SunGard Availability Services White Paper Series Ensuring a Smooth Transition: Guidelines for Successfully WhitePaper Migrating Data Centers
Chances are, you don t move a data center every day or even every year. But when the occasion arises due to a merger or acquisition, consolidation or growth you must be prepared to handle it. It goes without saying that a data center migration isn t just another move. Given the importance of systems and data, no organization should approach a move haphazardly. Most firms readily acknowledge that they lack the in-house resources and expertise to successfully plan and execute these sensitive projects. Unfortunately, turning to standard commercial movers probably won t address all of the special concerns. And chances are, you won t find comprehensive assistance from your hardware vendors, either. SunGard Availability Services has successfully managed more than 200 data center migrations. As senior director of SunGard s Technology Solutions Group, Mike Fontaine has extensive experience and expertise managing these large, complex projects. In this white paper, Mike explains the risks inherent in any move, outlines a proven approach to mitigating those risks, and then shares some lessons learned through experience. I trust you will find some valuable insight in this paper. The next time you re facing a data center construction or migration project, please let us know how SunGard can help. 2 SunGard Availability Services White Paper Series
Overview From mergers and acquisitions to cost-driven consolidation, there are many reasons that organizations undertake data center migrations. Moving data center resources is always an important project with little margin for error. Without proper planning and expert execution, such migrations can have catastrophic results. Indeed, at the risk of sounding negative, a data center migration can be compared to a disaster. But, unlike hurricanes, fires or power outages, this is a disaster that can be planned for and managed proactively. With thorough preparation and a detailed plan that integrates IT and facilities, organizations can avoid common pitfalls such as budget overruns, missed deadlines, excessive downtime, people challenges and scope creep. Proper planning and preparation can help keep a data center move on time and on budget, with minimal disruption to day-to-day operations. In other words, with the right approach, a data center migration can turn out to be anything but a disaster. Understanding the Risks Before delving into a step-by-step approach for successful technology migrations, let s first consider the risks inherent in any such move. Data center migrations involve risks in two major categories: logistics and interdependencies. Logistical risks are those associated with the physical movement of assets from Point A to Point B. What if the equipment is damaged in transit? What if the assets do not arrive when and where they are expected? To minimize logistical risk and impact on end users mission-critical applications and the associated devices must be moved within the allotted timeframe. The second type of risks pertains to interdependencies in other words, potential disruption of the complex relationships between IT systems. Upstream and downstream dependencies must be considered when orchestrating a move. Although logistical risks can be mitigated by moving only a few devices at a time, that approach also increases interdependency risks. (What good are devices if the systems they feed into and rely upon are not available?) Likewise, addressing interdependency risks by moving everything at once also causes logistical risks to increase. (The average moving company is ill-equipped to undertake the physical movement of all data center equipment at once especially within a short timeframe!) Ensuring a Smooth Transition: Guidelines for Successfully Migrating Data Centers 3
Addressing Common Concerns Equipment Labor Security Reliability Connectivity IT Facilities Building Power HVAC Fire Protection Lease A technology migration plan helps to mitigate the risks associated with logistics and interdependencies. A plan also helps to ensure that you address these common IT and facilities concerns in an integrated manner. Four Phases of a Successful Move Fortunately, there is a proven approach that successfully balances both types of risks. By following this methodology, organizations can significantly improve their chances of success when orchestrating a data center move, regardless of size or scope. In undertaking the four-step process, an organization will answer these key, big-picture questions: 1. How far? Migrating to a data center across town is quite different from a cross-country move. 2. How fast? Early in the process, a determination needs to be made of how much downtime and how long of a maintenance window can be tolerated during the move. 3. How many? This question pertains to the quantity of devices that need to be moved, as well as to the total number of moves that need to be made. More devices mean more complexity and more resources. Those answers help shape the development and execution of the migration plan, which occurs through four distinct phases: Assessment and Strategy Detailed Planning Preparation Move Execution Assessment and Strategy. This first phase includes development of an overall project strategy, including an inventory of all data center assets. With that information, interdependencies are mapped and assets are divided into move groups according to platform. Specifically, this phase includes: An initial inventory that documents all equipment identified in the migration; information captured includes equipment make, model, device name, rack unit profile, number of power supplies, number of NICs (fiber and CAT 5e), replacement value, resident applications, and points of contact for systems administration. Source cabinet diagrams that document actual equipment locations within cabinets; information includes device name, cabinet location in data center, location within cabinet, and rack unit profile. Network diagrams that document the current state. Infrastructure interdependency analysis of applications and infrastructure; analysis includes application flow diagrams that relate to the network diagrams. 4 SunGard Availability Services White Paper Series
