How to Save Your Failing Data Migration

Getting a failing migration back on track can seem hopeless. Delays, hardware limitations, indecision relating to newly discovered data, budget constraints – you name it, we’ve seen it. 

Any one of these obstacles can stop your migration dead in the water. Having supported many companies through a failing migration, we’re here to say: don’t give up just yet! By knowing what to look out for and shifting to a data-centric approach, it’s not too late to save your failing migration and turn it into a success. 

Tell-Tale Signs of A Failing Migration

A data migration project is successful, until it’s not. Though there are many KPIs to monitor during a data migration project, there are three key things to watch out for:

  • Project Delays: When your migration has fallen behind schedule, it’s likely in trouble. The more delays, the higher the likelihood that your migration will fail.
  • Going Over Budget: Sudden changes to hardware requirements to meet the needs of the migration can drive up costs far beyond what you expected. And since migrations are typically approved as timeboxed projects with a set budget, overages directly affect project completion.
  • All or Nothing Approach: A brute-force approach is another red flag to watch out for. Migrating all of your information often leads to scope creep, adding to delays and budget stressors.

If any of these factors are present, your migration is likely already in jeopardy.

Be Your Migration’s Hero

Though, there isn’t a quick fix or one thing that will instantly make your migration a success. There are, however, a number of actions you can take to get your project back on track, and ultimately save your migration.

Understand What You Have

Your first step is figuring out what you have and where it’s located. You are likely running up against information you never thought you’d encounter or random files your organization was blind to. Connecting and mapping all your data will prevent any further surprises and will give you total control of your data, putting you back in the driver’s seat of your data migration.

Switch Your Approach

Once you have a complete picture of your data, you’ll need to adjust your strategy to align with this new understanding. This is a great opportunity to shift from an all-or-nothing migration approach to an achievable, phased, strategic implementation. A data-centric strategy will give your organization the ability to adjust its project plan in a way that makes sense for the business. 

Cleanup Your Content

While a complete understanding and an updated strategy are important, saving your migration doesn’t stop there. It’s also important to clean your data before continuing to migrate it into a new system. There are software solutions that exist (like ours) that quickly and effectively assess your data, helping to dispose of files that no longer serve your organization and have no business value. You’ll also be able to find files more easily, reduce liability and compliance risk and gain greater insight into how your information is being used across departments. 

Your organization will face its own unique data migration challenges, but by taking these steps, there is hope for you to save the (migration) day!

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