How should email sending IPs be handled during a data center switch disaster recovery test?

Email marketer from Reddit explains pre-warming the DR IPs by sending small amounts of internal or test emails before the DR test. This can help establish some initial reputation.

Email marketer from EmailToolTester advises throttling the sending volume during the initial phase of the DR test to avoid overwhelming receiving servers and damaging your IP reputation.

Email marketer from Email Geeks suggests considering running active-active for email in your DR DC permanently if BGP rerouting isn't an option - that way your IPs are warm generally and not just for a DR test

Email marketer from Gmass recommends cleaning your email list before the DR test to remove inactive or invalid email addresses. This reduces bounce rates and improves your sender reputation.

Email marketer from Mailjet shares that during a data center switch, segment your email list based on engagement levels. Send to your most active and engaged users first. This helps maintain a good sender reputation during the transition.

Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum responds communicating with your email service provider (ESP) about the DR test and the IP changes. They can provide guidance and support during the transition.

Email marketer from Email Geeks clarifies that BGP rerouting avoids deliverability issues, assuming you own your IPs and have an AS assigned. Active-active means you don't need to do extra work to get email back up and running.

Email marketer from Email Geeks advises to put in a process to alert the MS & Yahoo! postmasters of what's happening, as this is not an unusual scenario.

Email marketer from StackExchange shares implementing a staggered switchover, gradually moving traffic to the DR data center IPs instead of an immediate cutover. This helps avoid sudden volume spikes.

Email marketer from SendGrid responds that closely monitor your sending reputation and deliverability metrics, such as bounce rates and spam complaints. Address any issues promptly to prevent deliverability problems during the data center switch.

Email marketer from NeilPatel.com explains that IP warming is crucial when switching data centers. Start with low volumes and gradually increase the sending volume over time. Focus on sending to engaged subscribers first to build a positive reputation.

Email marketer from Litmus shares testing your email rendering across different email clients and devices with the DR IPs to ensure consistent display and functionality.

Expert from Email Geeks explains that for disaster recovery, focus on the most crucial email first (password resets, transactional mail, etc). For anything that’s not critical, start warmup the same way you warmup any IP address - start slow (<10K per day per IP) and send to your most engaged recipients.

Expert from Word to the Wise shares that you need to treat DR IPs the same way you would treat new IPs in terms of warm-up. She explains to start sending to your most engaged users, then increase volume slowly.

Expert from Email Geeks shares that it’s probably going to be easier to get the old data center up and running than to focus on warmup for the new IPs, as warmup is a process that can take weeks or months even.

Expert from Spam Resource explains that when migrating to new IP addresses, it's vital to build a good reputation *before* sending bulk email. Don't expect them to have the same reputation as existing IP ranges as reputation does not travel between ranges.

Documentation from AWS responds utilizing services like Route 53 to manage DNS failover. Route traffic to the DR data center IPs in case of a primary data center failure.

Documentation from Google responds advising monitoring your sending reputation using Google Postmaster Tools. This provides insights into your IP reputation and deliverability to Gmail users during the data center switch.

Documentation from Azure explains using Traffic Manager to intelligently route traffic to healthy endpoints, including the DR data center IPs. This helps ensure high availability and minimizes disruption during the switch.

Documentation from Microsoft shares informing Microsoft's sender support team about the data center switch and the new IPs. This can help prevent deliverability issues and ensure your emails are properly routed.

Documentation from RFC explains ensuring your DNS records (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) are correctly configured for the new IPs in the disaster recovery data center. This helps authenticate your emails and improve deliverability.