Data Migration 101: How to Succeed (And Mistakes to Avoid)

You can’t ignore data if you want to run a successful business today. When 97 percent of companies are investing in it, you’ll be left behind if you make decisions without the right information.

Unfortunately, this also means you need the right systems in place to manage the data you have. You’ll need to move your operation to a more appropriate environment if you want to take full advantage of your data.

Data migration is something that you can’t get wrong. Keep reading to learn what you need to know about the data migration process, and how to avoid some of the most common mistakes.

Backup All Your Data

If something can go wrong, it will go wrong. It’s essential to keep that in mind when you start transferring your data. You never know when a mistake will cause some sort of data loss.

Having a backup of your important information will minimize the problems this causes. If you do happen to lose data during the migration process, you can restore it with a few clicks of a button.

Remove Unwanted Information

Businesses generate a lot of data throughout the years. While most of it is useful when you get it, that doesn’t mean it will always be the case.

Look through your data stores to find information that is no longer valuable. When you remove that unnecessary information, you simplify the migration process.

Plan Before You Move

The chances are that your data is more complicated than a bunch of files. You have spreadsheets, databases, images, and a host of other data formats. Each one deserves special consideration.

Use your planning time to figure out what data you need and how your data relates to your business. Map out your data relationships as well, so you know where to place your information on your new servers.

Set Up a Test System

Even the best planning isn’t always perfect. You never know what issues you’ll face once you start the data migration process. If you can figure these problems out ahead of time, you’ll be ahead of the curve.

Set up a test system to do a test run on the process. Use this time to find potential issues and come up with a fix before you make the real move.

Get Professional Help

It might be tempting to do everything yourself when implementing your data centre mitigation plan. The problem is, successfully moving data requires a unique skill set that many IT professionals don’t have.

Working with a migration company will help ensure your information gets moved successfully. They will perform an audit of your data, come up with a plan, and get your data moved for you.

Don’t Take Data Migration Lightly

Many business make the mistake of assuming data migration is just copying files from one location to another. Unfortunately, things aren’t that simple. Make sure you understand the process of data migration so you can make your move and get your systems back up and running in no time.

Of course, you can’t do a proper data migration without understanding the IT tools you need to handle it. Read more of our blog to discover the best IT tools that will help.