How Can Businesses Ensure a Successful IT Relocation?
Moving technology presents a special set of issues for businesses. From preventing exposure of valuable data to ensuring critical network continuity and uptime, there are numerous factors that must be considered in order to avoid costly mistakes when moving assets. But despite its intricacies, IT relocation is an inevitable challenge that both small and large businesses face, and understanding the right approach beforehand can make a big difference for achieving success and long-term scalability.
So, what do companies need to know before beginning an IT relocation project?
Why is IT relocation challenging?
Businesses are constantly competing to deliver the best service or product to their customers, so most companies place great importance on uptime and security for their consumers. Because a lot of data and information that is handled during relocation projects is sensitive, businesses need to be smart when choosing which organization to partner with. IT relocations are usually rapid, on-demand initiatives, and finding a way to qualify the right organization to support a business environment can be difficult. If a company doesn’t have a preferred organization to work with, it may struggle to decide which ones to trust.
What do businesses hope to achieve from IT relocations?
Businesses that are relocating want an opportunity to upgrade technology and lower costs. Advancements in virtualization and cloud computing have enabled organizations to downsize their physical hardware, and, as a result, businesses are opting for a condensed IT infrastructure that is faster and easier to scale. Upgrading technology goes hand in hand with another major driver for IT relocations – cost savings. Companies today don’t need 100 racks of storage when they can get the same level of support from 10 racks. This translates to reduced spending in terms of space, energy, and maintenance for their environment.
What are some of the key elements of a successful IT relocation?
One of the most important elements of a successful relocation project is a comprehensive project plan, especially during the initial stages of identification and assessment. A solid project plan should include in-depth methodologies and policies regarding equipment, timeline, and budget. The more detail you have on the IT assets you plan to relocate, the less discrepancies you will encounter later when it comes time to situate your devices. Likewise, establishing confirmed dates and locations will prevent logistical problems due to a lack of planning.
What are some issues that can occur during a relocation project?
The most common and detrimental problems that can occur during relocations are downtime and loss of production. In 2016, downtime cost enterprises an average of almost $700,000 an hour and a whopping $26 billion for the year.[i] That’s an incredible amount of revenue that can be lost if businesses are not working or functioning as expected. Not to mention, businesses have a lot to consider when it comes to confidentiality of data. Without the appropriate processes in place, data that is sensitive and valuable to both business owners and their customers is at risk of being exposed.
What do businesses need to be prepared with before relocating?
Before pushing the start button on a relocation project, it’s important that companies are thorough with their pre-planning. Business leaders should begin by asking the right questions: Why do you think you need to move? What is the catalyst behind changing your environment? What do you want to gain from your new location? These crucial questions shape the individual factors that go into planning a relocation project, such as which elements of your infrastructure should be migrated first, or what the staffing requirements will be for your new environment. Understanding such business expectations positions companies for a more successful experience with moving their technology.
When setting standards and expectations for an IT relocation project, businesses should be sure to address each element of the following IT Relocation checklist:
IT Relocation Checklist
Moving technology is no easy feat, but with the right help, IT relocation can be a significant opportunity for growth and success. Stay tuned for our next post for more on overcoming the challenges of data center relocation.
https://milestone.tech/the-extended-guide-to-data-center-relocation-2/
