Data Center

Relocation
Guide
Keys to a successful move
WHY MOVE?
Moving a data center is no small task. The data center is
at the heart of your enterprise—a complex, interconnected
array of equipment, software and data that drives your
business and powers every aspect of your operations. Yet
change is inevitable, and as your business grows, you may
find there are mission-critical reasons why such a move
makes sense. Some of the reasons companies decide to
relocate a data center include:

Business reasons: Businesses are increasingly dependent on their IT

infrastructures to drive mission-critical operations throughout the enterprise,
from high-volume financial transactions to web-based, global commerce
to always-on services. For many businesses, that means significant cost
savings can be realized through data center consolidation and right-
sizing. For others, a merger or acquisition drives the need for broad-
scale integration, and a spike in the demand for data storage. Increasing
regulatory requirements also play a significant role, as companies struggle to
meet compliance, archiving, data management and security requirements.
And every business needs a business continuity plan that includes disaster
recovery, backup and remote operations. For some companies, the reasons
for data center migration are simple: market success has resulted in
explosive growth that has rendered the current facility obsolete.
Technology reasons: This continual evolution of infrastructure
technology is transforming the modern data center. Acres of individual
servers and miles of cable are being replaced by high-density clusters of
rack-based equipment, reducing the need for physical space. Advances
in network bandwidth are making it possible to store and access mission-
critical applications and data remotely. At the same time, more processes,
documents and data are being digitized, increasing the need for more
advanced data center configurations. No matter what is driving your data
center relocation, your goal is to minimize the downtime of business-critical
applications and systems while you make the move. You need a
team with experience and expertise in data center relocations to
make the move go quickly, smoothly and successfully.
WHO IS INVOLVED?
A data center relocation is one of the most critical
and difficult tasks a company can undertake. To make
your move go as smoothly and efficiently as possible,
it’s important to identify and involve all the different
stakeholders in the process, including:

IT, the Business and Facilities: It’s your business at stake, after all.
You want to be sure that the relocation plan minimizes any disruption
to your operations and prioritizes the move around your business
objectives. Which applications are most critical? In what order will they
be taken offline and reconnected? Who in the organization needs access
first? How will you handle the downtime?
Third-party Vendors: From servers and networking equipment to
enterprise software, a data center is a heterogeneous collection of
technologies, applications and data from dozens of different vendors.
Many of these have warranty maintenance contracts and recertification
that may be associated with your current location. Make sure your plan
takes into account the impact of the move on your physical assets.
Relocation Specialist: Some companies choose a do-it-yourself
approach to relocation. However, because data center relocations
are infrequent events for most companies, few possess the expertise
and recent knowledge of common pitfalls, best practices and proven
methodologies to execute a relocation smoothly and effectively.
A haphazardly planned and executed move can cause delays and
disruptions that can be disastrous to your business. A relocation expert
will manage all of the details, from initial planning and contracting with
multiple third parties (OEM vendors, transport, insurance, recertification,
etc.) to end-to-end relocation execution, to ensure you achieve a
successful, incident-free move.
RELOCATION CHECKLIST
Preparation and organization are the keys to a successful
data center relocation – as well as finding an expert that
can handle all phases, such as data center analysis,
planning and design, as well as the relocation itself.
Following are 10 steps you can take to ensure your move
goes smoothly:

1. Develop a complete inventory: In the process of a move, it’s easy

for items to get mislabeled, misplaced or lost, delaying the process
of getting your new data center up and running. Before you move
a single cable, develop a detailed inventory of all your data center
hardware and software, including serial numbers and approximate
weights and values of each item. Developing a complete inventory
will ensure you get an accurate quote from your relocation company,
and it will help you track, properly insure and quickly reassemble your
mission-critical systems.

2. Protect your property: Any move carries with it the prospect

of unforeseen events. Make sure your property is protected from
damage, loss or theft during the relocation process. Determine what
warranties or maintenance protection options exist for each item in
your inventory and any recertification requirements necessary once
your systems are reinstalled in their new location. You may want to
purchase extra insurance for items that are not already covered.

