One of the questions that seems to come up more often than not is “What is a data center assessment”. Although each assessment is unique, there is a general flow with several common deliverables. The action oriented activities of a data center assessment are designed to identify the As Is state, envision the To Be state, develop a cost comparison model and outline the transformation activities required to achieve the To Be state. The As Is analysis builds an understanding of the current situation, identifies quick wins and surfaces hidden assumptions. To Be activities allow assumptions to be changed as the team identifies best practices, validates the technology, verifies business requirements, checks for consistency and ensures the desired milestones are realistic. Inputs to the analysis include:
- Physical inventory, floor layout and data center space measurements
- Invoices or internal charge backs for space, power, maintenance and Internet connectivity
- Current and planned WAN architecture
- Network bandwidth analysis reports
- Disaster recovery and business continuity requirements and plans
- Security, remote hands, and up-time requirements
- Equipment life cycle management policies and practices
- Planned capacity growth as well as up coming projects and equipment procurement budgets
- System architecture, data base counts and sizes, along with SAN and data storage requirements
The As Is analysis builds an understanding of the current state, identifies quick wins and surfaces hidden assumptions. To Be activities allow assumptions to be changed as the team identifies best practices, validates the technology, verifies business requirements, checks for consistency and ensures the desired milestones are realistic. Working closely with client staff, the team will work to establish the To Be vision or desired state of the following:
- Center counts and location(s)
- Center infrastructure improvements and scaling options
- Optimized power, cabinet and floor layout
- Technical tools and architecture
- Production and operations support policies and procedure
- Networks and communication
- Server platforms and virtualization
- Data storage platforms and technology
Technology professionals need to maintain a balance between space, power and cooling against the increasing demands of doing more with less. An assessment is designed to help operations managers and senior leadership establish a current base line as well as a To Be vision. Wheather that vision involves expansion, consolidation, relocation or simply optimizing the current situaion, a data center assessment will establish the road map for achiving that vision.
