Structured Cabling for Finance Firm

Industry

Finance – Loyalty Programs

Service

Structured cabling, IT relocations, IT Decommissioning

Project

Consolidated 46 racks & 1500 devices into 22 racks

Impact

Completed project within tight 7-week timeframe

A publicly traded global finance company with over $3 Billion in yearly revenue needed to consolidate three data centers across different states into one. This project required a partner capable of handling the critical relocation of IT assets within strict downtime parameters, as well as proven experience in building datacenter cable infrastructure.

MultiTek's relationship with the customer began with smaller, unrelated IT relocation projects, where we demonstrated exceptional service quality and reliability. Our proven track record in large-scale IT relocations and industry reputation earned us the opportunity to bid on this major data center consolidation project. The engagement presented complex challenges, including an evolving inventory, lengthy material lead times, and tight build timelines.

Relocation Flexibility

Each device was stress-tested 48 hours before relocation. Any failing device was delayed. This required precise inventory management & ongoing relocation coordination.

Tight build timelines

With the customer mandating use of specific materials with long lead times (~4 weeks), the vendor needed the ability and resources to build the structured cabling within just 3 weeks.

Large decommissioning effort

With nearly 1,000 devices to decommission at origin, an experienced vendor was needed to ensure timely, certified destruction and large-scale asset disposal capabilities.

Approach

MultiTek was chosen over the incumbent provider due to our proven experience in managing complex, multi-site data center moves; resource flexibility and ability to meet tight timelines; superior structured cabling design expertise and efficiency in large-scale data center decommissioning.

Structured Cabling Design

The new data center cage was restricted by space limitations, prompting the customer to request a review of the cabling design provided by their colocation vendor. MultiTek identified mistakes & inefficiencies in the original design and offered a streamlined, space-efficient solution. Our proposal not only addressed better functionality in the limited space but also proved more cost-effective.

Structured Cabling Build

The structured cabling build had to be completed within a seven-week period to allow for a two-week testing phase before going live. Any delay would have increased monthly expenses at both the origin and destination data centers for the Customer. However, long lead times for some materials—up to four weeks—meant we had only three weeks to complete installation.

Despite these constraints and the customer requirement for specific brands of cables and racks, MultiTek was able to meet the deadline, completing the build successfully and preserving the customer's timeline.

Relocation Execution

Our relocation services included cable tracing at each origin datacenter to derive a connectivity baseline from which the customer could create a destination cable matrix.

As a financial institution, the customer needed to mitigate risks during the transition, including pre-testing equipment 48 hours before relocation. Our team remained flexible to accommodate inventory changes, often returning shortly after each initial relocation phase to complete asset migration.

We completed the deinstallation, transportation, re-installation and re-cabling of nearly 1500 devices across 46 racks. We helped the customer consolidate this down to 22 racks holding approximately 450 devices.

Decommissioning & DC cleanup

MultiTek managed the decommissioning and cleanup with a focus on compliance and environmental responsibility. We performed on-site degaussing to destroy data on storage drives and transported approximately 14 truckloads of retired equipment to certified recycling facilities.

Additionally, we coordinated with IBM and other vendors to return specific assets, including sending select equipment to the customer's corporate office.

To complete the process, we conducted a thorough facility cleanup, including the removal of ladder trays and cables, to restore each location to its pre-lease condition.

Outcome

MultiTek's end-to-end management of planning, relocation, structured cabling, and cleanup services streamlined the project and eliminated the need for the customer to coordinate multiple vendors. Our comprehensive approach allowed us to drive efficiencies, enhance project control, and deliver the consolidated data center on time and within budget.

Due to our exemplary service quality, the customer continues to engage MultiTek for its upcoming new datacenter builds.