3. Schedule the move: An efficient relocation minimizes the downtime

of your business-critical systems. Yet many companies underestimate
the time it will take to plan and execute a data center move, causing
unnecessary delays. When you choose a target date for your move,
be sure to determine the allowable downtime for your business-critical
systems, and prioritize the equipment and applications that must be
up and running first.
4. Choose a relocation specialist: Once you’ve selected a target
date and have created an inventory of what needs to be moved, it’s
time to call the relocation specialist. Why do you need a relocation
specialist? Hiring a single relocation company to handle your entire
data center move can provide you with the comprehensive planning,
technical skills and best practices required to achieve a successful,
incident-free data center move. From initial planning and budgeting to
communicating with multiple third parties such as OEMs and software
vendors, to arranging transport and insurance, a relocation specialist
will provide seamless, end-to-end relocation execution.

5. Develop a budget: Working with your relocation specialist, develop

a realistic budget for the move. Your specialist can help you analyze
the total weight, transit time, mileage, insurance, labor and other
factors of your move that will affect your budget. Ask for a firm price;
it’s up to your specialist to identify and include all the aspects of your
move and help you develop a sound schedule and budget.

6. Get it in writing: Negotiate and sign a statement of work (SOW) that

explains in detail the entire process the relocation expert will use to
move your data center, including physical equipment, labor, schedule,
pricing, taxes, insurance, limitations on included services, and terms for
ordering extra services. Be sure to get any promises or commitments
from the relocation company in writing. Only when you have a
complete understanding of how the process will work, firm pricing and
a schedule commitment should you issue a purchase order.

7. Plan the move: Your relocation specialist will need to see your data
center to fully understand the scope of the move. This is especially
important when it comes time to rebuild your data center at your new
location. Schedule time for a walkthrough and assessment with the
specialist and movers so they can appropriately plan for your move.
8. Inspect the new site: How does your new data center site differ
from your current site? To avoid unpleasant surprises, be sure that
you and the relocation specialist visit the new site to verify that the
utilities, network, cabling and other infrastructure components meet
your requirements—before you move.

9. Perform and verify backups: Don’t leave anything to chance;

make sure you have a plan for backing up and storing your data
in a secure location while the move takes place. Once a backup
is performed, be sure to verify that the data is complete and
uncorrupted.

10. Make your move: This is the time when all of your advance
preparation will pay off. When you arrive at your new site, be sure
to check that everything in your inventory has arrived safely and
is reassembled according to your contract before you sign off on
your move.
KEY SUCCESS FACTORS
The above checklist is just a beginning. An experienced
relocation specialist can help you plan your move in detail.
When you hire your specialist, make sure they have the
experience and expertise in data center relocation to
handle your business-critical move. Your specialist should
offer the following:

Customer references: Does the relocation company have experience

moving a data center of your size and complexity? What’s the biggest
move they’ve ever performed? How long have they been in business?
Can they handle all the different aspects of your move? Do they have
the knowledge of the kinds of systems, equipment and applications your
business uses? Can you talk to their customers?

Pre-move data center assessment: A data center is more than a

collection of parts, and understanding the interdependencies of your
systems is critical. Your relocation specialist should be able to help
you develop a complete inventory of your current site, including a map
of hardware/software dependencies, rack and equipment layouts, and
network infrastructure. This inventory is key to your ability to track, verify
and reassemble your data center components as quickly as possible.

Planning assistance: Planning a data center relocation is a difficult,

time-consuming and complex task. Most companies do not have the
in-house expertise to plan for all the details involved. Your data center
relocation specialist should be able to help you with all aspects of your
move, from creating an inventory to scheduling and budgeting your move,
hiring labor and transportation, and reassembling your data center at the
new site.
 Scheduling: Most moves take longer than the company anticipates to
fully complete. A data center relocation specialist should be able to help
you develop a minimum timeline. For small moves, this is typically at
least two weeks from RFQ to signed SOW, plus two weeks’ notice to the
transportation company. The schedule will be longer for bigger moves,
so be sure your expert doesn’t promise a turnaround they can’t deliver.

