Most colocation moves that go wrong fail on lead times, not on the day itself. Carrier circuits and cross-connects take longest, so the checklist starts six months out.
Six months out
- Inventory every device, its power draw and its connections
- Confirm the notice deadline on your current contract
- Bid the new space on one 36-month basis
Three months out
- Sign, and get power, cooling and space delivery dates in writing
- Order cross-connects and carrier circuits at the new site: they're the longest lead time
- Plan IP addressing: keep, renumber, or announce from both sites
One month out
- Build rack elevations and cabling diagrams
- Book shipping, insurance and the receiving dock
- Test out-of-band access at the new site
Cutover
- Move in waves, least critical first
- Verify power, network and monitoring per rack before the next wave
- Keep the old site live until the last wave passes checks
After
- Decommission cross-connects and circuits at the old site so billing stops
- Get written confirmation of contract end and equipment removal
- Update your renewal dates in a register
Count the move in the comparison
A cheaper facility only wins if the 36-month saving covers shipping, new cross-connects, overlap months at both sites and the engineering time. Put those into the same comparison as the bids.
Questions
How long does a colocation migration take?
Plan on several months: the work itself can be days, but carrier circuits and cross-connects at the new site set the timeline.
Should I run both sites at once?
Briefly, yes. An overlap month lets you move in waves and roll back. Count it in the cost comparison.