Data Center and cloud migrations are complex initiatives that require a unique approach and specialized resources. Some organizations try to approach these initiatives like any other project, leveraging existing internal resources or project management and technical resources without prior migration experience. Unfortunately, seven out of ten data center migrations will incur unexpected downtime or delays, and most cloud migration programs run the risk of significant cost overruns.
There are many challenges to consider with a data center migration, including lack of resource availability and experience with migrations. Project scope creep, with migration events seen as the opportunity to make additional changes, is also a concern. The completion of a full system and application inventory with interdependency mapping to minimize business impact is a significant hurdle as well.
Gartner, in its report titled ‘Deliver Data Center Migrations on Budget by Securing the Right Project Resources’, highlights the risk of leveraging inexperienced resources.
“Some organizations may be tempted to use resources lacking data center migration experience to manage what is perceived as a simple "lift-and-shift" activity. While this may seem cost-effective, the potential exposures caused by weak project management in a high-impact project should be carefully considered and avoided. A simple rule to follow is that no matter how complex or risky a move is, the expectation of business managers is that the migration will be completed perfectly, with no interruption of service. Anything less will be considered a failure on IT's part.”
Scope creep is a challenge with any program, and many see a data center migration as an opportunity to resolve operational challenges such as upgrading aging operating systems, patching systems, and changing support processes. In some cases, this makes sense, however, minimizing the number of changes during a migration reduces risks and opportunities for failure. It’s best to prioritize what must be done for the migration and make changes iteratively where possible.
Most operation teams have system inventories and limited application and interdependency mapping. Completing a full IT discovery and application mapping of the environment is critical for the success of a data center migration program. In addition, grouping the interdependencies into move groups to avoid business impact is paramount. If all dependent systems are not migrated at once, latency or system outages can occur.
Forrester emphasizes that “Cloud migration is distinctly harder than cloud adoption.” The architecture of a legacy application might not be suitable for cloud preventing a “lift and shift” approach, unique migration paths must be determined for each application and a full assessment of applications and interdependencies should be completed prior to determining a migration path and schedule.
Gartner predicts that through 2024, “60% of infrastructure and operations (I&O) leaders will encounter public cloud cost overruns that negatively impact their on-premises budgets.” Common mistakes include selecting the wrong migration partner, choosing the wrong migration path for specific applications, rushing application assessments, a poor design of the cloud environment, not planning for or identifying all application interdependencies, and not accounting for indirect migration costs.
As with a data center migration, a full system and application inventory with dependency mapping is critical. With a cloud migration, additional application assessments must be completed to determine whether an application is suitable for the cloud or if refactoring or replatforming is required. Identifying the right migration path and setting up the appropriate governance and oversight as applications migrate to the cloud will reduce the risk of unexpected cost overruns.
Additional considerations include training existing staff or transitioning to a new support model, and ensuring the full decommissioning of source hardware with migration to the cloud to prevent duplicate costs.
Although data center migrations and cloud migrations have unique challenges, they both benefit from resources with a similar skill set. Gartner recommends “the use of third-party specialist migration partners to enhance the enterprise's capabilities and save valuable time.” Migration consultants with many years of experience migrating systems and applications to new data centers and the cloud will prevent mistakes, rework, and increased costs.
CTM Technology Group has the necessary expertise to guide your organization through these challenging but critical initiatives. We have experience executing large data center and cloud migration efforts, an established methodology that is constantly evolving and adaptable for your situation, and tools that we leverage to reduce your business impact and accelerate your timeline. From application dependency mapping to asset decommissioning, we lead your organization through the entire process. We provide specialized project management services, including a comprehensive migration project plan and move group schedule. We can also help you create a comprehensive budget and implement strategies to minimize cost overruns.
Contact us today for more information about our cloud and data center migration consulting services, tools, and processes.
Migration Wave Planning Tool
The manual process of scheduling applications and systems for a cloud or data center migration can take weeks, even months. CTM's Migration Wave Planning tool automates this process.
Strategies for Successful Migrations
Data Center and Cloud migrations demand unique preparation, resources, and processes due to their complexity and cross-functional nature. Leverage these strategies to help your organization navigate a data center or cloud migration effort.
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CTM has helped organizations successfully navigate complex initiatives including data center and cloud migrations, integrations, divestitures, and transformational programs.