While many organizations operate more than one data center, it’s rare that any two are alike. External forces often manifest as a crisis where something must be done about the data centers. Expand, contract, consolidate, or relocate are common outcomes.
While it’s true that best-practice experts will preach continuous planning, it’s also true that most corporate data centers are understaffed. It’s not unusual for the Executive Management with oversight responsibility to have no actual data center operational experience. In this environment, how can you expect anything other than accidental data center planning?
Unfortunately, when it comes time to plan the move of these data centers, the perfect storm of accidental planning, understaffed neglect, and the crisis-driven mindset can doom the move before it begins.
Moving Unstable Data Centers Will Be Painful
Moving a data center that’s unstable operationally is a prescription for certain failure. Freezing changes in the data center must be enforced. This freeze for any meaningful length of time is one of the most difficult parts of a data center move. For organizations with an ad-hoc planning approach, the need to freeze changes is particularly acute because even small changes cause huge disruptions.
It’s not practical to believe that an organization used to ad-hoc methods will first change their culture and then move their data center. This is particularly true when the need to move a data center is urgent.
Here’s a helpful data center moving video that explains why our data center moving guide can help you understand your move. Starting early is the number one factor for a successful data center move. If your need is urgent, give us a call.