Migration Without Mishap
By Alice LaPlante
Server migrations come in just about every size, shape and variety -- you can change operating systems, hardware platforms, vendors or do any combination of the three. But whether you seek to increase capacity, upgrade to the latest technology or standardize on a particular hardware or software platform, the ability for data center managers to effectively manage server migrations remains a significant challenge despite the proliferation of tools to enable a smooth transition.
"People have talked for years about the difficulty of moving from one desktop to another," says Bob Gill, managing director of the server sector of TheInfoPro, a consulting firm based in New York City. "But with servers, you have a whole different level of complexity. Even something as simple as migrating the files on a file or print server raises significant issues."
One of the main reasons to migrate is to cut costs, says Jeff Gould, CEO and director of research for Peerstone Research, a technology analyst firm based in San Francisco, Calif. "Over the last five years, companies have been increasingly making the transition from expensive Unix hardware with proprietary processors to commodity platforms, "This means having to choose between Windows and Linux server operating systems as well as selecting the best hardware vendor." (article continues)
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