Maybe your email server is nearing end of life and you’re stuck trying to figure out what’s next—do you upgrade or move to Office 365? There are some instances when updating existing hardware isn’t as cost effective or efficient than migrating to a new platform—like the cloud or a hybrid data center—altogether. In this post, we round-up some top examples of when to stop updating and start migrating.

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  1. Support of application upgrades

The technology world is constantly changing to keep up with user demands. As applications evolve and update, so must the systems on which they run. For instance, a requirement to run the latest version of SharePoint is to have a minimum of Windows 2012 R2 of and SQL 2014. These new systems, while having increased functionality, have increased processing and storage requirements. Without the proper capabilities on the back-end, the upgrade will not result in a successful outcome. When upgrading the back-end systems with more compute, memory, and faster storage, you’ll enjoy a better experience within the application.

  1. Hardware is nearing end of life

Don’t get bit by using unsupported hardware. If something fails, users and IT folks could be out of luck—a replacement or repair may be unavailable. If something is aging out, investing in costly contracts on old equipment or leaving it unsupported may not be the best answer. It is a time to think about investing in new hardware. When evaluating your needs for equipment replacement, it may make sense to explore new technology advances such as solid state storage or hyperconvergence rather than performing in-place replacements. In doing so, you can modernize your data center, save considerable space and power, as well as move toward simplified networking and easier platform management.

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  1. Change in financial needs

Budget is tight for some IT departments, whereas others need to use it or lose. When allocating budget, you may need to determine between incurring capital cost versus a monthly recurring cost—and there are pros and cons to each. If you have budget to invest, talk to a solutions architect for an analysis on what you have, what’s nearing end of life, and outline how to get the most bang for your buck. You may find that it makes the most financial sense to purchase a completely new platform rather than update an existing, archaic technology.

It’s no secret that data center migration can be scary and complex. However, there are many instances when an overhaul of an existing platform is necessary, and its benefits can be reaped across the data center and company-wide.