CASE 6.1
Advantage Energy Technology Data Center Migration*—PartA
Brian Smith, network administrator at Advanced EnergyTechnology (AET), has been given the responsibility of implementingthe migration of a large data center to a new office location.Careful planning is needed because AET operates in the highlycompetitive petroleum industry. AET is one of five nationalsoftware companies that provide an accounting and businessmanagement package for oil jobbers and gasoline distributors. A fewyears ago, AET jumped into the “application service provider”world. Their large data center provides clients with remote accessto AET’s complete suite of application software systems.Traditionally, one of AET’s primary competitive advantages has beenthe company’s trademark IT reliability. Due to the complexity ofthis project, Brian will have to use a parallel method ofimplementation. Although this will increase project costs, aparallel approach is essential if reliability is not to becompromised.
Currently, AET’s data center is located on the second floor ofa renovated old bank building in downtown Corvallis, Oregon. Thecompany is moving to a new, one-level building located in therecently developed industrial complex at the CorvallisInternational Airport. On February 1, Brian is formally assignedthe task by the Vice President of Operations, Dan Whitmore, withthe following guidelines:
· From start to finish, it is anticipated the entire projectwill take three to four months to complete.
· It is essential that AET’s 235 clients suffer nodowntime.
Whitmore advises Brian to come back to the Executive Committeeon February 15, with a presentation on the scope of the projectthat includes costs, “first-cut” timeline, and proposed projectteam members.
Brian had some preliminary discussions with some of AET’smanagers and directors from each of the functional departments andthen arranged for a full-day scope Page 203meeting on February 4with a few of the managers and technical representatives fromoperations, systems, facilities, and applications. The scope teamdetermined the following:
· Three to four months is a feasible project timeline andfirst-cut cost estimate is $80,000–$90,000 (this includes theinfrastructure upgrade of the new site).
· Critical to the “no-downtime” requirement is the need tocompletely rely on AET’s remote disaster recovery “hot” site forfull functionality.
· Brian will serve as project manager of a team consisting ofone team member each from facilities, operations/systems,operations/telecommunications, systems & applications, andcustomer service.
Brian’s Executive Committee report was positively receivedand, after a few modifications and recommendations, he was formallycharged with responsibility for the project. Brian recruited histeam and scheduled their first team meeting (March 1) as theinitial task of his project planning process.
Once the initial meeting is conducted Brian can hire thecontractors to renovate the new data center. During this time Brianwill figure out how to design the network. Brian estimates thatscreening and hiring a contractor will take about one week and thatthe network design will take about two weeks. The new centerrequires a new ventilation system. The manufacturer’s requirementsinclude an ambient temperature of 67 degrees to keep all of thedata servers running at optimal speeds. The ventilation system hasa lead time of three weeks. Brian will also need to order new racksto hold the servers, switches, and other network devices. The rackshave a two-week delivery time.
The data center supervisor requested that Brian replace all ofthe old power supplies and data cables. Brian will need to orderthese as well. Because Brian has a great relationship with thevendor, they guarantee that it will take only one week lead timefor the power supplies and the data cables. Once the newventilation system and racks arrive, Brian can begin installingthem. It will take one week to install the ventilation system andthree weeks to install the racks. The renovation of the new datacenter can begin as soon as the contractors have been hired. Thecontractors tell Brian that construction will take 20 days. Oncethe construction begins and after Brian installs the ventilationsystem and racks, the city inspector must approve the constructionof the raised floor.
The city inspector will take two days to approve theinfrastructure. After the city inspection and after the new powersupplies and cables have arrived, Brian can install the powersupplies and run the cables. Brian estimates that it will take fivedays to install the power supplies and one week to run all of thedata cables. Before Brian can assign an actual date for taking thenetwork off line and switching to the hot remote site, he must getapproval from each of the functional units (“Switchover Approval”).Meetings with each of the functional units will require one week.During this time he can initiate a power check to ensure that eachof the racks has sufficient voltage. This will require only oneday.
Upon completion of the power check, he can take one week toinstall his test servers. The test servers will test all of theprimary network functions and act as a safeguard before the networkis taken off line. The batteries must be charged, ventilationinstalled, and test servers up and running before management can beassured that the new infrastructure is safe, which will take twodays. Then they will sign off the Primary Systems check, taking oneday of intense meetings. They will also set an official date forthe network move.
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Brian is happy that everything has gone well thus far and isconvinced that the move will go just as smoothly. Now that anofficial date is set, the network will be shut down for a day.Brian must move all of the network components to the new datacenter. Brian will do the move over the weekend—two days—when usertraffic is at low point.
ASSIGNMENT
1. Generate a priority matrix for AET’s system move.
2. Develop a WBS for Brian’s project. Include duration (days)and predecessors.
3. Using a project planning tool, generate a network diagramfor this project.
Note: Base your plan on the following guidelines: eight-hourdays, five-day weeks except for when Brian moves the networkcomponents over a weekend, no holiday breaks, March 1, 2010, is theproject start date. Ordering Ventilation System, New Racks, andPower Supplies/Cables takes only one actual day of work. Theremaining days are the time necessary for the vendors to fill andship the order to Brian. So use Finish to Start lags here. Assumethat five days after the start of the Renovation of the Data Centerthat the raised floor will be ready for inspection (aStart-to-Start lag).
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