The site represented the Client's second largest IP service gateway in Europe. Syncom Communications were commissioned to execute and deliver this site exit.

The Challenge

• Footprint of 19,000 sq. ft.

• Forced Exit with hard stop date, non-negotiable

• If exit date missed a 3-year lock on and significant increment in rent triggered

• This site represented the Clients second largest IPVPN gateway in Europe

• Hosted 102 Equipment Racks, 31 Colocation Racks and 8 Colocation Customers

• Technically challenging with 26 other sites impacted by this exit

• Interconnected to main rings in Europe via 7 backbone fibre cables

• 4000 + services distributed across Dark Fibre, DWDM, SDH and IP

• Site hosted end of life legacy electronics

• Mandate included No un-planned disruption to customers

• All decommissioned equipment to be transported to UK

Our Process

• Physical audits and surveys of the exit site, target site and other impacted sites were conducted (electronics, copper and fibre cables, routes, OSP and labels). In parallel, data was extracted from inventory, billing, CMDB, network devices at port and logical layer.

• The information gathered from the discovery phase was correlated to determine the exact scope of services, connectivity and network resilience. This was utilised to build a High-Level Design, Migration Strategy. Low Level Designs and replacement electronics BOMs.

• Further surveys were conducted to review installation requirements, gather information for Low Level Designs, produce Installation Scopes of Work and define migration cut-over points.

• All new infrastructure was installed and commissioned and supporting infrastructure across 26 sites in Europe. All equipment was brought under management and formally accepted by the Client as an enabler to migration.

• Using the migration strategy and detailed migration schedules defined at the design & planning phase, each circuit, service and customer was migrated with no disruption over a 3- month window during non-business hours; 22:00 to 06:00. This required meticulous planning and coordination to ensure successful migrations

• Our approach on all sites, from project inception, was to remove infrastructure pre and post migrations to ensure zero or minimal programme congestion at the latter stages. The de-cluttering of site (removal of redundant equipment and cables) commenced in the early stages of the project and as each device was relieved of services.

Outcome

• DC exited in 10 months on time and under budget, saving $2.Sm/year on lease.

• Yearly utility costs of $300K removed

• All customer services successfully migrated

• No unplanned customer Service Disruption

• CMDB Cleansed

• All decommissioned equipment disposed or transported to UK