How to choose a data center relocation company
A data center relocation company should plan the move, move the equipment with its own people, track every device and prove it has done moves your size. These eleven questions separate the specialists from the coordinators.
Last updated · By the MIGRA Systems project team
Quick answer
What should you look for in a data center relocation company?
Look for a company that does the physical work itself, follows a documented planning method, scripts move day in detail, tracks every device, runs test moves for large jobs, carries strong insurance, meets your compliance requirements, and can show results at your scale.
Eleven questions to ask before you hire
Put these to every provider on your shortlist, ideally in the RFP. Vague RFPs make for poor statements of work, and poor statements of work make for bad contracts.
| Question to ask | Why it matters | How MIGRA answers |
|---|---|---|
| Will your own people move the equipment? | Many relocation companies coordinate subcontractors rather than doing the work. Ask who de-racks, packs, drives and re-racks, and who is accountable on site. | MIGRA's project managers, technicians and drivers carry out the move. On the largest moves the owners are on site; for one 1,600-mile air move, the three owners flew out to meet the cargo plane and supervise unloading. |
| How do you plan the move, and what documents do we get? | A credible provider follows a repeatable method and hands you documents you can check: inventories, network drawings, rack layouts and a move-day plan. | MIGRA works in four phases (requirements gathering, design planning, implementation planning, execution) and documents the Present Method of Operation and Desired Future State. |
| How detailed is the move-day plan? | The tighter the move window, the more detail you need. Ask how the day is broken down and who owns each task. | MIGRA scripts move day in 15-minute increments, with every task assigned to the client, a vendor, MIGRA or a third party. |
| How will you track each device? | You should be able to account for every device at every stage. Ask about labeling, counts of cables, cords and rails, and how losses are prevented. | Each device is tracked by inventory number at de-installation, transit and re-installation, and labeled with a Device Spec Sheet showing its destination rack and U location. |
| Will you do a test move? | For large or long-distance moves, a rehearsal turns estimates into measured times and sizes the crew correctly. | Before a 400-device move, MIGRA ran a 40-device test move a month ahead, then used the timings to staff the main move and cut time. |
| What insurance do you carry? | Ask for coverage limits and a certificate of insurance, and check them against the replacement value in your inventory. | MIGRA carries some of the industry's highest insurance coverages, and specific requirements can be built into the quote. |
| Can you meet our compliance requirements? | Regulated organizations need a mover that understands how protected data must be handled in transit and at disposal. | MIGRA supports FACTA, HIPAA, HITECH and GLBA compliance and has moved data centers for healthcare, financial and government clients. |
| Can you show results at our scale? | Ask for case studies and references from moves of similar device count, distance and move window. | Results include 1,000+ servers moved 700 miles in a weekend, 400 devices flown 1,600 miles in 30 hours against a 48-hour estimate, and 200 devices moved in 8 hours against a 12-hour window. |
| How do you protect operations if something goes wrong? | Ask how risk is assessed, what the contingency plan is, and how a disaster recovery site fits into move day. | Risk assessment and contingency planning run through every stage; on one move, the client's DR site kept 24x7 core operations running during the move. |
| What happens to equipment that isn't moving? | Consolidations and site closures leave equipment behind. Data on retired drives must be destroyed, not just deleted. | MIGRA handles decommissioning, hard drive destruction and the disposal of electronic equipment, cooling systems and infrastructure. |
| Will you coordinate with our OEM vendors? | Some vendors must de-install and re-certify their own equipment. The mover needs to schedule around them. | MIGRA coordinates move-day assignments with on-site OEM vendors and helps crate larger devices before taking over packing and transport. |
Warning signs
- A price before anyone has seen your inventory or asked about site conditions.
- No named project manager, or a project manager who won't be on site on move day.
- No written move-day plan, or one that lists tasks without owners and times.
- Can't explain how devices are labeled, counted and tracked.
- No references or case studies from moves of comparable size.
Talk to a team that has done this hundreds of times
Call 888.317.4548 or email info@migrasystems.com for a free, no-obligation consultation.