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.

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

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...

Solution Set

This solution set will provide you with step-by-step design, planning and selection tools in order to define a data center renovation plan to reduce cost and risk while supporting cost-effective long-term growth.

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...

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.

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

One of the most important phases a new data center build is selecting the building site. Whether it is an existing building or a new construction site, IT must exercise due diligence by completing a site evaluation for each potential location....

Organizations planning to build or refresh the data center should consider the build versus buy decision in the planning phase. This decision requires careful examination and evaluation of options involving asset inventories, facility...

Enterprises can significantly reduce costs by implementing a data center co-location strategy. Cost savings center on power, cooling, and avoided capital expenditures. Enterprises considering building or refreshing the data center should use the...

Sizing the data center can be a difficult task, especially when factoring in future business needs. Employee-based sizing is one of many methods that can aid in estimating the required size when building or refreshing the data center. Estimate...