Data Center Upgrades With Minimal Downtime

Data center upgrades without incurring downtime is something that requires careful thought. Moving to a new facility or upgrading equipment and operating systems in place without downtime requires careful planning and nearly flawless execution. How do you achieve a data center flexible enough to be scalable and to effectively handle the fluctuating demands from its IT team? And how do you do it with zero downtime?

The first move should be to consider the upgrade as a business necessity rather than just an IT issue. The upgrade plan should be properly integrated and aligned to the needs of the business units as you work to minimize the business operational cost and disruption. Data center downtime poses real risks in parts of the business that require zero downtime, and all parties should understand those risks.

Proper planning is necessary for a live data center upgrade process.  Planning must include a proper communication with all the stakeholders. Regular testing and validation of the plan at various stages is paramount.

Identify the risk and challenges before going for a live upgrade. Careful assessment of existing equipment will help understand the possible risks in data centers, areas that need attention, what-to-do and what-not-to-do while upgrading.  Stay organized throughout the process and make sure the whole team is too, with proper communication and risk extenuation tricks.

Knowledge and experience counts when you plan a live data center upgrade process with no downtime. Be prepared for the worst. And plan for a reliable business continuity plan if the worst were to happen.

Alex Carroll

Managing Member at Lifeline Data Centers

Alex, co-owner, is responsible for all real estate, construction and mission critical facilities: hardened buildings, power systems, cooling systems, fire suppression, and environmentals. Alex also manages relationships with the telecommunications providers and has an extensive background in IT infrastructure support, database administration and software design and development. Alex architected Lifeline’s proprietary GRCA system and is hands-on every day in the data center.