Having worked with over 200+ organizations design, procure, deploy, move, and decommission their data centers and IT infrastructure across the U.S., we have developed a number of great solutions that help simplify the process regardless of size of the infrastructure.
Below is a first pass outline for how your team should get started. It is what we use through each of our initial evaluations to help a business determine a good path forward, begin establishing proper communications internally and externally, and develop a project structure for their move.
Mind you, this is just the preparation stage. This does not include many of the details required to perform the move itself, or manage the implementation of new infrastructure - IT or Critical Facilities.
I. Pre-Move Evaluation
Write down current Uptime SLA for production to be down or redundancies to be down (If they can be). [if 24x7x365 for 3 production environments are written into SLA, then please see Short Term Rental section for cost reduction]
Evaluate the current data center environment: assess the current equipment, architecture, and network infrastructure in the existing data center.
Identify any issues or concerns of the Facility: note any current issues, such as capacity limitations, cooling, or security concerns.
Identify any issues or concerns of the IT Infrastructure: (server, storage, networking, and Endpoint) such as End of Life equipment no longer under support, latency in the network, compute performance issues, new implementation of VDI, or equipment that you simply want to refresh.
Consider the new location or colocation: do a quick outline for what you would like to have available at the new facility - including space needed, power requirements, network providers, Compliance certifications, Private Cloud services, and Public Cloud connectivity options.
II. Connectivity Requirements
What do you need up to? 1GB, 10GB, or 100Gb required today and for 5 years from now.
Understand the new location or colocation facility's connectivity requirements, including available carriers, internet services, and network interconnectivity options.
Identify any interconnection requirements to cloud or network service providers, if applicable. (Think #Megaport, MSPs, Hosted VOIP services, etc)
Determine the level of redundancy required for network connectivity.
III. IT Hardware Review
Create a detailed inventory of all IT infrastructure, equipment, and peripherals, including make and model (if you're getting wild add in serial numbers if you have them).
Here is a great free tool from #Spiceworks to collect the info you need - https://www.spiceworks.com/free-pc-network-inventory-software/
Determine 1. what is staying 2. what is going, and 3. what can be used for a legitimate lab environment. This is the time to clean up and tie off any loose ends. You don't need equipment sitting around in a rack not doing anything.
Equipment Staying - what is under OEM support, 3rd party support, or not under support?
Equipment Going - Send your list to your secondary market IT Hardware reseller for a valuation and determine what you can sell and what will need to be recycled.
Lab - if you have a legitimate lab environment, what are all of the components needed for it?
Initiate an email template to each of your IT hardware OEM's letting them know that you have a data center move pending and to have their team send you any documentation or information on how to have support contracts transferred.
(You can get a template here - or reach out to have us work on your behalf with the manufacturers as your partner)
IV. Data Center Move Project Plan
Develop a project plan that outlines the key milestones, tasks, and timelines for the move.
Write down all team members that will be involved
Identify roles and responsibilities for the move, including who will be responsible for managing the project, coordinating with vendors, and communicating with stakeholders.
Send out a recurring meeting. This can be monthly, weekly, or at an accelerated rate depending on how urgent the move is.
Develop a communication plan that includes regular status updates and addresses any questions or concerns from stakeholders.
V. IT Infrastructure Transportation
Schedule the transportation of the IT infrastructure, either in-house or through a third-party vendor.
Ensure that all equipment is securely packaged, labeled, and properly loaded for transport.
Establish protocols for tracking and monitoring equipment during transportation.
VI. IT Equipment Decommissioning and Recycling
If you do not have a partner for properly managing data sanitization or recycling, then now is the time to get one. Moving a DC represents a security threat for pieces of equipment going missing and third parties that have access to your IT infrastructure.
Develop a plan for decommissioning and disposing of any equipment that will not be moved to the new location.
Do you require a serialized report?
If consolidating multiple locations, write down the addresses to each and send to your IT Reseller partner for them to properly determine logistics and recycle costs for a local recycler.
VII. Short Term Rentals of IT Hardware
Determine if any short-term rentals of IT hardware are necessary to cover any gaps during the move.
Identify the equipment (here are three good use cases)
For equipment that has a 24/7/365 uptime and cannot be brought down
Equipment with Long Lead times you are purchasing new
Or, to just extend the period of time for you to transport and stand up your environment in the new location
Written By: Mackenzie Perry