You already have an established data center, but you would like to move its assets from one environment to another. Maybe it is because you are expanding your organization, complying with regulatory requirements, merging companies, or any other reason. Whatever the reason, you must be aware of the steps involved in the data center migration process. Moving data center equipment from one location to the other can be a challenging and time-consuming process. Read on to find out which are the three basic steps involved in this process.

Decide What to Move

The decision to purchase new equipment, leave some behind, or transport everything to the new site lies in your hands. Moving data center supplies can be risky, considering that some are fragile yet expensive and important. Consider your hardware and software service providers, too. Do you need them in the new location or can the contracts be terminated? Now that you know which equipment to move, you should decide whether they will be moved at once or in batches. You can also decide whether to migrate the equipment by yourself or hire professionals in that field.

Conduct Equipment Inventory

Compare your records with your center’s equipment to ensure everything is there. This is also the best time to include any new equipment in your records. Identify the items that may require licensing to run in the new location. Have all the equipment tagged, whether you’re moving it with you or leaving it behind. Adjusting disaster recovery or backups is also a wise idea, especially if you have both physical and cloud backups.

The Actual Move

Now that you have decided what to move and confirmed the equipment inventory, it is time to make the actual transition to the new data center site. The moving date should be scheduled wisely to prevent any interruptions to major business projects, such as launching a new product. You must have a sturdy plan on the ground for how the equipment will be moved, backup strategies, and how the installation and testing will happen. Ensure that your new location has an adequate supply of power. The power density of a data center is a hundredfold that of a sizeable commercial building. It can be compared to that of about 9 Wal-Mart-sized shopping malls. You’ll want to make sure that your new site has enough energy capacity before you get there.

Migrating a data center is a detailed process that can be both time- and money-consuming. Therefore, you need to have a clear plan for how you are going to execute this process. Please contact LDP for the mission-critical support solutions your data center needs and get help with migrating your data center.