Data migration for DELTA Fiber Netherlands
DELTA Fiber Netherlands makes fast internet accessible to everyone in the Netherlands. For companies and private individuals.
John Wittekamp, Chief Technology Officer, responsible for all technical activities in the network and IT area and for the expansion of the fiber optic network, says:
“We are rolling out high speed fiber internet throughout the Netherlands to increase our footprint.”
Ambition for growth
“Our ambition is to grow enormously. We’d very much like to be able to provide the Netherlands of the best infrastructure possible, which is a fiber optic infrastructure.”
Invest in new IT
DELTA Fiber invests in new IT for 2 reasons.
“One reason is that we want to grow rapidly and the second reason is that this company originated from two companies that have become one company together, Caiway from Westland and DELTA from Zeeland. The reason for us to combine the IT is that we want to be able to use both brands of DELTA Fiber Netherlands in our fiber optic rollout throughout the Netherlands.”
“Merging of IT systems is one of the most difficult exercises in the field of IT. Migrating existing customers, existing data and all current working processes; that is incredibly complicated.”
Video – Interview with John Wittekamp CTO DELTA Fiber Netherlands
Joint approach
“It starts with a very good joint approach in which you also make clear choices about what to do and what not to do. So that the company knows where it stands and that you can work together towards a goal. We have set up a very large program in which all aspects were covered, about everything that had to be newly developed and everything that we took over from the existing IT.”
“We’ve also paid a lot of attention to the execution of the migration itself, to make sure that the actual transference of the data, without breaking the ongoing customer processes, could be done perfectly.”
- Merging IT systems
- Complex migration
- Data conversion with the T2S Data Migration Platform
- Data Quality Dashboard ensures the best quality of data
- Migration perfectly executed by the whole team
Co-operation with Type 2 Solutions
DELTA Fiber decided to work with Type 2 Solutions.
“Type 2 Solutions has helped us conduct the migration with great professionalism and helped shape it through specialized focus. In particular in relation to the move of data from the old to the new systems, the area which is crucial to get right. That is the core of your business.”
Migration
The total program covered two years in which DELTA Fiber Netherlands introduced new IT in various steps and ultimately carried out the migration.
“In those 2 years, we paid extensive attention to the technical migration, the actual conversion of the data, and we tested this extensively, certainly in the final phase of the project. So we tested completely and carefully again and again whether we were able to transfer that data without errors. ”
Data Migration Approach at DELTA Fiber Netherlands
Type 2 Solutions uses a standard data migration approach for retrieving, transforming, validating and loading data.
This approach consists of the following steps:
- Preliminary study
- Data migration plan
- Carrying out the data migration
Type 2 Solutions uses an agile approach in order to be able to respond quickly to changes. Validating the entire process and the associated data is a joint responsibility of the organisation, T2S and the supplier of the new system.
After various test migrations, extensive testing and after approval by the steering group based on the predefined acceptance criteria (control framework), the final data migration takes place.
Military exercise
“Executing the migration is a truly military exercise. We were here, in this building, from Thursday evening to Sunday afternoon. We followed a fully detailed road map, which described every 5 minutes in required actions to be executed. A total of about 100 to 150 people were working, mostly in the office but some on other locations. All of them had to perform their part on a set time, sometimes during the day and sometimes in the middle of the night, to make sure the migration went flawlessly and was completed successfully. In part because of the excellent preparation and many practice-runs, we were able to succeed with flying colors.”
Proud of the result
“We’re very proud of the end result and can say it went excellently. Especially the execution of yet another trial run was something that was strongly encouraged by Type 2, to be certain of the best possible quality.”
Best quality of data
“The role of Type 2 Solutions is focused on the quality of the data transfer and is therefore an important part of the team to ensure that you as a whole make the right choices to transfer that data correctly. In particular, performing another test run was typically something that was very much stimulated by Type 2 to ensure that you also achieve the best quality you can deliver.”
T2S used the Data Quality Monitor to monitor and optimize the data during the whole project.
“If your data is not good, it may simply be that your services are down and that should not happen. So you really do everything you can in advance to ensure that the quality of the transfer is good.”
Data migration specialists
“Type 2 Solutions is a company with specialists in this area, who are very clearly committed to their cause. They will defend the objectives of the data migration with heart and soul and help your organization to maintain the conduct required to succeed in such a project.”
Perfectly executed
“Naturally, this also applied to the rest of the team. But in this execution, it went perfectly.”
Meet the T2S data migration team for DELTA Fiber
Tools used
The data migration tools which were used by Type 2 Solutions for the data migration at DELTA Fiber Netherlands consist of the data migration platform and the data quality dashboard.
Data Migration Platform and Data Quality Dashboard
The data migration platform is the proven platform for data conversion. The data quality dashboard makes sure the data is complete, correct and validated before the load in to the new systems.
Tips from John Wittekamp
For organizations that are transitioning to a new system and are facing data migration, John Wittekamp CTO DELTA Fiber has the following 3 tips:
1. Quality comes first
“No matter how well you plan it, you will always discover things that you did not expect and you have to be able to absorb that in your approach. We had to take 1 or 2 times more time for certain actions. Simply because we felt that we were not far enough to take the step.”
“You must therefore have that willingness. Because in the end, the quality of the operation is much more important than the exact moment at which you do it. That importance is so great that it cannot go wrong.”
2. Collaboration is crucial
“A lot has to do with the way you approach such a project as an organization. So the joint approach between Business and IT, between the different parts, the technical team in this project, that cooperation is crucial to be able to do this properly.”
3. Test, practice and repeat frequently
“In order for a technical migration to run smoothly, you have to test very carefully, you have to practice very carefully, you have to repeat that often and you have to make sure that this is a military operation that runs smoothly at the moment. And it runs smoothly simply because you have practiced it so many times and are sure that it will go well.”
“I think that is really crucial in implementing such a migration as this one. I can wholeheartedly recommend anyone who is going to do something similar to do it that way, it is actually the only way, in such an operation, to provide yourself with the security and confidence you need.”
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