In the hands of a capable finish carpenter, a hand plane produces a surface as smooth as glass in a fraction of the time it takes a hand sander. VMC Engagement Manager Kris Honkola said that in Exchange messaging migration, as in woodworking, success largely depends on using the right tools correctly.
While it’d be convenient to recommend a tool that fits all, the truth is that the right tool or service offering for a job depends on many factors. My recommendations vary based on the client I’m working for and what their goals are. It’s important to get the third party perspective because companies rarely have in-house experience with messaging migration. Because they don’t do it regularly, they run into avoidable problems.
That’s why finding the right “tool” is really about finding the right service provider, a company that does migrations on a regular basis that has years of experience along with technical expertise. Above all, the right service provider knows that migration is more than just a technical exercise. They understand the different levels of communication involved during the process as well as the business risks.
Early in the year, we consulted on a migration, but the company’s IT department opted not to heed our suggestions. They didn’t test properly, for instance. Because of that, the estimate on the migration duration was inaccurate. The environment was built in February, and migration should’ve taken a week. Instead, it took six months.
The cost of migration dragging on for half of the year is twofold. First, there was the physical cost of maintaining the old environment, the cost of electricity and rack space. Secondly, there was the loss of productivity. The company’s IT department was slated to work on other projects, but because the team was preoccupied with the mess that resulted from a hasty migration, the other items were delayed indefinitely.
The right tools are needed to carry out messaging migration. However, having the right tools does not simply mean having the right technology; it means getting the right services from the right organization. What are you doing to shave off disorganization and inefficiencies in your next Exchange messaging migration?
By email, contact Kris Honkola at KyostiH@vmc.com or David Cherry at DavidCher@vmc.com. Both may be reached by phone at 877.393.8622.
