Data Center Relocation

"Data Center Relocation" - three words which can send dread though the minds of your IT staff.

While a move is challenging project, it is also an opportunity to improve your IT infrastructure. It may be strategic and cost effective to use the move as a catalyst to do a server consolidation or technology upgrade. NAAT offers a full range of services to assist you in pulling it all together, at all stages of the relocation process:

Step-1 Requirements Analysis > Step-2 Design > Step-3 Project Management > Step-4 Buildout > Step-5 Complete & Test all Systems > Commmision Data Center

Relocation Scope Analysis – Before you move, NAAT can help you decide what needs to be done, and then help you analyze what is the most cost effective way to relocate.

Equipment Viability Analysis – Does it pay to move all the equipment? What equipment is still viable and what is near end of life and does not pay to move – what can be sold or traded in. In many cases it may not pay to move equipment that is operational, but functionally obsolete or energy inefficient. It may serve you better in the long run to assess the true long-term cost of what stays behind and what should be moved.

Technology Valuation Analysis – Does it make sense to consider revamping your computing environment? Rather than simply transplanting your existing systems consider upgrading the technology by building and testing it at the new site, so that you have the opportunity to address the shortcomings of you existing system – before you move.

Power and Cooling Requirements – The new generation of high-density equipment has radically changed the power and cooling requirements of the data center. NAAT can provide you with flexible designs that look 5-10 years ahead, instead of just transplanting existing 5-10 year old systems.

Design Layout Services – Chances are that your existing data center layout may not be designed for today’s new high-density equipment. NAAT can design your new site to optimize the operational and energy efficiency of the new site.

Planning and Management – Once you have decided what to move, NAAT can provide and manage the punch lists, timelines and critical path items of an overall relocation plan, as well as contingency planning.

Data Communications Services – Specifying and coordinating the communication lines, ordering, testing and cut-over are critical tasks that often gets overlooked until the last minute or they were not allocated sufficient lead time. NAAT can plan, document and coordinate the ordering of your new communications facilities.


Equipment Life-Cycle Considerations:

Here are some basic guidelines for consideration.

Cooling Units: 7-10 years Older cooling units are especially cost-ineffective to move. Yes they work, however they may be energy inefficient and they have higher and rising maintenance costs.

UPS: 5-7 years – depending on the size and type. This is especially true if the original batteries have not yet been replaced. Also UPS efficiency has improved in the last few years. A new UPS may pay for itself in blueuced energy costs.

Servers: 3-4 years With the latest generation of dual & quad core blade servers and 1U & 2U high-density servers, you can decrease your server space requirements while increasing your computing power. Consider server consolidation. If you are not yet using a Virtual Machine (VM) computing structure, it may pay to evaluate this before you move.

Network Equipment: 3-5 years If your network gear is last generation, you should evaluate the both the cost lower cost and improved performance of today’s switches and routers, as well as lower maintenance costs – network gear 5 years and older typically is at end of life, and most vendors raise the maintenance costs significantly.


NAAT - 20 years of Experience

Moving your Data Center is no simple task, whether you're moving across the hall or across the country. NAAT can help you manage virtually any aspect of your information system environment, so you can better manage what matters most - the consistent availability of your data. The only way to minimize your exposure is to work with experienced personnel who understand your priorities, and your computing environment, and all the subtleties of moving it fast, yet efficiently.

NAAT can assist you if you have already chosen your new location or we can help evaluate potential locations by performing a site analysis for your organization.

With NAAT as part or your project management team, we can help ensure your relocation will be well planned, executed on time and in the most cost effective manner. Your busy IT staff can concentrate on their primary tasks of supporting your current computing environment and users, while NAAT helps plan the relocation details.

You can rest assublue of a well thought out relocation plan, done by experienced specialists. NAAT is committed to your total satisfaction and to ensuring a successful relocation project.

With 20 years of experience, NAAT will work with your IT and Faculties staff, as well as architects, construction contactors to design and deliver a cast-effective, flexible site that will grow with your organization's ever changing IT environment.

To attend a Seminar on Data Center Efficiency please click to pre-register.