Planning a data center move? Whether you’re relocating to a new colocation facility or transitioning to a virtual environment, a poorly planned move can result in costly downtime, data loss, or even business interruption.

In this guide, the experts at Electronic Transport Corporation break down the most critical (yet often overlooked) first steps in planning a successful data center move—starting with a question every organization must ask: “Is this move even feasible?”

🔍 What Is a Data Center Move?

A data center move refers to the process of relocating IT infrastructure—servers, networking equipment, and applications—from one location to another. It typically takes one of two forms:

1. Physical Move

Servers and supporting equipment are physically transported from:

• Enterprise to Colocation
  
• One Colocation to Another
  
• Old Enterprise Location to a New One
  

2. Virtual Migration

Applications and data are moved digitally—often using virtualization—while the underlying physical hardware may also be relocated. Many projects involve both a physical move and virtual migration.

🧭 Why Start With Feasibility?

Most companies don’t follow a neat, linear checklist when planning a move. Different team members jump in at different stages—each with varying levels of urgency, understanding, and expectations.

Before you get caught up in timelines and equipment lists, ground your team with the fundamentals. The most critical starting point?

✅ Create an Application Inventory and Dependency Map

You can’t plan your journey if you don’t know where you’re starting from. Mapping all your applications, servers, and their dependencies may be complex and time-consuming—but skipping it is not an option.

Without a clear inventory, your guess is as good as anyone’s when systems don’t restart correctly post-move.

✅ Is Your Data Center Move Feasible?

Before you dismantle your data center and risk ending up like Humpty Dumpty, take time to evaluate whether your move is realistic and well-supported.

Use This 8-Point Feasibility Checklist:

1. Have you chosen a destination?
   
   • Colocation, cloud environment, or a new enterprise facility?
     
2. Do you know your budget?
   
   • Have you factored in hardware, transport, downtime, and contingency costs?
     
3. Do you have a written move plan?
   
   • Including timelines, task owners, and milestones?
     
4. Have you created a risk and contingency plan?
   
   • What happens if systems fail or timelines slip?
     
5. Are responsibilities clearly assigned?
   
   • Who owns which phase—from prep to post-move validation?
     
6. Do you understand the impact of downtime?
   
   • For each system, service, or customer-facing platform?
     
7. Have you identified all stakeholders?
   
   • Internal teams, customers, vendors, and regulatory bodies?
     
8. Have you documented move lead times and deadlines?
   
   • Including dependencies like lease end dates or vendor availability?
     

🛠️ Physical Move or Migration? Understand the Difference

Knowing which type of move you’re doing shapes your entire strategy:

📞 Ready to Plan Your Move?

At Electronic Transport Corporation, we’ve handled hundreds of successful data center relocations across the country—from enterprise-to-colo moves to complex hybrid migrations. Don’t risk downtime or data loss.
Contact us today to schedule a free consultation and receive our exclusive Pre-Move Planning Checklist.