Detailed Planning. In the second phase before any equipment is moved detailed plans are created. These plans include in-depth, step-by-step checklists for move day. They also include provisions for controlling network downtime, ensuring the availability of the right swing gear, and developing a plan for data migration. Specifically, this phase includes: Creation of a target network diagram for new location documenting the planned design. Establishment of move groups based on the interdependency analysis; groups are documented by device name, move groups and move date. Creation of target cabinet diagrams for new location documenting desired equipment locations; information includes device name, cabinet location in data center, location within the cabinet and rack unit profile. DNS migration (if applicable), including identification and documentation of all migrating domains, plus development and implementation of a migration strategy. Establishment of fallback procedures, including design of procedures and documentation of criteria for triggering and implementing them, which are distributed in advance to the migration team. Preparation. A tabletop and/or dry run exercise takes place before the scheduled move. This test allows the project team to identify any problems with the plans and address them before move day arrives. Specifically, this phase includes: Asset tagging, the placement of specific tags on each device scheduled for transition. Cabinet installation, including the supplying, grounding, leveling and configuring of cable access for cabinets in the new location. Power installation, including installation and validation of the required power supply in each cabinet. Backup of all devices, including launching and monitoring the success of necessary backup jobs; this helps ensure that critical data is protected from hardware failure and/or other mishaps. Move Execution. All of the plans and preparations pay off when it s time to execute the move. When the right preparations have been made, execution is far more successful. Specifically, this phase includes: Asset tracking of all devices throughout the migration process; this helps to ensure that all devices from each group are moved according to plan. Safe power-down of devices before they are moved. Unracking and packing of devices, including removal of the designated hardware rail sets, power cords and special cabling from the source cabinets and secure packing of all devices in preparation for transportation to the new data center. Transportation of devices from the old center to the new one. Insurance while in transit, including adequately insuring up to the replacement value of the devices being moved. Unpacking and re-racking of devices, including removal of packing materials, discarding of packing materials and racking the hardware in the specified location. Cabling of devices, including installation of network, power and special cabling from the device to the appropriate termination point. Startup of each device according to the proper sequence and process. Recertification, including contacting hardware vendors to perform required preparation work as required for maintaining manufacturers warranties. Network migration, including management of network carriers to ensure that WAN connections are in place, tested and live at the new data center. Ensuring a Smooth Transition: Guidelines for Successfully Migrating Data Centers 5
Re-IP environment (if required), including modification of the device network and configuration of operating systems to accommodate IP address changes that result from the move. An architecture operational readiness assessment, which verifies that devices were moved without damage and are operating as designed. Tips for Success Using the methodology detailed in this paper, SunGard has successfully managed more than 200 data center migrations. In addition to helping refine and validate our approach, these experiences have provided some valuable lessons learned: Focus on planning. The hard work of a data center migration does not occur on the day of the move. To succeed, the majority of effort should be devoted to strategizing and planning before the move. In addition, adequate resources must be assigned to the migration. (A rule of thumb: moving more than 100 devices in a short window of downtime requires one full-time resource to manage the project, beginning at least three or four months prior to the actual move.) Build a toolkit. A successful move requires a collection of tools including cabinet diagrams, power layouts and spreadsheets outlining device names and move groups. Devices should be physically inventoried before move day. For the migration, organizations that normally use a complex naming convention should instead place color-coded asset tags labeled with intuitive names (such as Group 1, Device 1 ). Simple names reduce confusion and the likelihood of error during a large, complex move. Engage the right resources. It s critical to have adequate human resources to support a data center migration. On the other hand, it is possible to involve too many people. The right number of resources depends heavily on the scope of the move and the size of the data center. If a center is small and cramped, having too many bodies can make matters worse. There are ways to estimate the effort and, thus, the number of resources required for a move. Assuming that it takes one hour to do cabling for a single cabinet, it will take 10 hours to install 100 devices into 10 cabinets once the devices have arrived in the new location. A rule of thumb is to have one person for each cabinet. More people than that are not likely to speed up the process; in fact, they might cause unnecessary delays. If you have plenty of human resources but a small data center, divide the work into shifts of no more than 10 hours each. Communicate proactively and regularly. IT employees are not the only ones who experience the fear, uncertainty and doubt associated with an upcoming data center move. End users and customers may also be apprehensive about how the migration will affect them. With that in mind, organizations should proactively communicate the strategy and plan through websites and/or white papers. Newsletters can be helpful in providing regular updates. Whatever vehicles are used, ongoing communication keeps all parties informed and helps position the migration as a positive initiative for delivering business benefits. Anticipate failure (of hardware, that is). How many devices will not properly come back up following a move? According to hardware manufacturers, three to five percent fail. In other words, plan on some devices failing. Instead of facing that challenge during the actual migration, have a planned reboot of all the machines two to four weeks before the move date. (This reboot can be staggered, if needed.) And, even after successfully completing a full reboot, keep some spare parts available at the new location to take care of any unforeseen circumstances. 6 SunGard Availability Services White Paper Series
