Recently, Compu Dynamics received an urgent request from a Client who needed to relocate their newly acquired collocated data centers. Our team of industry professionals jumped into action to make sure all aspects of the relocation was handled correctly and to ensure no delays. Despite having to deal with some unforeseen circumstances, our team was able to successfully relocate the data centers on time and on budget.
The Client
The Client had recently acquired another company with multiple collocated data centers.
The Challenge
The relocation needed to happen within three weeks, at four different sites in two different states. We quickly mobilized our project management team that specializes in the planning and execution of consolidations and relocations. We immediately scheduled planning meetings with various hardware owners, project managers, and data center colocation providers. The project became more complicated when we learned that the facilities had not been visited for some time, and actual inventory data was only partially known. So, we had to tackle the project with limited information and extremely short timelines.
Our Client relied on the experience of industry professionals at Compu Dynamics to create a flexible yet cost-effective relocation plan. Even though the actual amount of hardware was not known, the Compu Dynamics team worked diligently to address every other area of the relocation activity to reduce risk. We had to uncover answers to critical questions such as what is the path to move materials within the source and destination facility? Are there weight restrictions on floors or elevators? What route will shipping trucks take between sites? What is a backup road route? Is there any planned road maintenance on the day of the relocation? What do weather conditions look like for the day of the move? Should hardware die, can we locally source spares? Are materials needed to be staged locally? Are there any security concerns around staff taking part in the relocation? The list goes on and on, and Compu Dynamics project managers had the industry experience to know what questions to ask to develop a robust yet flexible project plan.
The week of the relocation came, and we managed to move multiple sites on the same day, shipped hardware to different areas of the country, and collected the old hardware to be e-wasted and recycled. Once onsite, there was a surprising amount of hardware and materials that we needed to deal with. Due to our careful preplanning, we were able to deal with the ambiguity encountered, and each site was completed successfully.
As part of the e-waste portion of the move, hard drives and other internal media were destroyed in compliance with all local, state, and federal laws. Additionally, there was a small portion of hardware that had residual value and was able to be resold and credited back to the corporation (who doesn’t love getting money back?!).
Outcome
What had started off as a last-minute project with a high level of uncertainty and risk, turned out to be a well-orchestrated multi state relocation that was finished on time and within budget. By leveraging the Compu Dynamics team, the Client was able to focus on their core business and trust that Compu Dynamics would handle the rest.
Whether you are looking at a consolidation or relocation a year in advance or have 24 hours to hit a deadline, Compu Dynamics is ready to help you achieve your mission critical needs. Contact us today to see how we can help you get started.