Plan and execute data centre migrations safely, efficiently & with minimal business risk

A data centre migration is one of the highest‑risk activities an organisation can undertake. Most data centre professionals have never migrated a facility before — and even experienced engineers may only have done it a handful of times.

Successful migrations require extensive planning, deep discovery, rigorous risk mitigation and coordinated execution across multiple business units and technical domains.

The two‑day CDMS® course provides participants with a complete methodology for planning and executing data centre migrations safely and systematically. You will learn proven strategies, risk‑assessment methods, migration models, legal considerations, and practical insights used by seasoned experts who have managed numerous complex migrations.

After completing the course, you will be able to:

• develop, assess and refine your organisation’s data centre strategy
• use structured risk‑assessment methodologies for migration planning
• understand and select the right migration strategy (physical, heterogeneous, homogeneous, staged)
• understand legal and contractual considerations for migrations and decommissioning
• perform Business Service Reviews and define Service Level Objectives
• size and design the target data centre
• understand how detailed discovery and dependency mapping influence migration waves
• ensure safety, security and compliance throughout all migration phases
• apply practical best‑practice techniques when relocating workloads and hardware

Course Contents

Data Centre Strategy

• data centre lifecycle
• reasons for migration
• alternatives to migration (consolidation, outsourcing, cloud)
• upgrading vs. building a new data centre

Project Management

• project‑management concepts & methodologies
• scope statement & Statement of Work (SOW)
• Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
• project time allocation
• cost estimation & budgeting
• project communication

Risk Management

• risk‑management principles
• identifying risks
• qualitative, semi‑quantitative & quantitative methodologies
• risk evaluation & treatment
• migration‑specific risk factors

Migration Strategies

• heterogeneous vs. homogeneous migration
• physical migration
• IT transformation types
  • pre‑migration
  • migration
  • post‑migration transformation

Legal Aspects

• regulatory considerations
• contractual topics
• legal issues in decommissioning

High‑Level Discovery & Planning

• importance of Business Service Reviews
• concepts of availability & recoverability
• Service Level Objectives (SLOs)
• requirements for designing the target IT architecture
• information required for high‑level migration planning

Designing the Target Data Centre

• design requirements
• data‑centre sizing
• architectural, cooling, power & security requirements

Detailed Discovery & Planning

• why deep discovery is essential
• automated discovery tools
• asset management
• network & system dependency mapping
• migration‑wave planning
• staffing, warranties & insurance

Safety Considerations

• safety precautions
• technical & electrical safety
• lifting & handling
• personal safety during migration
• fire safety during relocation activities

Security During Migration

• balancing access and security
• access control
• managing security during movement
• key management

Practical Hints & Tips

• lessons learned from real‑world migrations
• continuous improvement approaches

Implementation Phase

• rehearsals
• route investigation
• resource planning
• logistics team coordination
• packing & transport
• equipment installation
• post‑migration support

End of Project

• purpose of formal project closure
• lessons learned
• phased completion
• closure criteria
• outcomes & documentation

Exam: Certified Data Centre Migration Specialist (CDMS®)

• Format: 60‑minute closed‑book exam
• Questions: 40 multiple‑choice questions
• Passing score: 27 correct answers (minimum)
• Delivery: online exam or paper‑based (depending on provider)

Prerequisites

• no formal prerequisites
• recommended: experience in data centre or IT infrastructure operations
• CDCP® attendance recommended but not mandatory

Course Language & Materials

• Course Language: English
• Student Books: English
• Exam Language: English

Target Audience

Ideal for all professionals involved in data‑centre migration, operations or strategy, including:

• Project Managers
• Data Centre Managers
• Operations / Facility Managers
• IT Managers
• Network & System Engineers
• Data Centre Consultants & Solution Architects
• Logistics Managers
• Service Providers & Integrators