By Curtis Bagnall, Solution Engineer at Umbrella Managed Systems
Almost every business, at one point or another, thinks about moving to a new location. As of right now, Umbrella is working with three clients that are in the process of moving to new locations.
A simple, single syllable word “move.” It sounds like something fairly easy to do, but without good planning, things can get out of hand very quickly.
Here are 10 things to account for before an office relocation.
1) Make sure you bring your IT professional into the mix as early as you can.
The earlier your IT team can be involved, the easier it will be to come up with solutions for most of the items on this list. For a real world example of how important this can be, please read our recent interview with Janet at PPA.
2) Internet Access
A lot of times, the internet provider that currently supports you now, isn’t available in the new location. You will need to find which vendors are currently in the area and the plans they provide. And it sometimes takes weeks for a new circuit to be turned on in a building, which catches people by surprise. It’s important to get ahead of this from a time perspective.
3) Phones
Be it analog phones or digital phones, lines will need to be run to your new desk locations, and the phone vendor will need to be aware of the move so they can adjust IP addresses (phone settings) so things will work properly.
4) Downtime
How much downtime will be needed to disconnect everything, move it, and have it all set up again? Again, your IT team should be able to help you out tremendously in this area. And there are ways for your team to stay at least somewhat productive during the physical move as long as you plan for it.
5) Change of address notifications
When you’re thinking of all other needs for the move, it’s easy to forget notifying customers of the new move or having your mailing address forwarded.
6) Hardware Requirements
Sometimes, when moving to a new location, new hardware is required. New wireless access points, more printers needed, or installing server racks are just a few of the things that need to be looked at.
7) Scheduling things in the correct order
Nothing is worse than having a vendor or moving van show up before something else is done. Ensure that you and all parties included are on the same schedule. Whether you use Excel or a full blown project management solution, having some way to track all the variables and dates is vitally important. Especially when certain things are delayed.
8) How to move equipment
How much equipment do you have to move? Is it small enough to have employees move their own equipment, or would it be better to have a moving crew move it all? There’s also some liability to worry about as you answer this question. There are lots of reputable moving companies in town, but do your research. And if you need a recommendation, let us know.
9) Computer Cabling
Before you set foot in your new office space with an arm load of boxes, all of your cabling should have been completed. And you will have new spaces that will need Ethernet ports that you might not have needed at your old location. It’s usually better to install cable in a few extra places than not enough, especially as your company continues to grow.
10) Bringing it all together
It’s good to have a meeting with your team right before the move. You want to make sure that everything is on track, and have all hands on deck if there’s a major gap to account for. Hopefully that will help you avoid curve balls thrown at you on the actual day of the move.
There are more things to consider than just this list when it comes to an office relocation, but it’s a good starting point. And the most important point I’m trying to make is to get your IT support involved as soon as you can. Things will run so much more smoothly if you do. If you’re looking for some technical help as you are planning your upcoming move, give us a call!