Transcript
How to Avoid Data Migration Disaster: Best Practices for Staying Ahead of Data Loss
As an IT staff member, migrations are a routine part of your job and range from performing a mass migration — such as upgrading from Windows XP — to performing a one-off migration due to hardware failure or loss.
W
hile constant in IT, data migrations and software and infrastructure modernization pose serious
financial and operational risks for organizations of every size. Mistakes made during migrations often lead to costly downtime, diminished end-user productivity, and the loss of important or sensitive data. The most common mistakes result from lack of planning or failure to utilize the right tools for a fast and painless migration process. There are two main factors driving migrations today: • Mergers and acquisitions: When businesses merge, they combine IT infrastructures and the data that comes with them. The infrastructure might be redundant, incompatible, or outdated and must either be replaced or folded into an existing (or new) infrastructure. • IT innovations: Otherwise known as legacy system replacement, IT innovation describes a shift to systems that are newer, faster, more powerful, or more useful to the company. In either of these scenarios, businesses stand to gain from cutting expenses, modernizing equipment, and adding new capabilities; but these outcomes are only possible if all of the data is migrated from the old system. If the migration fails (meaning less than 100 percent of the data is migrated), then the benefits and efficiencies of new acquisitions and systems are lost.
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How to Avoid Data Migration Disaster: Best Practices for Staying Ahead of Data Loss
As an IT staff member, migrations are a routine part of
future? More and more devices are making their way
your job and range from performing a mass migration —
onto business networks, and they run a number of
such as upgrading from Windows XP — to performing a
different operating systems. A backup solution with
one-off migration due to hardware failure or loss.
cross-platform capability supports migrations between different server operating systems. Moreover, deploying
Regardless of the reason, whether planned or unexpected,
a cross-platform solution enables implementation of
you’re measured against a set of expectations. Namely,
a single solution for all corporate devices, rather than
getting the job done quickly with minimal downtime,
cobbling together a variety of technologies.
minimal impact on user productivity, and successful,
• Is your endpoint backup solution flexible? Backing up
complete data transfer to each device.
data to the cloud is gaining favor with some businesses,
The Role of Backup in Your Migration
but others have requirements to keep sensitive data onpremises. When it comes to backup targets, you need
A hardware refresh requires careful planning and
options. In some cases, IT needs to control which data
coordination with end users. Foremost among your
is saved and its destination —and many require sole
concerns should be protecting data integrity during a
ownership of encryption keys.
migration. That’s the role filled by a reliable, enterprisegrade backup solution.
• Does your endpoint backup solution scale? Largescale migrations (such as Windows XP retirement) spur
The ability to quickly and easily restore data during a
IT to seek scalable endpoint backup solutions. But
migration ensures users maintain their productivity and
scalability means more than successfully completing
that valuable corporate data is never lost, even if the
mass migrations. A backup solution that scales well
migration isn’t completed according to plan.
grows with your organization and remains easy to
Before the actual migration begins, it’s important to have
manage. Growth of users and data should not require
a plan in place to protect and easily restore data.
additional IT resources. • Is your endpoint backup solution secure? The reason
Ask yourself the following questions about your current
your organization deployed a backup solution is to
endpoint backup solution:
mitigate the risk of data loss and downtime. Data is • Are your end users backing up? If your backup solution
most vulnerable when it’s being transported, and today’s
requires users to manually initiate a backup, there’s
IT infrastructures move data across LANs, WANs, and
a good chance a significant portion of them are not
the public Internet. End-to-end encryption is necessary
backing up or are not backing up often enough. If the
to protect data.
current endpoint backup solution slows down their • How easy is it to restore data? Many backup solutions
machines and negatively impacts endpoint performance,
have a complicated data restore process that requires
it’s possible some users have disabled it.
the end user to ask for IT support. Most end users prefer • Does your endpoint backup solution support multiple
“self-serve” for simple tasks like finding and restoring a
platforms? The Windows operating system still rules
missing file or opening it on another device. A solution
the business landscape, and it’s probably the migration
that allows end users to initiate and complete their own
you’re most concerned with now, but what about the
data restores saves time and resources.
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How to Avoid Data Migration Disaster: Best Practices for Staying Ahead of Data Loss
• Does your backup solution verify backups? Don’t wait
IT is sure find an option that aligns with their security,
for data loss to verify that backup is working and data
privacy and redundancy requirements in order to speed
can be restored. Choose an endpoint backup solution
the migration process.
that verifies consistent, viable backup and guarantees
CrashPlan:
the ability to restore data.
• Provides cross-platform support; all devices are backed
If your current endpoint backup solution is failing to meet
up regardless of OS
these standards, it’s important to consider an alternative prior to your migration.
