Migrating data from old to new hardware, or changing over to a new software operating system while trying to make sure that all the correct data, from all the company’s users, make that journey successfully, is a bit of a nightmare.

Historically, data migration projects have a tendency to fail, as a Bloor Research white paper suggests:

Three aspects need careful consideration.

• Data migration projects differ from the usual as they are not implemented and then maintained. They are once off (hopefully) with the project drawing to a close when the new system is live.
• Data migration projects are time dependent and usually executed when the least impact on the business is expected. Any overrun has a negative effect on the business.
• The majority of business critical data does not sit on the company’s servers, but on the user’s desktop or laptop, which further complicates matters.

What's the problem?

Migrating data is a bit like watching your favourite sports team lose. . . Full of unnecessary cardiac implications and four letter words that could lead to days, weeks, months even of dread and disharmony.

• First and foremost it takes an awful lot of human resource and time to migrate user data.
  
  
• Secondly you can pretty much bet the farm that some user data will go missing. When that user then gets his/her computer there is outrage because some mystery files saved in an equally mysterious location did not make it.
  
  The technical guy who sat there all weekend trying to drag this old data migration horse to water then gets the stick.
  
  
• This leads to loss of productivity as the lost data now needs to be recreated and, yes, it also leads to a less than harmonious relationship between IT and the user who did not adhere to any policy and saved his/her files all over the show.
  
  
• Lastly any failing of the migration project has a direct and tangible effect on the company’s ability to execute its business operations successfully. This means loss of potential business and, even, loss of current business. Imagine not being able to assist a customer in need because you just don’t have access to the correct data.
  
  Chances are you will lose that customer or, at the very least, have a dented reputation.

Avoid migration blues.

We could go into great detail (and will do so in future articles) but it basically boils down to this.

To successfully migrate user data you need to, A: Plan like you are about to invade a small country
and B: Use the correct technology.

• A simple, three click process automates data recovery to the new hardware which, in turn, drastically reduces IT resource and time required to get the job done.
  
  
• Cibecs backs up and restores all the selected business critical data, no matter where on the PC it is stored.  This drastically diminishes the risk of losing user data during the migration.
  
  
• Business continuity remains unaffected – which means real, measurable, company benefits.
  
  
• Cibecs offers a truly simple solution to a truly unnecessary annoyance.

Some things we can control, others – like twenty foot campers and racing-car driver wannabees – may take a few red-cheeked years still to sort out.

In the meantime why try our free software edition and see how we can help your business protect, migrate and mange its user data?

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