Tool

Building a Greenfield data center is an expensive and lengthy project that can be hard to plan for. Because of its enormity, it is extremely important to accurately estimate a budget. Estimate capital expenditures and operating expenses over the...

Solution Set

IT managers may only face a data center move once or twice in their professional lives, and therefore may have little knowledge of how to approach the project.

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Solution Set

Organizations that encounter significant capital expenditures, when building or updating their aging data center facilities. As a result, they are faced with a difficult build vs. buy decision.

Template/Policy

Ongoing management of the Service Level Agreement (SLA) and co-location contract is critical for a successful co-location engagement. Assessments should be conducted at least annually to ensure the co-location vendor is complying with the...

Template/Policy

A co-location Service Level Agreement (SLA) provides a definition of performance for the negotiated service. SLAs ensure accountability on the part of the service provider and also determine the price of the service. Understand and develop...

Template/Policy

Co-location recovery services deliver high availability using replication and backup technologies to ensure continuity of enterprise operations. Many organizations engage in co-location purely for recovery services; however, recovery services...

Template/Policy

Managed services offerings build on basic co-location with added services provided by the vendor. Regardless of immediate needs, IT should include managed services criteria in the vendor selection process. Choose a set of criteria based on...

Tool

The data center build versus buy decision is essentially a cost decision. Many organizations that gather requirements and forecast data center costs into the future will find that over time, a co-location strategy is the less expensive...

Note

Successful data center renovation projects involve more than refreshing specific components of the facility. Renovation projects are more complex than first thought and require specific design and requirement steps. Define and scope the data...

Template/Policy

Completing an annual review of the data center resource utilization and physical condition plays a crucial part in overall capacity planning and IT effectiveness. Comparing the current base-line state against information captured in future...

Template/Policy

A data center renovation project charter is essential to the planning phase of the project. It lays out important information, such as the project description, potential risks, and communication plans to keep all stakeholders informed. Complete...

Tool

IT leaders tasked with renovating a data center often experience scope creep and budget issues in later stages if initial planning, design and requirements are not properly outlined in beginning stages of the project. Start the project off on...

Template/Policy

Data center facilities call for specific industrial design and engineering requirements to meet needs for fire-protection, power provisioning, stand-by power, cooling, physical security, and layout. Therefore, selecting a contractor is one of...

Tool

When meeting with potential contractors for the data center renovation project, organizations should use a scripted interview process to aid in decision making. Each contractor should be scored based on a standard scoring method to ensure...

Template/Policy

Data center renovation projects can lead to unexpected complexity and require the assistance of mechanical engineers or contractors in planning and implementation stages. Selecting the right contractor for the project should be based criteria...

Solution Set

42% of IT leaders have been tasked with completing a data center build-out in 2010. Often, the organization lacks previous experience building a data center.

Tool

Establishing the initial plan and design for the new data center can be a challenging task, especially for IT leaders who are inexperienced. Start the project off correctly by planning and monitoring the data center build and understanding what...

Template/Policy

Data center facilities call for specific industrial design and engineering requirements to meet needs for fire-protection, power provisioning, stand-by power, cooling, physical security, and layout. Therefore, selecting a contractor is one of...

Template/Policy

When meeting with potential contractors for the build of a new data center, organizations should use a scripted interview to aid in the decision making process. Each contractor should be scored based on a standard scoring method to ensure...

Template/Policy

Building a data center is a complex and expensive project that requires the assistance of contractors, especially in the design and planning stages. Selecting the right contractor for the project should be based on criteria determined by the...

Template/Policy

Whether it is an existing building or a new construction site, IT must cover due diligence by completing a site evaluation for each potential location. Use a building site selection and security checklist to ensure nothing is overlooked, and...

Note

Many IT departments lack internal expertise to undertake a data center build project as facilities require specific industrial design and engineering requirements to meet the needs for fire-protection, power provisioning, stand-by power,...

Template/Policy

A data center build project charter is essential to the planning phase of the project. It lays out important information such as the project's description, potential risks, and communication plan to keep all stakeholders informed. Complete the...