• Easily scales as your business grows
Utilizing CrashPlan for a Successful Data Migration Project
• Enables a single admin to manage many thousands of users in a single console
Code42’s CrashPlan endpoint backup for the enterprise
• Offers end-to-end security, using encryption to protect
ensures data is backed up and available for restore at
data in-transit and at rest
any time before, during, and after a migration. It invisibly provides continuous and automatic protection without
• Provides easy mapping of roles and permissions through
slowing end-user machines or impacting productivity.
directory services integration
Businesses are able to choose the cloud deployment
• Backs up unlimited file types, sizes and versions
model that fits their unique business requirements. For example, Managed Private Cloud — the proven, secure
• Allows self-service restore of data including deleted files
Code42 cloud deployed on-premises in your data center • Verifies the health of backup archives days, weeks,
— is purpose-built appliance and software that’s actively
months and years after the backup
managed around the clock by Code42 customer support. With additional private, public, and hybrid cloud options,
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How to Avoid Data Migration Disaster: Best Practices for Staying Ahead of Data Loss
Migrating Away from Windows XP
Hardware refreshes can also be a common way to upgrade devices running outdated operating systems.
Support for the 12-year-old Windows XP operating system
Regardless of the reason for your hardware refresh,
ended in April of 2014, triggering wide-ranging, massive
deploying Code42’s CrashPlan for continuous and
hardware upgrades within the enterprise. NetMarketShare
uninterrupted enterprise endpoint backup means users
found Windows XP accounted for nearly 30 percent of the
and admins don’t need to make special preparations
desktop operating system installed base in February 2014,
before migrations because user data is already fully
which means businesses in the early stages of an XP end-
backed up. In the event of error during the migration,
of-life migration are not alone.
admins can push restore, or have the user initiate their own data restore.
Writing in eWeek in March of 2014, Don Reisinger
It’s Time for a Platform Change
explored 10 options for businesses trying to plan for the end of Windows XP support, including switching to Macs, migrating to Windows 7, or delaying the upgrade
Windows is the most popular business operating system
until Windows 9 appears. But first Reisinger asked, “Is
around, but it’s not the only game in town. Businesses,
everything backed up?” Saying it’s “the first and most
or certain departments or employees in a business,
important question all companies (and consumers) should
have legitimate reasons for preferring other platforms,
consider before making the jump away from Windows
such as Linux, Apple, or Android. In the data center it’s
XP,” Reisinger implored businesses to ensure all mission-
common for businesses to employ multiple platforms,
critical data is protected before choosing how to handle
and migrating from one to another or consolidating on
XP end of life.
a single OS has its advantages in terms of manageability and cost savings.
An invisible, continuous backup solution like Code42’s CrashPlan enterprise endpoint backup securely backs up and protects your critical data as you migrate from Windows XP. Because its licensing model is user based rather than device based, migrating multiple devices within the same account incurs no additional licensure costs. In addition, with the CrashPlan admin console and dashboard reporting, IT managers can easily manage a large-scale migration without draining resources.
It’s Time for a Hardware Refresh The pace of IT innovation means hardware refreshes are nearly continuous. It might be time for your organization to arm its mobile sales reps with tablets or other mobile devices. Today’s devices, however, come in any number of form factors and run any number of operating systems.
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How to Avoid Data Migration Disaster: Best Practices for Staying Ahead of Data Loss
Immediately Useful Takeaways: A 10-Step Migration Checklist Implementing backup speeds the migration process and ensures successful data transfer. Below are recommended steps to for your migration project: 1. Identify the scope of the migration, including the number of devices and the amount of data 2. Identify the key stakeholders in the migration process and define their roles 3. Establish a timeline for the migration 4. Coordinate between IT and the business. Is scheduled downtime required? Will resources be unavailable? 5. Assess the risk and formulate strategies to mitigate risk
Platform changes present a number of challenges for IT departments, not the least of which is training employees
6. Procure new hardware, if required
on unfamiliar systems. Losing data during a migration to a new platform will only compound the challenge.
7. Install and test the necessary backup and migration software
With its “platform-enthusiastic” approach, Code42’s CrashPlan enterprise endpoint backup offers the flexibility
8. Ensure all devices have fully completed their backups
your business needs to seamlessly port backups and
prior to beginning the migration
settings during data migrations — even when moving 9. Migrate data to the new hardware, or upgrade/install
between platforms, such as Windows to Mac.
the operating system and begin migration 10. Confirm all data was successfully transferred and restore data from the backup in the event of data loss
To learn more about CrashPlan, visit: www.code42.com/enterprise.
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