How to seamlessly move offices without your IT being affected
In the corporate world, an office relocation is a pivotal event that requires meticulous planning and execution. Neuways are a trusted technology partner, our team is well versed in assisting businesses during such a transition.
This page outlines a comprehensive approach to ensure a seamless office move, emphasising the importance of thorough preparation, equipment assessment, communication, infrastructure evaluation and data safeguarding.
The Moving Checklist
Following the below checklist will help you arrange and supervise your office move securely, effectively, all whilst ensuring your business does not suffer as a result. Planning your office move in advance will save you time and money, as well as keep your staff and customers happy.
1) Strategic IT relocation planning
2) Evaluate all your IT Equipment
3) Assessing your communication needs
4) Conduct a Comprehensive Site Visit
6) How to prepare for moving day
1) Strategic IT Relocation Planning
To mitigate as much disruption and issues as possible, we would always advise providing at least 2-3 months notice for a planned relocation. With this notice provided, you can begin with creating a well-structured timeline and implementation process. Several crucial steps should be taken into account, commencing with an early site visit to the new office location for a comprehensive review of network cabling requirements.
2) Evaluate all your IT Equipment
Moving offices presents an ideal an ideal opportunity to evaluate the condition and suitability of your existing network infrastructure. Our Neuways team would advise a meticulous assessment that includes reviewing all equipment to determine its compatibility with the new location.
Alongside our team, your staff can assist us in compiling a list of equipment that requires upgrading or replacing and initiating procurement. Every business can also look at returning leased IT hardware and phone equipment that is no longer in use before safely disposing of obsolete or malfunctioning equipment. Finally, moving offices presents an opportunity to conduct a thorough evaluation of server room requirements.
3) Assessing Communication Needs
The new office space may allow modifications that would effectively accommodate your business’s communication requirements. The key considerations that your team and our team need to make include the following:
• Faster internet connectivity
• Procuring a leased line
• Determining the quantity of cabling
• Ensuring adequate power supply is available
• Establishing a site visit checklist to guide the assessment process
All of this is essential to ensure that your company continues to operate smoothly and that your business will be able to communicate with clients externally, as well as the team internally.
4) Conduct a Comprehensive Site Visit
Collaborating with our team during the site visit is essential to ensure the smooth integration of IT infrastructure into your new office environment. During this visit, meticulous planning is essential, including reviewing the configuration plan of the new office space in consultation with our team so that we know how we can assist.
Our team can assist in:
• Identifying optimal locations for workstations
• Power connections and network cabling
• Defining prime locations for essential hardware such as printers, scanners, and routers
• Confirming that the server room meets minimum electrical, cooling, dimensions, and security requirement.
5) Data Protection
Mitigating risks to your data during an office relocation is paramount. We would always advise being proactive and ensuring that you are prepared for worst case scenario. This might seem like overkill, but by discussing data backup strategies to ensure multiple copies of vital company data, you are protecting your business. Additionally, we would also advise checking your firewalls and servers, as well as providing comprehensive data recovery capabilities to maintain access to critical data in case of unforeseen incidents.
6) How to prepare for moving day
The transportation of office technology equipment requires specialised handling and expertise. To help guarantee a seamless move, our advise is to work closely with Neuways. When preparing for moving day, you also need to consider the following and discuss who is responsible for what:
• Transporting backup copies of data to the new location
• Verifying the correct labelling of all wiring and data cables
• Indicating their respective equipment
• Compile a contact list for all parties involved in the move
• Assist with the disconnection of equipment at the old office
• Provide guidance to staff on proper equipment shutdown procedures
7) Network Testing at the New Office
At the new office, it is always recommended to have Neuways present so that they can assist staff with network connectivity and address any queries promptly. After the completion of all move-related phases, a comprehensive walkthrough with our IT experts is advised to verify your staff and site are all working as expected.
8) Contact Neuways today
In conclusion, the partnership between your organisation and your chosen IT partner ensures a seamless and efficient office relocation, safeguarding your business’s technological backbone throughout the transition. By adhering to the recommended steps and leveraging Neuways’ expertise, you can confidently embark on your office move, knowing that your IT infrastructure is in capable hands.
It is our express recommendation that if you are thinking of moving offices or have got an office moved back in, you get IT professionals to help you with moving the equipment. That way your business will not stop and you can ensure a seamless transition without halting your employees work and causing disruption for clients. An IT Partner like Neuways can also help to set up and move the IT equipment to guarantee that your cyber security remains intact.
