In the past, a company’s documents were kept in physical filing cabinets and archives. These days, however, more information than ever is digitally stored on servers. Over time, server hardware wears out, which means the servers will need to be replaced, and all the data will need to migrate to the new ones. This process is known as server migration, and our team at Aggie Technologies NC, LLC, has extensive experience with the process.
In this article, we will go over a few of the most common mistakes people make during server migration and share tips on how to avoid them.
- No Rehearsals – When preparing for server migration, it’s important to rehearse the process with simulations first. In our experience, several mistakes occur because those involved didn’t practice the steps ahead of time. Running a migration rehearsal beforehand will allow you and your team to become familiar with possible errors and learn how to avoid or solve them as necessary to ensure the migration is successful.
- No Backups – Another common mistake we see when it comes to server migration is failing to back up the data before migrating it. You should always make backup copies of your data before transferring the files anywhere. Backup data can be stored either on the cloud or on your own servers — provided they will not be involved in the migration, of course.
- No Troubleshooting – A third mistake we often see in server migration is assuming you won’t have to troubleshoot. In other words, it’s a mistake to assume nothing will go wrong, and it’s a mistake to not be prepared to deal with unexpected downtime. Make sure your server migration plan includes measures to deal with unforeseen issues and to get everything back up and running in the event of unplanned downtime.