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Data migration\u2014transferring valuable information from one system to another as a company expands\u2014is an everyday fact of life. It is often misperceived as a routine, \u201ccopy and paste\u201d task and many businesses underestimate the complexity of data migration, including the time, cost, and labor involved. Awareness and understanding of several key factors when undertaking a data migration can lead to a more efficient, effective, and smoother process.<\/p>\n
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Want More Tech News? Subscribe to ComputingEdge<\/i> Newsletter Today!<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n In the simplest of terms, data migration is about moving data from one system to another. There are many variables to consider, cost is only one. Examples of data migration also include moving all employee e-mail addresses from one provider to another or utilizing a new tax preparation software for a business, making it necessary to transfer financial records to that new platform. Sometimes it\u2019s necessary to relocate data to a software program that can scale up to more efficiently as a company grows.<\/p>\n Having a plan, or a set of tasks in place ensures that data migration is robust and easily available while eliminating excessive downtime and minimizing its impact on the business. Customers don\u2019t want to hear that a vendor\u2019s online services will be down for hours or more as a data transfer takes place, especially if they are trying to access their own stored information. Planning should also prepare for future migrations based on forecasting of a company expansion, based on the history of that growth.<\/p>\n Poor planning increases the timeline and can lead to costly delays, especially for companies involved in online commerce. For example, Uber and Amazon have data migration projects occurring on a regular basis, avoiding significant downtime. Even when the migration occurs far from the customer interface platform, on the \u201cback end\u201d for example, it can impact all services to some extent.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n In short, a simple copy-and-paste operation is not realistic. While it sounds simple enough, every new system that data is transferred to has its own set of nuances and limitations that must be analyzed and addressed. Therefore, it is essential to understand the end-to-end differences of the product being considered the next best step for a company. What type of maintenance and reporting tools are featured in the new system? Is it more labor-intensive to make that switch at this time? What is the return on investment, and when will it be achieved? To address these issues, it is helpful to conduct beta testing before committing to the switch.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Time, effort, and dedication to data migration are often underestimated by some enterprises, leaving them scrambling when the switch takes place. Designating a project leader who \u201cowns\u201d that migration from start to finish is a good start. Having the resources in place, including time, personnel and money are necessary.<\/p>\n When looking to enhance company performance and become more competitive, businesses should consider the following six factors.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Before replacing a legacy system, companies should ask themselves several questions:<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Outside parties claiming they can assist with data migration can end up costing more than if the transfer was managed in-house. If considering a third-party vendor, carefully determine which tools are appropriate for your organization. Costs may be direct or indirect. In recent years, data migration software packages from tech giants such as Samsung and Microsoft have crashed, often requiring fixes. An online search of \u201cdata migration crashes\u201d shows that third-party systems are not bulletproof.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Companies that have numerous divisions and hundreds of teams are always looking to scale up (think Amazon again). Large enterprises often store customer data in a myriad of databases that speak different computer languages. Some of those databases may have been created by key players long gone from the company. That\u2019s where standardization across multiple platforms can ensure that when data migration becomes necessary, it becomes a more rote, simpler task.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Because businesses grow through mergers and acquisitions, it is important to do upfront work that establishes commonality in software languages and future objectives. This helps make transferring data from a recently acquired company to the \u201cparent\u201d system less labor-intensive and less costly.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Forecasting and planning for the arc of company growth are essential. From a data-migration standpoint, this involves ensuring that any new computer system or database being considered has the capacity to manage that anticipated expansion as it occurs.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Rather than storing and managing data in-house, which can become very expensive and difficult to scale, cloud software solutions, such as Google, Amazon or Microsoft, may be viable options. By taking administration and maintenance costs off their plate, businesses can focus on product development and future growth. Increasingly, companies are looking to the cloud to manage data management and scaling when appropriate.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Data compliance and industry regulation issues\u2014including HIPAA health record protections, the European Union\u2019s GDPR standard for data protection, and the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS)\u2014are other factors to consider when making a data migration, or at any other time for that matter. Are encryption standards robust enough? Assess security firewalls and make any necessary upgrades before embarking on a data migration project.<\/p>\n Similar to product development, data migration requires advance planning and an allocation of resources, including time, personnel, and budget. Identify priorities and come to an agreement on how the phases of any data migration project will take place. Get the \u201cbuy-in\u201d needed throughout the corporate structure before undertaking such an operation. Advise customers in advance about any potential service interruptions.<\/p>\n Nearly every data migration project is more complex than anticipated. To overcome common challenges, create a robust and strategic data migration plan that also takes future expansion into consideration. To ensure seamless migrations, ensure that data migration goals are in alignment with organizational goals, creating a template for future success.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n
\nFailure to plan is planning to fail<\/h2>\n
\n\u201cCopy and paste\u201d doesn\u2019t always work<\/h2>\n
\nSix factors to consider in a strategic data migration plan<\/h2>\n
\n1. Legacy system modernization<\/h3>\n
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2. The costs associated with third-party technology<\/h3>\n
3. Multiple databases can create fragmentation, impacting business operations<\/h3>\n
4. Mergers and acquisitions impact data migration\/integration<\/h3>\n
5. Scaling as the business expands<\/h3>\n
6. Migrating data to the cloud<\/h3>\n
Best practices in data migration initiatives<\/h2>\n
\nAbout the Author<\/h2>\n
\n![\"Parul](\"https:\/\/ieeecs-media.computer.org\/wp-media\/2022\/05\/23183418\/ParulBharadwaj1-22-1-150x150.jpg\")
Parul Bharadwaj is a Sr. Technical Program Manager for DoorDash with extensive experience managing large-scale impact across AWS Global Partner Operations, AWS Business Technology Solutions, and AWS DynamoDB at Amazon. Most recently, she is leading engineering initiatives for data infrastructure, experimentation, and real-time streaming projects at DoorDash. Ms. Bharadwaj holds a master\u2019s degree in Information Systems Management from Carnegie Mellon University and can be reached at pbharadwaj06@gmail.com or LinkedIn.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n