Data Center Migration
FourNetworks brings deep expertise in migrating Data Centers, from surveys, planning, designing, implementing, and optimizing your organization’s data center.
FourNetworks can offer the following insights, as the five things to watch out for in s Data Center Migration:
First, hidden complexity will hit you. You probably do not know all of the back-end attachments to the primary applications you are going to be moving. There are legacy applications sitting in your current data center that are older than you. It is never too early to start a detailed inventory with your business customer to track everything down and make sure you have an owner. All the Information you
discover needs to find its way into a CMDB type database—not a spreadsheet on someone’s laptop.
Second, post-migration testing is a challenge. But, since you are talking to your customers to map things out, you have an excellent excuse to start the conversation about how they are going to test the applications before and after the migration. (Why before? Like any doctor, you need a baseline on your patient. You need to know how things actually work, not how folks think they do.) Enlist network staff to time performance end-to-end on a specific set of transactions on key applications. Document those tests, then repeat them after the migration. Nothing stifles whiny end users better than facts.
Third, migration breaks regular work schedules. Start informing your end users and support teams that some of them will be putting in overtime to do the QA needed to support the migration. Let’s face it, you’ll be constrained on when you can move certain applications because of application owner freezes and critical process times. The migration scheduling alone will require months of planning. It is never too early to start, but expect overruns in overtime.
Fourth, application delivery optimization (ADO) is fragile. If you use load balancers or optimizers (two different ADO technologies) you’ll have to peel back the layers of their configurations and understand how you are going to manage the migrations. This may require some additional investment for duplicate hardware you weren’t expecting. Look for changes you can make in the current configurations to build greater modularity. That requires a plan for the migration to be worked out.
Fifth, what’s buried isn’t usually treasure. Somewhere in all those applications and back-end databases you will find some hardwired IP address or domain names. Not only should you start ferreting them out at once, but you can also use this opportunity to position yourself for IPv6 readiness. That means you should have an IPv6 strategy worked out and use it as a reference during the application and network component review.
Well, there you have it. There are many more elements that comprise the data center migration, but if you focus first on the Five Best Practices and Five Things to Watch Out For, you will make great strides to assuring success and happy customers.
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7 Step Colocation Site Selection Methodology:
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1. Define Data Center Requirements
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FourNetworks documents the client’s space, power, security and location requirements to draft a DCRD (Data Center Requirement Document).
2. Qualify Data Center Providers
FourNetworks will pre-qualifies vendors based on your specific infrastructure needs. We then reach out to all qualified data center providers in the client’s preferred geographical market to determine availability.
3. Develop and Distribute RFP (If not Soul sourced)
If Required, FourNetworks will distribute the finalized and client-approved RFP to all qualified data center providers. The RFP includes instructions on how and when to confirm participation, the final RFP due date and to whom the final draft will be sent.
4. Receive, Normalize and Compare RFP Responses
Co-location providers prepare quotes in various ways. Our principal partnership team understands the power and pricing details and standardizes each response for easier evaluation. FourNetworks calculates costs per month and per year, considering recurring and non-recurring rent and power costs, as well as any other included charges. We also create a qualitative analysis document that examines other non-financial critical factors. These assessments allow you to see an overall image of each option and the long term affects.
5. Data Center Tours and Final Scoring
FourNetworks and the client evaluate the costs and quality of each facility and decide on a small list of the best qualified data centers to tour. An on-site tour gives you a better understanding of the data center quality and allows our consultants to point out overlooked factors and ensure best practices are in place. The scorecards are weighted based on factors that are important to the client. The data centers’ scores will be an influential factor in the final decision making process.
6. Final Analysis and Recommendation
FourNetworks puts together a final presentation for the client that includes the pricing and facility scores to give the client a comprehensive report of the available options. FourNetworks presents a conclusion and recommendations for the next steps. The final resolution of course is left up to you, but with the comparison information and analyses, you can be sure it will be a well-informed decision.
7. Contract Negotiation
Once you have decided to move forward with a certain vendor, FourNetworks remains available to assist with the negotiations. We are here to answer any questions or explain confusing contract language to ensure you fully understand the terms on which you settle.
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