The Recertification Conundrum When facing a move, how can you ensure continued access to hardware support? When organizations migrate to new data centers, they almost always face issues around hardware recertification. Generally speaking, manufacturers do not have strict policies on recertification, making this a potentially murky area. SunGard has frequently observed a lack of consistency; for instance, the same server manufacturer may require recertification for one customer, but not another. In addition, many manufacturers now have professional services organizations that offer data center migration. Often, these organizations tell customers that recertification is required to remain under warranty and then make a pitch to handle the entire migration. Although this may seem like an ideal arrangement, the vendor may simply select the lowest-bid commercial mover and then mark up that price by two or three times! To ensure that a move is executed without impact to hardware warranties, contracts should be carefully studied and recertification requirement duly noted. Whenever possible, savvy organizations leverage upcoming hardware refreshes. Vendors sometimes waive recertification requirements if an upgrade is close at hand. Conclusion For most organizations, moving and relocating facilities is simply not a core competency. The same is true when it comes to migrating data centers. Moving IT systems which house valuable data and power critical business processes is not to be taken lightly. Such projects require coordination across multiple locations with multiple hardware and software vendors. A lot is at stake and a lot can go wrong. Fortunately, these projects can be executed on time, on budget and with minimal impact on regular operations. By using a proven approach one founded on in-depth planning well in advance of the move an organization can execute a smooth, successful data center migration. Finding an Experienced Partner Planning and executing a large-scale data center migration is no small task. Often, organizations benefit from expert, third-party assistance. When seeking a partner, consider firms that offer extensive experience in data center management, as well as business continuity. Combined, these disciplines provide an optimal skill set for developing and executing an effective migration strategy and plan. Technology Migration Services from SunGard are a complete suite of services delivering what companies need to help ensure a smooth transition whether moving, building or consolidating data centers. SunGard s methodology, which has been used for more than 200 data center migrations, helps to ensure that the IT and facilities functions are fully integrated before, during and after the move. By helping to maintain a true enterprise view of the assets in the data center, the SunGard methodology effectively balances risks associated with both logistics and interdependencies. In addition to Technology Migration Services, SunGard offers professional services to assess data center management practices and help managers implement best practices for day-to-day operations. These services leverage our internal experience in building and maintaining hardened data-center facilities, as well as our experience helping clients improve their own data center operations. To get started on a data center migration or an assessment of your data center practices visit our website at www.availability.sungard.com or call our Information Availability experts at 1-800-434-0002. Authors Mike Fontaine, Senior Director, Technology Solutions Group, SunGard Availability Services Managing Editor: Pat McAnally, Senior Director, Professional Services and Analyst Relations, SunGard Availability Services Ensuring a Smooth Transition: Guidelines for Successfully Migrating Data Centers 7
About SunGard Availability Services SunGard Availability Services delivers solutions to support Information Availability keeping people and information connected no matter what. Information Availability requires not only technology, but also people, processes and physical infrastructure. Therefore, SunGard offers a full continuum of managed IT, professional and business continuity services: SunGard s managed IT services provide a secure, reliable environment to host mission-critical systems and applications. Offering a full portfolio of hosting and support services, SunGard gives clients the option of point or turnkey solutions. From assessing needs to designing solutions, our professional services help clients address availability challenges. We deliver information security, high availability and business continuity services, as well as services designed to help clients address regulatory requirements. With one of the most extensive infrastructures in the industry, SunGard also delivers business continuity services. From traditional hotsites to leading-edge high availability solutions, our offerings enable clients to cost-effectively meet all availability requirements. We also deliver SunGard Paragon TM, a next-generation Information Availability planning software tool. 680 East Swedesford Road Wayne, PA 19087 484.582.2000 800.434.0002 www.availability.sungard.com SunGard Availability Services. All rights reserved. The above material is presented as general information only and does not constitute legal advice or a legal opinion.you Case should Study seek the advice of legal counsel with respect to your particular circumstances. WPS-009