On-site Project Management Office (PMO): Data center moves

are complex projects that require extensive coordination of efforts and
attention to detail. Your relocation company should offer a full-time, on-
site office to coordinate the move with your own team and to support the
entire project from beginning to end.

Comprehensive insurance: There is no reason that you should

have to risk losing a single piece of data or hardware. Your data center
relocation company should provide complete shutdown-to-reboot
coverage. Anything less is an unacceptable risk.

Communication: Because your data center is such a complex entity,

a relocation affects not only your own company but your customers,
partners, vendors, and others. Your relocation expert should help you
develop a comprehensive plan for communicating the move, not just to
key stakeholders, but to everyone who will be affected.
CHOOSE WISELY
A successful data center relocation requires careful
planning and, above all, experience to execute
successfully. It’s important to realize that any relocation
will include unforeseen events. Trying to eliminate every
possibility is unrealistic, but you can minimize risks by
planning ahead and leaving room in your schedule and
budget for last-minute changes. Be sure to work closely
with your vendors to communicate your plans and enlist
their help in the process. Above all, protect your business
by hiring an experienced relocation specialist to help you
plan and manage the process. The time and money you’ll
save, and the peace of mind you’ll gain by knowing your
move is in the hands of an expert, will ensure your data
center relocation is worth the investment.
Whatever reason is driving you to relocate, it is critical that the move
be accomplished with minimal risk, disruption or downtime. While it
may be tempting to save costs with a do-it-yourself approach, hiring
a professional relocation specialist is the smart move for several
reasons:
Experience and expertise: Data center relocations are infrequent
events for most companies, which means most companies have no
incentive to hire and train staff members to plan, manage and execute a
relocation. Even experienced IT professionals have more questions than
answers. A trained relocation specialist has the experience and expertise
to execute your move safely and efficiently.
Best practices: Because data center relocations occur infrequently,
companies also lack the recent knowledge of what works and what
doesn’t. A relocation specialist has the experience that can only be
gained through dozens of moves, and can bring proven methodologies
and best practices to bear on your relocation.
 Resources: The typical IT department already has a long list of strategic
objectives that must be accomplished, as well as an entire company full
of individuals—all with their own business goals—to support. Asking the
IT department to take on the burden of a data center move is likely to
delay and disrupt these initiatives as IT is forced to reprioritize.
Integration: A data center relocation is not just about your technology
infrastructure. It affects your entire business, from IT to facilities to your
core business operations. Rather than considering only one or two of
these perspectives, a relocation specialist brings a 360 degree view of
your business to the process.

DATA CENTER LIFECYCLE

MANAGEMENT
Data centers change constantly. Their size and complexity
have increased dramatically over the past decade because
of new technologies, the explosion of data, and heightened
security concerns. Data center relocation is just one of the
frequent and infrequent events involved in Data Center
LifeCycle Management (DCLM), a proven, process-oriented
approach that takes a holistic view of the data center change
events and ecosystem to simplify the management of complex
IT environments and enable companies to expand, operate
and evolve their data centers in a cost-effective manner.
Data Center Relocation is just one of the many service offerings
Collective provides as part of it’s end-to-end Data Center LifeCycle
Management solution. This solution enables companies to build
adaptive data centers – data centers that adapt to quickly changing
demands of business and technology. Data Center LifeCycle
Management incorporates every aspect of the Data Center LifeCycle,
 including total integration of IT infrastructure requirements with every
aspect of the data center, all integrated through consistent process
and ownership. The Collective Data Center LifeCycle offers Data
Center Analysis and Planning, Design, Build and Commission, Data
Center Relocation and Periodic Data Center Evaluation.

Talk to the Infrastructure Experts

Collective has delivered over 5 million hours of consultative
infrastructure services for customers across a range of industries.
Learn more about how Collective can provide you with value-based,
results-driven data center solutions to help you fully realize the promise
of technology.

Main Number: 512.263.5500

Email: info@collectivetech.com
Web: www.collectivetech.com

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