Any overhaul of your corporate IT to embrace a hybrid solution is likely to bring you to a point when you need to identify an appropriate colocation provider. Inevitably there will be several basic criteria that you need to tick off (see Datum Connect Series: Investigating the options) but the provider’s approach to colocation provision can make or break the overall success of the relationship.

Entrusting the safekeeping of your key data to a third party is a significant step which needs to be more than a leap of faith. Datum adopts a service-enhanced approach to all aspects of colocation delivery, not least the high-risk period of migrating your kit into the data centre. If the transition is not executed to perfection, it can have serious ramifications for your business. To ensure a seamless, stress-free experience from start to finish, Datum developed the Concierge Approach which provides all clients with dedicated support and invaluable peace of mind. Read on to see how the Concierge Approach works through the lifecycle of data centre migration.

Get it right before you sign

Up front, we spend time understanding what you’re trying to achieve and the specific requirements you have in order to ensure you are contracting for what you actually need. From there, we’ll make recommendations on space or capacity savings, or consult with you and relevant partners on other options that might work, for example, a hybrid approach where you reduce your footprint over time. It’s our belief that by using a partnering approach we can best help our clients achieve the optimum data centre solution.

Sailing through project deployment

Once the scope and requirement is agreed, our team get to work straight away on preparing for deployment. This includes conducting a technical design review, advising on potential amendments that could deliver time and money savings, as well as rack preparation, including power, cabling and network connectivity. Part of this process involves even such small but crucial details as organising, in readiness for the migration day, passes and access rights to Datum’s secure List X facilities. This level of preparation allows us to properly plan and execute the project, with as little disruption as possible.

Support throughout deployment

Our Concierge Approach means we’re very “hands-on”, from having an engineer on site to guide and support the data centre transition to the assistance our team provides in liaising with third-parties, like specialist migration companies or network providers. This ensures that we can monitor, assess and recommend additional support, be it from Datum or an expert among our partner network.

Keeping in touch

Once the data centre migration project has been deployed, our team are still on hand and in touch with our client, providing capacity, environmental and access reports, as well as regular service reviews. We also advise clients should they come to us with other business IT needs, such as removals and increased connectivity. We often utilise our extensive partner network to support client growth post-deployment.

Option to upgrade to Concierge Plus

For those clients who are looking for a more bespoke, fully-managed service, there’s always Concierge Plus. This provides clients with additional support through the Discover, Execute and Support phases of the project. These phases involve activity such as workshops on IT roadmap and migration strategy, dedicated temporary on-site storage for the duration of the migration, and full asset inventory that can be accessed through a secure customer portal.

Learn more about all the services and support provided by our Concierge Services.