Exploring Data Center Migration: A Case Study

Abstract

A data center migration (DCM) refers to the physical and/or logical relocation of IT services from one physical and/or virtual location to another. The demand for and occurrences of DCMs have increased in recent years. In this case study, we examine a DCM completed by a governmental organization with approximately 80,000 users. We identify key success factors and measure the importance of specific DCM activities. Analyzing both quantitative and qualitative data to derive factors that contribute to DCM success, the following overarching conclusion emerged: Key success factors in a data center migration include proper planning, consideration of procedures to minimize end-user impact including downtime, and effective communication among team members before and during the data center migration. DCMs have practical implications for regulatory compliance and enterprise risk management efforts. Opportunities for future research include employing structure-mapping theory to test the predictive value of DCM success factors in other system implementation and migration contexts such as cloud migrations. Data Availability: A complete copy of the questionnaire is available upon request.