There are a number of firms who specialize in data center design and do a great job. Unfortunately, there are many more who continue to design and build data centers with glaring problems. Having to move organizations into these brand new but defficient data centers makes me question if the designers have ever reconciled their designs with real, operational data centers?

Raised Floor or Not? Raised floor isn’t dead or even wounded. Just make sure the depth of the raised floor is adequate to provide the plenum of air volume you need. Also be certain that conduit and chilled water isn’t indiscriminately placed blocking airflow and underfloor paths. Use the correct raised floor for the job and familiarize yourself with zinc wiskers before approving the floor type. If you decide to go without raised floor for a large space, be certain you’ve properly accounted for the implications of that decision.

Power: Under or Over? Understand the issues of both methods. Run power from PDU (Power Distribution Units) in conduit to avoid EMI (Electro Magnetic Interference) issues even if you run it overhead.

Hot and Cold Aisles Matter. Ask to see the designer’s modeling of the data center’s hot and cold aisles. I’m guessing you’ll be met with blank stares. Most just plunk down the CRAC (Computer Room Air Conditioners) units around the perimeter of the data center and have no idea how the data center will perform with respect to static air pressure and cooling.

Don’t waste your expensive raised floor ! Not everything belongs on the raised floor. UPS systems with batteries belong in their own room. Putting them on the raised floor wastes expensive square footage.

The Patching Dilemma. Most data center designs do not properly incorporate the operational need for patching both fiber and copper in the data center. At the time of the design, the fiber and copper counts per cabinet are often unknown. As a result, the design typically provides some overhead ladder rack and the new owner is left to string patch cables from cabinet to cabinet. You’ll likely need to add fiber tray, backbone fiber and copper, and central patching fields to the design.

Grounding. A proper design will have a drawing describing all aspects of grounding in the data center. Don’t leave this up to electricians during the building phase.

Not a day goes by without a inquiry for a quick estimate for moving a data center. After a futile search with Google looking for a benchmark for a data center per square foot moving cost metric, I often get that urgent request for help.

Too often, there is not enough time to complete a moving cost estimate with any degree of accuracy. These early estimates are prone to assumption errors, a lack of understanding regarding options that affect costs, and the desire to “keep it quiet” within the organization…meaning asking clarifying questions are often not possible.

From the perspective of the decision-maker, how do you progress through a data center moving exercise without having some idea of the costs?

You’re not prepared for an engineering exercise and you just want some idea of the relocation costs. At least at the beginning. Then, your project gathers steam, money is allocated, and you can’t remember where you got all the great estimates from your Internet searches. And that’s the good news.

The bad news is that major elements seem to be missing, or the costs estimated don’t match the real world. In other words, your assumption errors cost your organization real money.

Ask anyway. We won’t be able to give you the average cost for a data center relocation, but we’ll try and understand your project and give you the early estimate you seek.

In return, give us the opportunity to help you avoid costly mistakes with our data center move services when the budgetary crisis passes.

Data Center moves are expensive. Many equipment vendors use a strategy that strikes fear, uncertainty, and doubt when it comes time to move your equipment. They void your support contracts and warranties if you don’t use them to move the equipment. Multiply that by the different vendors represented in your data center and you’ve got quite an economic problem on your hands.

Who can sort through the maze of options? Who would you trust to be the Overall Move Project Manager to reign in these equipment vendors?

An Independent Company like ours strikes fear in the hearts of all of these equipment vendors because they can no longer exploit their presence in your data center to influence your move decisions.

We’re changing this industry one move at a time. Let us earn your relocation business. Our independence and skill will help you become the hero of your move.

Common pitfalls to avoid include:        

Presuming that a move over the weekend represents the best time to move.

This common misconception demonstrates a failure to understand that the weekend represents the time when the most number of resources to your company will be unavailable. Techniques that keep your mission-critical systems available can mask your downtime and allow you to move during the week when both internal and external resources can best help.

Constructing a plan where everything has to go right to succeed.

Most organizations don’t complete a risk and contingency plan. They may have a detailed and complicated move plan with the single flaw that everything has to work correctly. That’s an unlikely event. Contingencies such as extra equipment, extra staffing, redundant data and voice communications, and on-hand tools and supplies can spell the difference between success and failure.
 

Involving every possible person in the move.

Everyone thinks they are a decision maker. Approach the move as a democratic process and be prepared for the outcome of a slow and frustrating experience. Instead, identify a clear hierarchy and responsibility matrix. Who is responsible for the move?

Which executives will provide the necessary top cover to help you cut through the organizational co-efficient of drag and save valuable time?Remember that not everyone wants the move to go smoothly. Identify these potential saboteurs early and plan to deal with them swiftly using your executive resources.

Failure to keep E-Mail running.

With today’s techniques and technologies, there is no excuse for your e-mail to be significantly impacted during your move – even if you are moving it!  Some of the most embarrassing moves have resulted from organizations who bounce their e-mail for days because something went wrong with their move. Construct a plan that accounts for an e-mail system that continues to function during your move.
 

Neglecting backup and restore.

When was the last time you tested your restore process? Have you kept up with systematic backup of your equipment? Finding out too late that you don’t have these critical functions tested will ensure a risky and problem-filled move. You must budget adequate time for testing these functions. Have maintenance completed on tape devices before you move them. Ignore this lesson at the risk of jeopardizing your organization’s ability to resume operations after the move.

Do you need a roadmap for your upcoming datacenter or IT (Information Technology) move?

By now, you have many questions:

• How much is this going to cost?
• Can we move our infrastructure alone?
• What are the best practices?
• Is our moving date feasible?
• Can someone help with site selection?
• Will you lose your job if the move goes badly?
• What are the top mistakes made when relocating?Perhaps the most daunting challenge for an organization is moving their datacenter and associated IT (Information Technology) infrastructure. 

Where do you start? Most IT staffs are already stretched thin, lack the experience of a complex move, and have not kept up on critical documentation essential to executing a successful relocation.

Request our free data center moving guide now to avoid costly mistakes.