Migrations. We all have em. If you’ve ever rebuilt your personal computer, you’ve had a migration. The act of upgrading a “foundation” system (like an OS or app platform) can be pretty daunting, but needn’t be too much of a pain in the neck. I mean, if you’re upgrading, then you should end up better off on the other side, right? Otherwise, what’s the point?
Having participated in dozens of migrations of varying kinds, I’ve discovered that release management can help significantly reduce the overall risk and impact of any widespread upgrades or migrations.
OS upgrades – upgrading your Windows or Unix server to the latest operating system.
Hardware upgrades – upgrading server hardware resources (CPU, disk, networking).
App Server upgrades – upgrading your application server and/or app platform. Examples include simply upgrading to the latest distribution of Apache, Jrun, Tomcat, etc., or a widely deployed enterprise systems/application (PeopleSoft, Exchange, or a Content Management System).
Miscellaneous migrations – migrating source control systems, CM systems, App Platforms (say, moving a Tomcat app to Weblogic).
Release Management can help with all of these types of migrations in several ways. Firstly, the release manager is well positioned to provide essential environment information such as inter-application, inter-server and other various dependencies.
The release manager can also provide insight into usage patterns, and can help plan for and communicate about coming migrations.
Lastly, the release manager can assist with coordinating all of the various players involved in a wide-scale migration and/or upgrade. From working with engineers to make any required app updates, to following up with Sys Admins to validate application and/or server availability post-upgrade, the release manager can help make sure that everyone has what they need to do their part.
Release Management 
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