Server shipping is quite a delicate process and by taking a lot of precautions you will save yourself a lot of energy and time. For a company’s information technology team, shipping the data center from one place to another is equivalent to open heart surgery. It is something that needs to be done, but there are some things that can go wrong if you do not follow the basic steps.
Shipping servers and the connected components is usually a specialist’s responsibility, but every team member needs to know what to expect and understand the most important steps that are included in the process. In this article, you will be able to read about how to get the job properly, as well as how to supervise the move in order to keep in data intact.
Precautions and prepping
Like anything that comes off the rack or anything that is wrapped in anti-static bubble wrap or envelopes, the first thing that you should do is to secure your data. This means that you should back up your data or if you want to perhaps eliminate a whole set of variables, you could take advantage of online backup platforms and recovery services, like the cloud. Cloud storage platforms, which are developed and provided by various companies in the world will provide you with an inexpensive way to back up all the important information. Whatever you choose, you should get the data into a secure and remote location.
The next step is to make a map of your server landscape. By creating a diagram, you will be able to know the data center once you are at the new location. Some experts suggest labeling the equipment in the data center, back, and front. Also, label the rack slot that the server will be on so that you can properly rematch it upon its arrival. Keep in mind that you should photograph everything that you are shipping, you will want to have evidence of the condition of every component if you discover something was damaged while in transport.
Door to Door
You should only hire shippers that carry full insurance for the job they are going to perform. They should have experience with handling and shipping servers and they should definitely use wraps, packaging, and anti-static envelopes. The company should also provide lift-gated trucks with air-ride suspension and you will want to see foam-cushioned cases that were specifically designed to fit the equipment you are shipping. If you want to learn more about Server Shipping, click here
Setting back up
When your servers arrive at the location, it is time to take some time and check the equipment against the photographs in order to establish the condition of the components. When you are sure that there were no damages done to the server and components, you can turn to your labels and diagrams to begin the whole process of bringing your data center back online. Keep in mind that you should never underestimate the time that you will need to reinstall the servers and test them once you have turned it on. It is going to be time-consuming, hence do not rush the process of bringing everything back up properly.
Conclusion
Although this is a time-consuming and often stressful process, you should never rush it. A methodical and slow setup will save you from the task of fixing something that went wrong when you were trying to rush through the process. The move will only be over once the data center is making the humming sound again. You will get there, but you will only be able to get there if you take one careful step at a time.
