Service Provider Relocation with TDS - Case Study
Summary: Relocated 6,000 Devices in Under 60 days – Avoided $500K Penalty
The Challenge
A major service provider based in Virginia faced a deadline to move out of a leased data center. Once the company decided on their data center strategy, they needed to relocate to a new facility on a compressed schedule or face a $500K penalty in addition to operations charges if they missed the deadline.
The company turned to TDS because the size, scope, complexity and risk of the project demanded an expert organization with the process, tools and people to get the job done right.
TDS Approach
This relocation project included about 6,000 devices representing over 80 different hardware manufacturers. A significant portion of the devices were sizeable, high-dollar network devices. All of the devices needed to be un-racked, cleaned, packed, transported, unpacked, re-racked, restarted and verified that full IT services had been restored.
In addition to the relocation oversight and execution services, TDS also managed the necessary vendor recertification for all of the devices. TDS also provided insurance to cover lost or damaged equipment from the time the equipment was handled until the time it was released back to the client.
Transition Manager
This project showcased TDS TransitionManagerTM, a purpose built system of tools that facilitates relocation planning, improves communications, and simplifies the complexity of move-day logistics. TransitionManager is indispensable especially for multi-location moves/consolidations, as well as for multiple move bundle events.
With the TransitionManager system, each device is labeled with barcodes. Using barcode scanning handhelds, the move engineers scan and track the status of each individual device through as many as 30 pre-defined tasks depending on device type. The handhelds vigilantly enforce task orders and dependencies and instantly alert the user if they attempt an out-of-sequence task. Device statuses are updated in real time to a web based dashboard where all authorized parties can instantly view activities.
With TransitionManager, relocation project managers can review workloads, recognize bottlenecks, and direct teams as needed without the delays of typical manual updates. The client team can oversee the progress on their dashboard and view when a system is placed in its intended location and passed initial QA. The client team can continue to use TransitionManager to track the progress of client application tasks such as the startup and availability.
Benefits
This relocation project including 6,000 devices and over 80 different hardware manufacturers was achieved on time, on budget and allowed the client to avoid the $500,000 penalty moving out of the prior facility late.
The entire relocation project was completed in 9 phases over just 53 days. By carefully managing the move process with TDS methodology and best practices, there were only two minor hardware issues during the move – both were quickly resolved without service disruption.
This 99.97% success rate greatly exceeded client expectations and is the example of what can be achieved when a data center relocation is performed with the right people, process and tools to get the job done right.