Utilizing Servers to Create a Mirrored Environment

Given the explosion of data in recent years, companies are finding that their existing information technology (IT) infrastructure is no longer capable of meeting their data storage needs. Rather than continuing to buy machines in order to keep up with growing data storage needs, companies are with greater regularity exporting data storage to a colocation facility. When an organization uses this arrangement, it rents bandwidth and floor space for hardware in an off-site facility. In many cases a colocation facility can be in another state. Under this arrangement, companies save money by eliminating some of the expenses associated with managing data storage machines on-site.

When the organization is ready to migrate its data centers to a colocation facility, it should recognize that this process is not completed overnight. A company should expect to spend between three and six months planning a move, re-working schedules, organizing logistics, and building a mirrored environment. The mirrored environment is crucial because it allows the business to continue operations during the move, by guaranteeing that the business can still access data stored on a machine that is in transit. When companies rely on end-of-life machines like old model servers, it becomes more difficult to build a mirrored environment. Companies will need to acquire used servers before data center migration can begin. Below are some of the biggest challenges facing an organization ahead of a data center migration.

Completing Testing Before and After Migration

Companies that do not properly complete testing after data center migration will misinterpret the state of their data center. The company might assume that a data center is underperforming when in fact it is performing at the level it did before data center migration. Testing will be more accurate if the company completes pre-migration testing, as this will provide a set of performance metrics that are more accurate than the performance levels the company saw when the machines were first implemented. By not completing pre-migration testing, the company could incorrectly perceive the migration as a failure because it was expecting different performance levels.

Adjusting Work Schedules for Employees

Given the complexity of each data center migration, companies will have to develop a schedule to keep everything straight. Along with a schedule for migration-related activities, the company might have to create a schedule for employees. Since so many migration activities affect whether or not employees can perform day-to-day responsibilities, employees might be asked to work overtime or help with the migration. Speaking with employees about the schedule pre-migration will eliminate uncertainties and get everyone on the same page.

Finding Older Machines

As mentioned above, the company will need to create a mirrored environment to guarantee business continuity during the migration. This becomes difficult when the business relies on discontinued machines including out of date servers. Fortunately, some companies rent used servers to companies completing a data center migration, so that they do not have to spend time tracking down hard-to-find machines.

To produce an effective mirrored environment that relies on certain servers, reach out to server rental specialist with used servers on hand.

Source: http://www.readingprinters.co.uk/computer-hardware-articles/2770-utilizing-servers-to-create-a-mirrored-environment

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