Consolidate Your Data Centers
Benefits from data center consolidation are not guaranteed. Effective planning is the key to capture consolidation benefits.
- Data center operating costs continue to escalate as organizations struggle with data center sprawl.
- While data center consolidation is an attractive option to reduce cost and sprawl, the complexity of these projects makes them extremely difficulty to execute.
- The status quo is also not an option, as budget constraints and the challenges with managing multiple data centers continues to increase.
Our Advice
Critical Insight
- Despite consolidation being an effective way of addressing sprawl, it is often difficult to secure buy-in and funding from the business.
- Many consolidation projects suffer cost overruns due to unforeseen requirements and hidden interdependencies which could have been mitigated during the planning phase.
- Organizations that avoid consolidation projects due to their complexity are just deferring the challenge, while costs and inefficiencies continue to increase.
Impact and Result
- Successful data center consolidation will have an immediate impact on reducing data center sprawl. Maximize your chances of success by securing buy-in from the business.
- Avoid cost overruns and unforeseen requirements by engaging with the business at the start of the process. Clearly define business requirements and establish common expectations.
- While cost improvements often drive data center consolidation, successful projects will also improve scalability, operational efficiency, and data center redundancy.
Consolidate Your Data Centers Research & Tools
Start here – read the Executive Brief
Read our concise Executive Brief to find out why you should perform a data center consolidation, review Info-Tech’s methodology, and understand the four ways we can support you in completing this project.
1. Discover
Identify IT infrastructure systems and establish dependency bundles for the current and target sites.
2. Plan
Build a strong business case for data center consolidation by leveraging a TCO analysis and incorporating business requirements.
3. Execute
Streamline the move-day process through effective communication and clear delegation of duties.
4. Close
Close the loop on the data center consolidation project by conducting an effective project retrospective.
Member Testimonials
After each Info-Tech experience, we ask our members to quantify the real-time savings, monetary impact, and project improvements our research helped them achieve. See our top member experiences for this blueprint and what our clients have to say.
Client
Experience
Impact
$ Saved
Days Saved
University of Chicago Medical Center
Guided Implementation
10/10
N/A
N/A
Workshop: Consolidate Your Data Centers
Workshops offer an easy way to accelerate your project. If you are unable to do the project yourself, and a Guided Implementation isn't enough, we offer low-cost delivery of our project workshops. We take you through every phase of your project and ensure that you have a roadmap in place to complete your project successfully.
Module 1: Establish an Effective Discovery Phase
The Purpose
- Create an end-to-end project prioritization workbook that will help the data center consolidation project stay on track.
- Establish a clear understanding of your current environment and effectively inventory all of the necessary components of the consolidation project. Establish move bundle proprieties to streamline the day of the move.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Create an inventory of consolidation projects and objectively prioritize each project.
- Identify the dependencies of your current data center environment and establish an efficient bundle move order. The bundle move order will allow you to execute the consolidation in logical pieces rather than attempt to move the entire data center in one step.
Activities
Outputs
Prioritize each piece of the consolidation project and turn one massive project into digestible pieces.
- Data Center Consolidation Project Planning and Prioritization Tool
Kick-start the discovery phase and establish a clear understanding of the current environment.
- Data Center Consolidation Data Collection Workbook
Establish move order for bundles to streamline the execution process.
- Data Center Consolidation Data Collection Workbook – Bundle Move Order
Module 2: Conduct a Thorough Consolidation Analysis
The Purpose
- Build a strong business case for the data center consolidation project through a comprehensive Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) analysis.
- Incorporate business requirements from the start of your planning process by engaging with the business early and often.
- Select the appropriate external support by establishing a repeatable process to evaluate vendor statements of work (SOWs).
Key Benefits Achieved
- Compare the TCOs between the current state and the consolidated environment to clearly demonstrate the value of the consolidation project.
- Avoid friction and unforeseen requirements from the business by building in business requirements during the consolidation planning phase.
- Hire the appropriate vendor to support you during the move through a systematic review process.
