Silver Bulletin

Backup Migration Gotchas: Top 3 Risks You Need to Manage

Posted by: Rick Norgate

At Silverstring, we’ve been delivering backup and recovery services for over 20 years, helping hundreds of clients modernise their backup strategies and adapt to changing business demands. With decades of experience, we’ve seen firsthand the pitfalls that can arise during backup platform migrations.

This blog highlights the top three “gotchas” that organisations often encounter when moving platforms and provides guidance on how to address them effectively. Whether you’re seeking to reduce costs, improve performance, or boost cyber resilience, these insights will help you navigate the migration process with confidence.

1. Environment Sizing: Plan for Growth

One of the most common challenges in platform migration is misjudging the storage requirements of the new environment. Different platforms handle deduplication and compression in their own ways, so the space you currently use might not translate directly. Vendors may also offer aggressive pricing based on tight capacity limits, leaving little room for growth.

Running close to capacity isn’t just a cost issue, it can also affect performance and reliability. To avoid this trap, always plan for at least two years of data growth when designing your new environment. A robust sizing strategy ensures your platform is scalable, keeps unexpected costs at bay, and avoids disruptions to your backup and recovery processes.

2. Data Migration: Complexity and Cost

Migrating data between platforms is rarely a straightforward task. Unlike moving files between storage systems, backup platforms often don’t support direct data transfer. The typical approach of restoring from the old platform and re-backing up to the new one is impractical for businesses with years of historical data to maintain.

This means keeping the old platform operational until the retention period expires, introducing additional costs, complexity, and management overhead. You’re left with decisions about whether to run the legacy system without support, upgrade to archive licensing, or explore other options.

It can also be worth looking at unified management solutions like Predatar during this period. These types of platforms can simplify this dual-platform phase by providing a single pane of glass for visibility and control across systems. This approach streamlines operations while ensuring compliance with retention policies.

3. Managing Backup Gaps

During migrations, workloads can easily slip through the cracks, leaving critical data unprotected. These gaps often go unnoticed until disaster strikes, revealing that some systems were not properly backed up.

To prevent this, perform a thorough workload discovery process before and during migration. Automate this process where possible and conduct regular audits to verify that all workloads are protected. Additionally, engage stakeholders to ensure accountability and visibility throughout the transition.

Experience You Can Trust

Migrating between backup platforms is a complex undertaking, but it doesn’t have to be fraught with risks. With over two decades of experience, Silverstring has the expertise to guide you through this process, addressing challenges like environment sizing, data migration, and backup gaps.

Our solutions, including tools like Predatar, help simplify management, ensure data integrity, and remove unnecessary costs. Let us help you modernise your backup strategy and achieve a seamless transition to a more resilient platform. Contact Silverstring today and discover how we can help you navigate your migration with confidence.

Posted by: Rick Norgate on January 16, 2025

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