DATA CENTER MIGRATION CHECKLIST

VXCHNGE | COPYRIGHT © 2020 | 1501 W. CLEVELAND ST. TAMPA, FL 33606 | 844.VXCHNGE 1

CONSIDERATIONS FOR MIGRATING TO A THIRD-PARTY DATA CENTERMigrating infrastructure to a third-party or colocation data center can be a

complicated undertaking for even the most experienced IT teams. The top

priorities for any business embarking on a migration should be protecting

their investment and minimizing downtime. The best way to accomplish

these goals is by being proactive.

checklist should be used as a proactive resource for carrying out this plan.

Use this data center migration checklist no less than 45 days prior to

migration to address leadership, technology and networking requirements

and transport and provider considerations so you can ensure

a smooth process.

Leadership

Establish a migration team that will participate in the project (e.g., team

leads from each department).

Identify a project manager and how each member of the team will be

involved, including which members of the team will need to sign off on

the migration plan.

team.

Establish a global project timeline and critical-path milestones.

include all potential technical and business costs.

Determine the migration project’s success criteria.

DATA CENTER MIGRATION CHECKLIST

MORE THAN HALF OF DATA CENTER

MIGRATIONS EXCEED BUDGET

60%OF COMPANIES

HAVE DELAYED A MIGRATION AFTER

PLANNING

Source: Gartner, 2014

DATA CENTER MIGRATION CHECKLIST

VXCHNGE | COPYRIGHT © 2020 | 1501 W. CLEVELAND ST. TAMPA, FL 33606 | 844.VXCHNGE 2

Technology

Perform an infrastructure assessment for a detailed inventory of the equipment to be migrated.

Include all necessary existing hardware.

Ensure all hardware, port maps and rack evaluations

Account for plans to update certain hardware.

Account for plans to virtualize parts of your infrastructure.

document these with your data center provider.

and circuits for redundancy.

your data center provider.

technology needs.

and end-user requirements.

Network

Submit order for point-to-point circuits (this can sometimes take more than two months).

Consider which, if any, data will be replicated.

Establish which branches require point-to-point connectivity.

Review network choices and connectivity options.

DATA CENTER MIGRATION CHECKLIST

VXCHNGE | COPYRIGHT © 2020 | 1501 W. CLEVELAND ST. TAMPA, FL 33606 | 844.VXCHNGE 3

Transport/Migration

Perform a test migration of back-up and non-mission-critical infrastructure.

Establish a timeline for migration activities, including how long systems

Establish a roll-back plan in the event of an unexpected accident or disaster during migration.

Consider data and physical security requirements during transport.

If necessary, enlist the support of an armed guard during transport.

Establish how to get equipment into the new facility.

If third-party transport is needed, vet the provider’s reputability.

Establish the necessary points of access for transporting equipment into the new facility (loading docks, garages, etc.).

Measure the facility’s doors, exits and all other points of access to

Provider

Review the details of the migration plan with the data center provider.

the day of migration.

installation and setup.

Verify that on-site staff supports 24x7x365 requirements.

Review terms, customer policies, and review MSA’s for contracts.

Review providers willingness to support emerging and cloud strategies.

The best way to set a

migration project up for

success is by ensuring your

team has the support and

assistance they need. The right

provider should work with you

to help address and advise on

each step of your migration

identify potential pitfalls.

Whether you’re in the early

stages of a data center

migration or feel a migration

project may be on the horizon

for your company, vXchnge

can help.

Call 844.vXchnge or visit

www.vxchnge.com/contact

to schedule a complimentary

data center migration

assessment with one of our

solution architects.

Reference:

Gartner, 2014. Best Practices Mitigate Data Migration Risks and Challenges. https://www.gartner.com/doc/2940619/best-practices-mitigate-data-migration (accessed September 11, 2017).