File server Optimize migration and restructuring with Data Owner Integration

The problem with server migration

Anyone carrying out a migration project has to consider a number of organizational factors in addition to the technical details. While the technical questions can usually be planned and managed with the appropriate lead time, the necessary expertise and suitable tools, the human factor can turn out to be a "project killer".

Typically, a migration project is initially negotiated as a purely technical project and, as such, is led by the IT department.

However, it regularly turns out that data and authorizations can not simply be moved one-to-one from A to B, but instead directory and rights structures have to be adjusted. The IT can then act autonomously for lack of information. Because the IT managers can not decide which user should logically access which resources or not, as well as which data is no longer needed and can be deleted.

Who has access to why and why?

This is where the data owners inevitably come into play. These are the users who own the data or who have the authority to determine its proper use. They not only have the right, but by definition are obligated, to ensure the proper handling of "their" data, even during a migration.

In practice, this regularly leads to a multitude of problems. First, in an established structure, simply identifying the relevant data owners can be a virtually insurmountable task. This task has often been neglected or not addressed at all in the past. Consequently, there is usually no documentation on this matter. The results are often uncontrolled data growth and a lack of oversight regarding the actual data permissions.

Migration without Data Owner is possible

This is where aikux GmbH's "Migration without Data Owner" concept comes in: If the data owners cannot be found or a decision regarding data archiving cannot be made, the directory structure is redesigned without deleting any data. Using PoINT's Storage Manager archiving tool , all files are "mirrored." The data is replaced with placeholder files (stubb files), which are only actually inserted into the new system when the user reuses them. After a defined period, all placeholder files are deleted from the new directory structure, leaving only the actually used files. The remaining data is accessible for reading via the archive.

Existing rights are basically preserved, but are set clean. Obvious incorrect permissions are corrected.

Better is the migration with Data Owner

However, it is more desirable to involve the data owner in the process and to delegate certain decisions to them, i.e., "migration with data owner".

The advantages are obvious: A person in charge from the specialist department knows the persons as well as the departmental data and can assess which access rights make sense. In addition, he has a vital self-interest in keeping the data in his area efficiently usable and can name areas that urgently need to be cleaned up as well as those that must not be changed.

It is therefore advisable to include the data owners in the project at an early stage. On the one hand, however, cooperation between departments and IT often proves to be difficult. On the other hand, data owners often lack the (technical) ability to perform their task efficiently and informed. Because even they do not have the overview of all data in detail, even more so when it comes to historically grown directories. The consequence is that precisely historical data is mispriced due to assumptions about content and relevance due to lack of clear information and u. U. deleted or unnecessarily canceled.

Easily integrate the data owner with migRaven during migration

MigRaven mitigates the problem with the data-owner module by actively involving the specialist departments in the process of restructuring and at the same time giving them the tools they need to make the right decisions. As the administrator of the project, assign network resources to the data owner for editing and then seamlessly insert the results into the project. The DO module provides the data owner much needed information about the directories and data. By using usage data such as age, date of last modification, or data composition, the data owner can better decide which data to actually use productively.

Please note our current webinar on the subject of "New at migRaven: Data Owner Integration"

After the migration is before the introduction of an authorization management

After completing the file server migration or restructuring and re-authorization, it's essential not to simply revert to old habits, but rather to implement data and permissions management. Several systems on the market can fulfill these tasks. A prime example is the "tenfold" identity and permissions management software from the Austrian manufacturer certex, with whom we maintain a close partnership. migRaven optimally prepares all permissions for use in tenfold and is therefore the product's official integration tool.