The server migration process is a complex one. Whether you are migrating between 2 in-house servers, migrating to the cloud or an outsourced server, there are always risks. Two of the most common are the loss of data and the compromise on the security you could experience during the process.
Northstar can help you design a program that always keeps multiple copies of data and maintains security throughout the migration process.
Server Migration Process: avoid the pitfalls
If you work in an IT department, then you might be confident in server migration. However, migration projects of this kind can go wrong because of resource availability for managing the migration and the support function. Northstar can provide project resource, project management, documentation and staff training to make the project a success for your business.
Utilising virtualisation or the cloud can allow you to run pilots or multiple copies of servers for testing, which reduces risk. By having multiple copies or backups of your new and old systems during the migration process, you can avoid any unforeseen failures impacting the project or production processes.
Auditing and Testing
Auditing and testing can be time-consuming and tedious, but spotting problems early will prevent unwanted impacts on the project or production systems. Writing a test process and listing all the areas that need testing usually provides the best results. Time pressures can compel project staff to rush testing, missing key issues that are much harder to resolve later. Instead, use someone outside your organisation to audit the process. In this context, they can check that the work of the project is producing the agreed outcomes. Any testing and auditing that can be automated could save lots of time.
Resources
Having enough project resource is a crucial part but having enough hardware is also vital. During a migration process, network bandwidth, data storage capacity, computing power, and memory are critical to success. Sometimes additional staging areas are required for data during the project. For example, if you have to transform data is transformed in any way, you may need to copy it twice, requiring double the data storage than the final production systems.
Local network bandwidth for copying data from one server to another is also critical. Slow network performance can slow projects down by days at a time. As a result, this could create corrupt files or the necessity to start a copy again.
Summary
Server migration takes more planning than you would first imagine. If staff are unfamiliar with new technologies, it adds risk. Northstar can provide a helpful, professional, knowledgeable and reliable resource to assist with any IT project, including Server Migrations. Contact us today and find out how you can achieve a smooth, safe and efficient server migration with us.
