Highlights
A premier insurance and financial services company recognized that its existing data centers might not be up to providing the future-ready stability and resilience needed to safeguard the business and individuals who placed their trust in the company. In this case study, we outline the successful migration of the client’s DX NetOps monitoring solution from its old data centers to its new data centers for robust, future-ready operations.
About Client
Our client, a prominent global insurance organization, provides a wide range of insurance and other financial services and operates in nearly 200 countries. The client has been a DX NetOps customer for many years and has successfully deployed other software from that family of solutions. They have two DX NetOps installations for Development and Production. A third party provides ongoing support for the client’s network.
The Challenge
Navigating change: Migrating network monitoring to new data centers
The client faced several significant challenges. First, its current US data centers were scheduled to be decommissioned and replaced with two new data centers. The Development and Production instances were scheduled to migrate to the new data centers, and the migration required preserving the existing data product customizations with minimal downtime.
Another aspect the team considered was the impact of devices in the new data center with a new subnet. The HCLTech experts navigated a complex environment that required precision timing for migration and reconfiguring existing devices so that old and new solutions could run in parallel during the switchover, ensuring a seamless transition.
The Objective
Migration to new data centers with minimal downtime
The objective and expectations were clear: execute a smooth migration to the new data centers with minimal downtime impact while meeting a strict deadline. The timeline for decommissioning the old data centers drove the tight migration deadlines.
The Solution
Seamless migration to new data centers is set for success with robust solution and expert guidance
In a meticulously planned strategy, HCLTech was entrusted with the task of migrating the DX NetOps components. The client’s third-party support organization, on the other hand, was responsible for provisioning new servers and any network or device configuration necessary to support the new solution.
- Building new in parallel with old. Securing and configuring web interfaces, copying customizations from old to new servers, upgrading operating systems and testing integrations was crucial for a seamless cutover to the new data centers — creating a future-ready foundation.
- Verifying and testing newly migrated installation. Once the team tested the new installation, the migrated solution was upgraded to the latest GA release, which included the components in the remote data centers.
- Precision cutover and a flurry of actions. The cutover date triggered a flurry of actions including migrating datastores, switching remote Landscapes, migrating databases and data repositories plus switching reporting.
- Achieving a problem-free cutover. Addressing the challenges along the way relied on a disciplined approach, with experts prepared for the unexpected.
Managing unexpected issues and adjustments along the way underscored the importance of having seasoned experts with deep experience in complex environments and who draw on their expertise to deliver exactly what this client was striving for: a smooth migration and on-time cutover to its new data centers.
The Impact
Progressing from legacy to agility with expert guidance for seamless data center migrations
The seamless migration between old and new data centers establishes a foundation for future-ready secure network management and monitoring. The ability to pre-install the DX NetOps components in the new data centers provided ample opportunity to thoroughly test the new environment before the switch, providing an added measure of confidence in a successful cutover.
The client benefited immediately from its new environments because a fully tested working environment greatly reduced the time needed for the transition between the old and new environments. This formidable insurer can also expect cost efficiencies from optimized infrastructure and resource allocation, as well as up-to-date environments that give the client room to grow and innovate.
