Data Center Relocation and Professional Mover Checklists

Updated for 2022:

Exponential data growth is a critical challenge for the IT industry. Every day, organizations face the daunting task of migrating or relocating their data centers. Companies might need to plan for a data center relocation because of potential cost savings, the need for more physical space, and security/compliance issues. Whatever the reasons, data center relocation is a high-risk operation and a big effort to tackle.

Data center relocations and migrations are inevitable. Modern data centers typically move three to five times, with 53% of companies expecting to move within the next few years, according to senior project manager Shawn Simon of National Computer Warehouse Services, LLC (NCWS).

Le mosse dei data center più comuni, secondo Simon, coinvolgono due tipi di lavoratori:

1. 1. 1. 1. In-House Staff. In-house staff may move servers daily, but they are often not prepared for the difficult and fast nature of a massive server deployment during a data center migration or relocation. They should prepare for it in conjunction with professional movers and stay involved in the planning process.
         2. Professional Data Center Movers – Professional movers take care of the physical move, including handling servers that have been packed and prepared as freight, and all of the big items such as cabinets and furniture. It’s best to partner with an experienced company that has extensive knowledge of the intricacies involved in a data center move.

Involving in-house staff, including management, financial decision-makers, and facilities maintenance, can help avoid surprises and gain company-wide buy-in. Early in the process, establish and practice coordinating efforts between in-house staff and professional movers.

How To Choose A Professional Data Center Moving Team

Hiring professional movers for data center migrations isn’t like hiring residential or warehouse movers. Though you may come across some warehouse moving teams that claim they can help with data center relocations and migrations, contracting with a company that doesn’t specialize in moving servers and other sensitive IT equipment may not result in a good experience. 

One reason is because general movers don’t know how to safely disconnect and reconnect your servers and other devices. Another reason is that their moving equipment—usually warehouse lifts and hand carts—is not designed to move your sensitive, expensive hardware. 

To ensure the process of moving to a new data center is smooth and painless, you can use the following checklist to help you evaluate whether a potential moving company will adequately meet your needs. 

Once you’ve found a data center moving company you’re comfortable with, it’s time to dig into the details.

While all data center migration projects require some custom decisions based on the needs of your company, there are standard best practices that will make migration or relocation easier. This checklist includes important aspects that should be considered before the move:

Checklist For Data Center Moves

1. Project Planning

• For large moves, choose an experienced, certified, and insured moving company with data center experience.

• Stabilire e mettere in pratica il coordinamento tra i responsabili del centro dati e il personale interno.

• Sviluppare un budget e un modello di trasferimento dei data center, tra cui:
  
  • Pianificare tempo e fatica
  • Costi di acquisizione, valutazione e ristrutturazione di nuove strutture
    
  • Personale aggiuntivo
  • Col tempo
  • Costo della società di trasferimento
  • Identificazione del rischio
  • Piano di emergenza
  • Possibile sostituzione o diversificazione del server
  • Requisiti di raffreddamento
  • Acquisizioni e modifiche dell'infrastruttura
  • Cablaggio / cablaggio

• Pianifica tutti gli eventi di distribuzione e reinstallazione

• Verifica l'inventario di tutti gli elementi hardware e di sistema virtuale, osservando:

  • Condizioni dell'attrezzatura
  • Dimensione
  • Peso
  • Numeri seriali

• Rivedere e aggiornare il diagramma di sistema completo

2. Pre-Deployment Documentation, Warranty, and Insurance Coverage

• Rivedere le garanzie del produttore dell'apparecchiatura

  • Copertura attuale
  • Possibili limitazioni riguardanti l'installazione o la rimozione di server

• Verifica e revisione delle polizze assicurative interne

• Verificare e comprendere i termini e le condizioni della copertura assicurativa del motore

3. Pre-Server Deployment

• Preparare l'area del server di destinazione

  • Connettività di rete

    • Internet connectivity
    • Diagramma di layout / sala server
    • Cablaggio di rete
    • Gestione energetica
    • Posizionamento del rack
    • VPN
    • DNS
  • Prepare in-house deployment staff

    • Formazione sulle procedure di sicurezza
    • Sessione di formazione / prove del protocollo di implementazione del server, tra cui:

      • Attrezzature per etichettatura e imballaggio
      • cavi
      • Rails
    • Associa partner esperti a principianti
    • Ricordare al personale la disponibilità e l'importanza dell'elevazione del data center per il server:
      
      • Installazione / traslochi
      • Trasporti
      • Posizionamento
    • Armare i leader con le tempistiche del programma e i diagrammi della sala server
    • Informare il personale e i clienti sui tempi di inattività del sistema imminenti
    • Pianifica il project manager affinché lavori in loco dall'inizio alla firma

4. Preparing In-House Hardware and Software

• Rivedere e aggiornare diagrammi ed elenchi per ciascun rack

  • Verificare la disponibilità fisica in armadio
  • Verifica copia di backup archiviata sicura
• Verify complete virtual assets backup

• Identificare e pianificare gli aggiornamenti da eseguire durante la migrazione

• Inventario di tutti gli elementi hardware e di sistema virtuale

• Identificare e rimuovere i cavi abbandonati non necessari

• Verificare la disponibilità di materiali di imballaggio resistenti agli urti, all'umidità e ad altri materiali

5. Execution of Server Deployment

• Specificare i requisiti di alimentazione quando si cambiano gli armadi

• Spegnere i server, i dispositivi di archiviazione e di rete in base al protocollo stabilito

• Ispeziona, pulisci, ripara e reinventa tutti gli articoli prima di ricaricare i rack

• Ensure project manager sign-off on hardware list and scheduled tests once all items are deployed and inventoried

Planning and Finding the Best Professional Movers Will Pay Off

Fortunately, while the actual move is fast-paced, it is also short-lived. Most of the effort lies in effective planning. Help yourself and your coworkers avoid as much stress as possible by investing time and effort in collaborative planning.

Skillful coordination and cross-device collaboration will minimize potential difficulties that could arise. Utilizing a specialized consultant or migration coordinator for the project can help your team avoid common pitfalls.

You should also keep sicurezza at the forefront during the entire moving process. A safe move is a smooth move, which, in turn, reduces the risk of downtime, injury, or damaged equipment. And starting early will give you the time to make sure every step is executed flawlessly.