Alternatives to Data Migration
When IT departments see how complex their information storage infrastructures have become, their first inclination might be to tame the data, to convert legacy information into newer formats and simplify the locations in which the data is kept. But IT workers who commit to such a manual data migration project may find themselves overwhelmed. The sheer amount of information that exists within firms' walls is immense and growing, and much of it is unstructured. The many perils of these programs might convince employees to give up. Fortunately, there is an alternative to data migration.
The trouble with migration
Gathering old data and making it available could be a problem for businesses of nearly any type, as digital processes have been part of the enterprise world for enough years now for some to have fallen into disuse. The temptation to move that data and convert it into a more contemporary format is always present, but that can pose problems.
It takes time and effort from IT workers. These employees could be putting their energy toward projects that would benefit the business as a whole. Forcing them to convert data limits that capability. The conversion operations themselves hold risk for the data. Losing information could be a disaster from regulatory compliance and simple operational effectiveness standpoints.
Dealing with data migration processes can be highly disruptive, and it is not a permanent solution. Businesses are always on the move to new IT solutions, as this restless appetite for new technology helps them stay competitive in their fields. Adding a new application to the mix leaves information stranded and demanding attention. With actual migration such a headache for all concerned, virtual data migration should have a place on the IT radar. Indexing content can enable workers to easily find and use legacy information without requiring IT workers to actually change its format or location.
Virtual options offer more
The end result of a successful integration process is wide-ranging access to data, with every employee able to access the content he or she needs, whether new or old. Virtual migration through the use of enterprise indexing and search software, like ViaWorks, can help achieve that end. ViaWorks doesn't actually move the data. Any information management that companies decide to undertake, or not, has no effect on the searches enabled by these programs. No matter how unwieldy the scale of a company's data becomes, or how many generations of new applications come and go, content will always be available when it is needed.
These searches can detect the actual text contained within files, rather than just the file's metadata, even if those documents are saved as images. Virtually handling the data migration issue dodges the need to move and convert files, removing risk and time wasted.
IT departments could end up looking at their scattered and confused IT environments and decide it's time for a change. Actually taking the time and effort to convert and move the data is not always necessary, as an enterprise indexing and search solution may be able to solve the issues in an unobtrusive, quick manner.