The transition from on-site servers to colocation can be overwhelming. You'll want to take extra time in the planning stages to be sure that the implementation and transition happen as smoothly as possible. The more efficient your server relocation, the less downtime your staff will see in the process. Here's a look at what you need to know for a successful transition to colocation.
Start With Thorough Planning
The planning process is vital to a successful transition. After all, if you're moving an entire data center, that's no small feat. Allowing yourself several months to plan before you have to make the move will give you more than enough time to cover all of the bases and then evaluate your plan for any weakness or vulnerabilities. In fact, you can even start planning the transition before you find a provider to work with. Then, you can just fine-tune the details afterward to match any special considerations from the provider you're working with.
Create a Full Inventory
Before you commit to moving anything, make sure you know exactly what you have. The best way to do that is to build a current inventory. Include not only the hardware but also any applications. This inventory will play an important role in your planning process, because it helps you get a clear picture of the scope of the project. It's also a nice validation tool to ensure that everything is as it should be when the move is completed.
Conduct a Risk Assessment
When you're developing a colocation plan, it's important that you don't overlook the risk potential. Establish a team that can do some thorough risk assessment. Don't try to do it yourself, because your connection to the plan itself may make it harder to see potential problems. The key is to identify any risks, potential pitfalls and concerns early so you can build contingencies for each one. Granted, there's always the risk of something unexpected, but the better prepared you are, the easier it might be to respond to those things.
Write a Recovery Plan
Obviously, the goal of any colocation move is to complete it successfully and get the server back up and running right away. Unfortunately, technology isn't always so predictable. Before you move your equipment, make sure you have a disaster recovery plan in place. A cloud backup system is a great place to create a backup copy of all of your server data. That way, if something should happen to the server drive in transition, you're not losing vital company information.
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