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Before planning any data center move, "Where do we start?" and “What can go wrong?” are crucial questions to ask.
Current State Analysis
Collect a complete inventory of all IT equipment
Where are you now? You’ve decided that it’s time to move your current data center. Perhaps you’ve performed a build vs. lease assessment to determine where to go next. But how do you plan a complex data center move? What should you do first? Often times, the best place to start is to confirm or validate what you have today. What’s your current state?
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Next Steps: TDS recommends collecting a complete inventory of all of your physical and virtualized IT equipment in addition to a comprehensive application inventory, as the first step of any data center relocation project. Understanding your current state is critical to determining the required level of effort going forward.
Required Tools: For the inventory of physical and virtualized equipment TDS uses its own, purpose-built, Transition Manager tool to barcode and identify the existing physical IT inventory and note its place in the enterprise (including the geographic location, rack number, U Space, etc.)
Variables: Depending on the number of applications and servers, relocating your data center may require more than a single move event. In these instances, we recommend conducting an application dependency analysis once the application inventory is complete. This will be key as you optimize your move strategy to minimize downtime and reduce risk.
Find out more about your starting point and the steps ahead - Contact Us
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Next Steps: TDS recommends collecting a complete inventory of all of your physical and virtualized IT equipment in addition to a comprehensive application inventory, as the first step of any data center relocation project. Understanding your current state is critical to determining the required level of effort going forward.Required Tools: For the inventory of physical and virtualized equipment TDS uses its own, purpose-built, Transition Manager tool to barcode and identify the existing physical IT inventory and note its place in the enterprise (including the geographic location, rack number, U Space, etc.)
Variables: Depending on the number of applications and servers, relocating your data center may require more than a single move event. In these instances, we recommend conducting an application dependency analysis once the application inventory is complete. This will be key as you optimize your move strategy to minimize downtime and reduce risk.
Find out more about your starting point and the steps ahead - Contact Us
Move Strategy
Develop a comprehensive move strategy with minimal risk
Where are you now? You’ve completed your Current State Analysis to confirm and record what’s in place today. Now, what do you do with all this information?
Next Steps: Developing a comprehensive move strategy is a multi-pronged effort with various aspects that require analysis by experts inside your company and/or outside experts. Once the dependencies between applications, servers, storage devices and networks are understood, developing logical bundles for relocation is essential. Application bundling and determining where applications should ultimately reside are key steps in this stage. For example, maybe it’s time to consider moving some applications to the cloud?
Required Tools: In addition to our own in-house software, TDS uses a diverse suite of industry-leading tools to support these activities. When used correctly, they offer great insight into how and where applications interact, how best to bundle these applications and then ultimately, where these applications should reside. TDS has also developed a product called CostModeler™ which assists with the financial modeling associated with moving applications to the cloud in addition to a multitude of other considerations.
Variables: Tools do much of the heavy lifting at this stage, but don’t underestimate the importance of subject matter experts and having the experience to know what to do with the information.
Find out more about your starting point and the steps ahead - Contact Us
Next Steps: Developing a comprehensive move strategy is a multi-pronged effort with various aspects that require analysis by experts inside your company and/or outside experts. Once the dependencies between applications, servers, storage devices and networks are understood, developing logical bundles for relocation is essential. Application bundling and determining where applications should ultimately reside are key steps in this stage. For example, maybe it’s time to consider moving some applications to the cloud?
Required Tools: In addition to our own in-house software, TDS uses a diverse suite of industry-leading tools to support these activities. When used correctly, they offer great insight into how and where applications interact, how best to bundle these applications and then ultimately, where these applications should reside. TDS has also developed a product called CostModeler™ which assists with the financial modeling associated with moving applications to the cloud in addition to a multitude of other considerations.
Variables: Tools do much of the heavy lifting at this stage, but don’t underestimate the importance of subject matter experts and having the experience to know what to do with the information.
Find out more about your starting point and the steps ahead - Contact Us
Planning and Management
Develop and document all move details
Where are you now? You now know exactly what’s moving, in what move group, in what order, as well as where everything is actually headed. Now it’s time to figure out HOW to safely relocate everything to where it needs to go, with as little risk and downtime as possible.
Next Steps: The planning stage is where detailed plans are developed and documented. This includes hour-by-hour move day plans, commonly known as run books. Run books contain information such as application start-up and shut down procedures, detailed resource plans indicating who’s responsible for specific tasks, where these resources will be located, and of course when all this will occur.
Required Tools: Templates and vendor starting points are helpful, but as explained earlier, comprehensive move documentation is really the most important ingredient in this stage. And because TDS TransitionManager was built specifically to support data center relocation projects, it acts as a central repository for all the information needed throughout the project.
Variables: This is no place to cut corners or skip steps, but much of the documentation and many project plans can be re-used from other projects. However, specific data center relocation experience can really make a big difference.
Find out more about your starting point and the steps ahead - Contact Us
Next Steps: The planning stage is where detailed plans are developed and documented. This includes hour-by-hour move day plans, commonly known as run books. Run books contain information such as application start-up and shut down procedures, detailed resource plans indicating who’s responsible for specific tasks, where these resources will be located, and of course when all this will occur.
Required Tools: Templates and vendor starting points are helpful, but as explained earlier, comprehensive move documentation is really the most important ingredient in this stage. And because TDS TransitionManager was built specifically to support data center relocation projects, it acts as a central repository for all the information needed throughout the project.Variables: This is no place to cut corners or skip steps, but much of the documentation and many project plans can be re-used from other projects. However, specific data center relocation experience can really make a big difference.
Find out more about your starting point and the steps ahead - Contact Us
Execution
Utilize the right tools to seamlessly relocate all devices
Where are you now? The execution stage of the data center relocation is often described as a controlled disaster. You’ve identified everything in your environment, determined how when and where things will be moved, and developed detailed plans to minimize risk and reduce downtime. Now it’s time to execute your plans.
Next Steps: With TDS, this is the easy part. Physical equipment has been barcode labeled ahead of time and special requirements for each and every device have been noted in TDS Transition Manager. As individual servers are shut down and available to be moved, TDS move technicians are alerted via their handheld barcode scanners and the servers are scanned, un-racked, cleaned and packed for shipment. The end-to-end process is tracked in Transition Manager with real-time visibility provided to the customer via executive dashboards, asset tracking and workflow screens. Virtual servers are tracked using the same process.
Required Tools: TDS uses its TransitionManager product in place of spreadsheets, printed move plans and clipboards to minimize human error and reduce overall downtime while providing real-time visibility into the data center relocation event.
Variables: Without the use of Transition Manager, a typical data center relocation event will incur 25% more downtime and the potential for unnecessary human error.
Find out more about your starting point and the steps ahead - Contact Us
Next Steps: With TDS, this is the easy part. Physical equipment has been barcode labeled ahead of time and special requirements for each and every device have been noted in TDS Transition Manager. As individual servers are shut down and available to be moved, TDS move technicians are alerted via their handheld barcode scanners and the servers are scanned, un-racked, cleaned and packed for shipment. The end-to-end process is tracked in Transition Manager with real-time visibility provided to the customer via executive dashboards, asset tracking and workflow screens. Virtual servers are tracked using the same process.
Required Tools: TDS uses its TransitionManager product in place of spreadsheets, printed move plans and clipboards to minimize human error and reduce overall downtime while providing real-time visibility into the data center relocation event.Variables: Without the use of Transition Manager, a typical data center relocation event will incur 25% more downtime and the potential for unnecessary human error.
Find out more about your starting point and the steps ahead - Contact Us