Activities
Outputs
Build a strong business case for the consolidation project by comparing and contrasting the difference in ownership costs between the current state and the consolidated state.
- Data Center Consolidation TCO Comparison Tool
Clearly understand business requirements at the start of the consolidation project and avoid sudden changes later on.
- Data Center Consolidation Data Collection Workbook – Business Requirements
Review best practices of how to select the appropriate vendor to support you during the move.
- Data Center Relocation Vendor Statement of Work Evaluation Tool
Module 3: Prepare for the Day of the Move
The Purpose
- Create a flowchart for your move-day plan and identify gaps and risks for each step in the move.
- Establish an overall communication strategy so that all stakeholders are aware and engaged during move day.
- Implement a clear change management process to ensure that changes are controlled during the move.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Mitigate or eliminate gaps and risks from your move-day procedures before you execute. Achieve this through a tabletop exercise that allows your entire team to walk through the move-day process.
- Keep the consolidation team and executives on the same page through a comprehensive communication strategy that tailors information provided to each group.
- Avoid unforeseen changes that can derail the consolidation project by implementing strict change management processes.
Activities
Outputs
Create a detailed move-day script by leveraging a tabletop planning exercise.
- Minute-to-Minute Move-Day Script
Leverage the results of the tabletop exercise and formalize the move-day script through a project planning and monitoring tool.
- Data Center Relocation Minute-to-Minute Project Planning and Monitoring Tool
Streamline the communication process between stakeholders by developing a comprehensive communication strategy.
- Communications Plan Template for Data Center Consolidation
- Data Center Consolidation Executive Presentation
About Info-Tech
Info-Tech Research Group is the world’s fastest-growing information technology research and advisory company, proudly serving over 30,000 IT professionals.
We produce unbiased and highly relevant research to help CIOs and IT leaders make strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. We partner closely with IT teams to provide everything they need, from actionable tools to analyst guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their organizations.
What Is a Blueprint?
A blueprint is designed to be a roadmap, containing a methodology and the tools and templates you need to solve your IT problems.
Each blueprint can be accompanied by a Guided Implementation that provides you access to our world-class analysts to help you get through the project.
Need Extra Help?
Speak With An Analyst
Get the help you need in this 4-phase advisory process. You'll receive 13 touchpoints with our researchers, all included in your membership.
Guided Implementation #1 - Discover
- Call #1 - Leverage the project planning tool to organize tasks and projects.
- Call #2 - Create and prioritize dependency bundles.
- Call #3 - Use the consolidation workbook to capture consolidation requirements.
Guided Implementation #2 - Plan
- Call #1 - Paint a clear financial outlook for the business through a five-year TCO.
- Call #2 - Clearly articulate business and IT requirements.
- Call #3 - Identify and mitigate consolidation risks.
- Call #4 - Assess and select an appropriate mover.
Guided Implementation #3 - Execute
- Call #1 - Create a minute-by-minute move-day script.
- Call #2 - Leverage a communication plan to keep stakeholders engaged and accountable.
- Call #3 - Clearly establish go/no-go criteria to ensure that the data center relocation is successful.
Guided Implementation #4 - Close
- Call #1 - Establish a project plan for the QA team that aligns with the move plan.
- Call #2 - Follow best practices when decommissioning.
- Call #3 - Document issue resolution and lessons learned for a smoother consolidation the next time around.
Contributors
- City of Spokane
- Saskatchewan Transportation
- Tripwire
- City of Austin
- Louis Dreyfus Highbridge Energy
- ASW Global
- Alberta Finance & Enterprise
- Independence First
- INVe SHARE
- Sims Metal Management
- Richardson
- Benco Dental Company
- American Equity Investment Life Insurance
- Weston Solutions
- Sirius International
- TripleT
- Gowans Research
- Dutch/European Standards Data Centers Committee
- 227 individuals completed a survey
Consolidate Your Data Centers
M&A Runbook for Infrastructure and Operations