Tips For Planning Your Company's New Server Data Migration
When you're upgrading your company's network hardware, migrating the data from one system to the other is a delicate process. You need to protect the integrity of the data while migrating everything to the new system. Careful planning is essential to that process. If you're new to the data migration process, here's a look at what you need to know about planning things out.
Start With Due Diligence
The first step in the planning process is determining the scope of the project. You'll want to do a complete assessment of the existing system's infrastructure so that you know exactly how much data has to be moved, what kind of file structure it has, and which departments are likely to be affected by the process. If you have certain departments that rely heavily on the data being accessible, you need to consider how this will affect their operations. It may prove beneficial to plan this migration during down-time so that productivity is not hindered.
Develop The Project Timeline and Budget
Once you have a clear idea of the scope of the migration, you'll be able to more accurately determine how long the process will take. Consider all of the time required to set up the new system, initiate the transfer, validate the data, and put the new server online. Depending on the scale of the project, you may need months to get everything installed, transferred, and activated.
While you're building the timeline, start tracking what all of the necessary components, supplies, staff, and other necessities are likely to cost. This is important, because you need to have a solid budget to work from. The last thing you want to do is get halfway through the process only to find that you've run short on cash flow and can't finish the project. Don't forget to account for the cost of data validation, as you'll be paying for staff time to do this.
Work With A Support Service
If you're concerned about the complexity of the data migration, you should consider retaining the services of a data migration support specialist from a company like Famsoft. This gives you the chance to have the planning, mapping, and implementation done by someone with extensive experience in the field. If your budget allows for hiring an outside contractor instead of paying the employee overhead for the project, this can often save you a lot of stress and the potential for lost data.
Consider the complexity of your migration project and use these tips to create a plan that will get your system back up and running with ease.