Reduce Risks, Downtime & Business Disruption during Data Migration

The end of support of Windows Server 2008/R2 and SQL Server 2008/R2 has initiated some quick decision making and, in some cases, not enough quick decision making.  The end of support has been a pivotal factor in many organisations decision to upgrade their systems to mitigate the risks associated with hosting a business-critical application on legacy software. In case you need reminding, the risks of residing on legacy software include, security threats, compliance breaches and reduced performance with long-term increased costs. These sorts of risks translate to a whole lot of headaches with reputational damage as a result of cyber-attacks or being held to ransom (6.5% of Irish Firms paid a ransom following a ransomware attack according to Hiscox Cyber Readiness Report 2020). Data migration projects are usually met with some resistance and are implemented primarily because organisations must upgrade rather than choosing to. The risk of business disruption and downtime during data migration projects is probably the key reason for resisting this essential upgrade. 

Precise planning for successful Data Migration

Successful data migration projects are notoriously well-structured with organised and precise strategic planning which is what you’d expect for every business-critical project.  Migration projects are major projects and have major business implications, therefore requiring extensive expert attention to meet deadlines and minimise business disruption. Poorly executed data migration upgrades can have devastating business impacts throughout an entire organisation as many SQL workloads are interlinked to business-critical applications and processes.

A methodical approach to data migration will ensure an effective transition and minimal disruption to business operations. This requires careful technical planning and business collaboration, ensuring workloads run as expected and migration is successfully completed with limited impact on the organisation.

Data migration specialists for data migration projects

Importantly, choosing the right data specialist technology partner will support seamless execution of the migration strategy. In some organisations, IT departments may opt to work on a migration project themselves in-house and this can certainly be effective if the correct professionals are working on the project such as; data migration specialists, IT/technical project managers and data solution architects. The reason why a lot of data migration projects fail or suffer a significant amount of business disruption is simply because the right people weren’t handling the data migration.

Want to Know the Best Migration Path for Your Organisation?

Data migration specialists plan, implement, and manage varying forms of data for organisations especially when moving between disparate systems. They have a proven track record, successful migration case studies, and use cases with verifiable testimonials from happy customers. Choosing a partner that matches your budget and promises results is of course important, however you’ll find that to achieve the least disruptive migration path, a data migration specialist is the decisive factor in achieving the end goal. A data migration specialist will manage the entire migration process from the pre-planning stages right through to project completion. A data migration project usually involves 9 stages/steps, and begins with a Suitability Review, which is an initial 15-30 minute call with a Microsoft Certified/Expert agent to learn more about your current configuration. Other stages involve Database Environment Analysis, Integration Point Identification and Database Integrity Check. Understanding the strategic requirements for migrating data, remaining on schedule, backing up data, and keeping key stakeholders updated is all in a day’s work for a data specialist. As with any project, patience and collaboration are vital between the data specialist provider and the organisation to successfully reach the 9th (and final) stage of a migration project; Integration Point Validation to New Database and Go Live!

The right people, the right plan, the right process = delivered success

The right people, the right plan and the right process will ensure any migration project can avoid cost overruns, data loss or inconvenient business disruption. Making the wrong partner choice can result in higher costs with lower success rates.

OpenSky’s strong partner ecosystem, integrated approach and clear guidance, can ensure a successful migration path, minimising risk and negative impacts to your organisation.

Download our Flash eBook: SQL Server Migration, An Executive Briefing