Six Critical Traits to Seek when Selecting Your Next Data Center Move Partner

A Data Center Move is not as straightforward as packing up your furniture and moving it to your new apartment or house. If your headboard gets dropped or scratched, sure you’re upset, but… On the other hand, if you are moving your data center and your primary database server gets dropped or damaged, your business is at a standstill and all eyes are on you until it’s fixed. Therefore, choosing the right data center move partner is critical to a seamless transition. Your data center move (or IT asset move) partner, quite simply, needs to be experienced at moving data centers and mission-critical hardware systems. They need to be able to demonstrate possession of the proper processes, and tools to execute an uneventful event on your behalf. Your reputation depends upon it!

So, what are the top traits you should be looking for in your Data Center Move partner?

1.  Experience/Structure
Have they done this before? The move partner you select should have a deep background in and understanding of the operation and management of the data center. They should have respect for the production environment that drives your business and know the difference between production, development and test environments. Each of these will have different requirements for working in or introducing change.

2. Sound Process
Your selected partner should be able to speak to and help you understand the entire data center move process at a high level, yet be able to delve deeply into specific areas when you have questions. Each customer will have specific business requirements that need to be taken into account and the right partner will be able to easily adapt to your specific needs, while staying true to the overall process.

3. Technical Team
Coming out of the high-level move process, you need to see “Standards of Execution.” The most important aspect being the technical personnel staffing and executing your event. Only seasoned technicians/engineers with hands-on Data Center experience are acceptable. It might seem silly, but having experience with racks and rails is key. Desktop techs, while suitable to be extra hands “assisting,” are not suitable to be the primary staff executing your data center move. You definitely don’t want to hear anyone say, “this is my first time in a data center.”

4. Transportation Team
No less important is packing and transportation. How will your valuable assets be handled after they’re removed from the rack? Does the potential partner have documented “Packing & Transportation Standards” to share? The data center move partner needs to show your assets will be properly handled (packed, transported and unpacked), providing confidence that, following a smooth and orderly reinstall, green lights will be the norm. If they are truly experienced, they should have no trouble providing this.
If the partner is using one team for all the data center move activities, this should raise a giant red flag. There are distinct skill-sets for each role and the team should be staffed appropriately.

5. Communication & Tracking
How will communication with the business be addressed? Awareness is key. Just because the technical support group is ready to move, and for devices to be shut-down, does not mean the business is going to agree. Ensure there is a communication plan (data center move communication examples) so that everyone is aware of and in agreement with the plan and all of its related activities.
When things are finally under way, how will progress be tracked, activities managed, and encountered issues be captured? Experienced data center move partners will typically leverage some type of an online system to track the work, control activities and provide real-time views of status as the work progresses.

6. Dedicated DC Relocation Project Management Professionals
All of the above traits are key, but the “glue” pulling all of this together cannot be overlooked either! A Project Manager with data center move experience is exactly that important glue. Many times, a standard IT PM is tasked with overseeing a move. While this may seem acceptable, ensuring the partner is providing a Project Manager that has managed multiple data center moves before and can work through issues that are sure to arise, might be the difference between success and…

Cumulus Solutions Group can provide all of the above, having extensive expertise in both Data Center Moves and Data Center Migrations. Read more by checking out our Data Center Move webpage: https://www.cumulussg.com/data-center-relocation

Blog Author
John Doherty, Co Founder & Managing Partner
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