5 Hidden Costs of DIY Data Centre Migration
Continuing from our previous blog post about the hidden costs of DIY data center migrations, we’ll explore additional challenges associated with these self-managed projects.
Data centre migration can seem like an attractive DIY project for organizations looking to cut costs. However, many companies discover significant hidden expenses that can quickly erode anticipated savings. Here are five often-overlooked costs that can impact your migration budget.
1. Extended Parallel Operations
While organizations typically budget for running parallel systems during migration, they frequently underestimate the duration. What starts as a planned one-month parallel operation often extends to three or more months due to unexpected compatibility issues or performance problems. This extension means paying for power, cooling, and maintenance at both locations for longer than anticipated, sometimes doubling or tripling the original infrastructure costs.
2. Staff Overtime and Productivity Loss
DIY migrations often rely heavily on existing IT staff to handle the transition alongside their regular duties. This approach can lead to substantial overtime costs and decreased productivity in other areas. Teams frequently work nights and weekends to minimize disruption to business operations, resulting in premium pay rates and potential burnout. Moreover, regular maintenance tasks and project work may fall behind, creating technical debt that must be addressed later.
3. Emergency Technical Support
When critical issues arise during migration, organizations often need to engage vendors or consultants for emergency support at premium rates. Without the comprehensive planning that professional migration services provide, companies frequently encounter compatibility issues, network problems, or hardware failures that require immediate expert intervention. These last-minute support calls can cost three to five times more than standard service rates.
4. Data Transfer and Bandwidth Charges
Organizations often overlook the significant costs associated with data transfer, especially when moving between regions or cloud providers. Large-scale data migrations can incur substantial bandwidth charges, and the need for multiple data synchronization passes can multiply these costs. Additionally, organizations may need to invest in temporary dedicated connection services to maintain acceptable transfer speeds and reliability.
5. Business Impact Costs
Perhaps the most significant hidden cost comes from underestimating the business impact of migration-related disruptions. Even minor service interruptions can lead to lost revenue, decreased customer satisfaction, and reduced employee productivity. Organizations often fail to account for the cost of delayed projects, missed deadlines, and potential customer compensation due to service-level agreement violations during the migration period.
By understanding these hidden costs, organizations can better evaluate whether a DIY approach truly offers cost savings over professional migration services. Proper planning and budgeting for these potential expenses can help prevent unwelcome surprises and ensure a more successful data centre migration.
