File under “Planning, Capacity”
As part of my drill down into each of the areas within my ECM Connection article ‘11 Strategic Considerations for SharePoint Migration,’ my post today over on the Axceler blog discusses the need for proper capacity planning before, during, and following your SharePoint migration. Why this ongoing analysis? Because your SharePoint environment is a living, breathing thing, with end users and admins making changes that keep it in a constant state of change.
Whenever I think about capacity planning, Twitter’s “Fail Whale” comes to mind. I love that picture. Capacity planning in about assessing the current system, thinking about growth and performance requirements, and planning for future operational needs. As you prepare for the move to SharePoint 2010, you need to understand your current environment, including:
- Site and user data (number of users, sites, site collections, overall activity)
- Storage and SQL Server requirements
- Geographical needs of your organization (across sites, collections and farms, understanding their usage patterns)
- Line of business application integrations, use of various services in 2007, and plans for 2010
- Hardware
- Topology
- Performance requirements
- Search architecture
You also need to think about your future needs, including user growth, estimates on site creation, estimates on database growth, and security and search needs. Based on existing and projected usage and the above environmental factors, you will also need to map out your security requirements, scalability needs, disaster recovery plans, and business continuity strategy.
For a list of recommended reading and other resources, please read the full article on the Axceler blog.
Musical note: I am getting to be a HUGE fan of Peter Bjorn and John. As I drift through Pandora and my Zune stations, I hear a song and say to myself “wow. I really like this. It sounds a lot like Peter Bjorn and John” only to find out that it is Peter Bjorn and John. Time to stop sampling and start listening. The album ‘Writer’s Block’ is fantastic – melancholic, melodic, and just the right amount of low-tech, indie vibe without losing the production value and sounding like they literally recorded in someone’s garage. I dig them.
