Data Center consolidation projects are accelerating and many Information Technology (IT) professionals are faced with their first data center move. A consolidation project is a focused effort to reduce costs and this singular goal can bias decision-makers against using outside help.
However, consolidation can also mean staff reductions and a loss of subject matter experts for the applications and systems that are moving. Botching the data center move has even greater consequences in this scenario.
Consolidation projects also can have one or more sites that require decommissioning to realize cost savings. It’s not sufficient to move the data center. You have to close it down in a timely and cost-effective manner and often dispose of equipment and mechanical systems that could not be moved.
It’s important to have dedicated resources to oversee the data center consolidation project. Savings can be linked tightly to meeting external deadlines for expired leases, for planned staff reductions, and for surrendering the old site without delays.
Executive sponsorship is critical to a successful consolidation. Unpopular decisions must be made without the typical elongated consensus decision-making. Time-saving measures such as bypassing a lengthy Request for Proposal (RFP) process or stomping out political in-fighting that distracts resources from working in earnest are just a few considerations for Executives faced with a consolidation.
After a consolidation project, considerably more post-move effort is required. Because most of these projects are hastily conceived and executed, many more issues manifest after the move. Having a dedicated team to clean up serious technical inconsistencies and augment skills gaps from staff reductions can help ease the impact of a data center move consolidation project.