustment based on findings. If you think you’ve covered everything Repeat… And repeat again… And…
Next comes your move group planning. Will it be a “big bang” event where everything is shut down and no matter what it is, it all moves together? Will your group-specific software applications go in a certain order sequence on different dates? Will you break things up into cloud, logical and physical (relocation) events? Lots of decisions to be made. Months of collecting, analyzing, reviewing, planning and then a phased execution.
As you begin to execute a phase, there are a whole host of tasks to be followed/executed. The execution phase will be explained more deeply in a future blog. Promise!
Data Center Relocation
A relocation, simply put, is solely focused on moving physical hardware to a new location. It can be complex, but usually (and, unfortunately) is perceived as more of a commodity service. Just pick it up and move it. What’s so hard about that??
A physical Relocation assumes most of the collecting, analyzing, reviewing and planning has been completed. You’ve identified a set of hardware that needs to go from its current location to a new one. This could be a simple move between floors of your current building. It could be you’re moving all of your hardware to a colocation facility. Whatever the reason, it’s now time for you to relocate a target set of physical equipment. Even here, there are several factors that need to be considered. These would be addressed in a formal plan that would contain the following key elements:
· Application shutdown
· Final device backups
· Device shutdown
· Device deinstall, pack, transport
· Device reinstall, O/S startup
· Application startup and final application verification plan
So, a relocation can be a stand-alone project which still requires some subset of the Migration planning described above or it can be one phase of that larger more complex Data Center Migration project.
No matter what your needs are, our experts at Cumulus Solutions Group are here to guide you through to a successful Data Center Migration or Data Center Relocation project. We welcome any inquiries!
Blog Author
Mark Vieira, Co Founder & Managing Partner
Visit me on LinkedIn