Moving to a new business location is always a challenge. You’ll need to find the right spot, inform employees, customers, and/or business partners of the move, handle legal work, and more. Even so, you can’t afford to forget about making a plan for moving your office IT infrastructure. IT downtime could cost you tens of thousands of dollars because employees can’t do their job without the right equipment and customers may not be able to communicate with you if your IT set-up is down for an extended period.
If you’re unsure how to prepare your office IT infrastructure for a move, the following tips can help you get started on the right path.
Assess Your IT Equipment
Now is the perfect time to assess your IT equipment. Do you have equipment that you no longer use? If so, sell it or get rid of it. Do you need to upgrade equipment to meet current or future needs? There is no better time to do so than during a move because you’ll save yourself the time and hassle of switching equipment after it’s been set up at your new location.
Assess Your New Business Premises
Consider your IT needs when looking for a new business location. Check all the outlets to ensure they work properly. Make sure you’ll have enough bandwidth and sufficient space for your IT set-up. Bear in mind that you’ll also need space for your tech team to service and repair equipment as needed. Furthermore, you’ll need to ensure your new IT room has a good HVAC to keep the equipment at just the right temperature.
If you plan to be at your new location for some time, consider your future needs as well as your present ones. Will you need more IT space in a few years? If so, will you have enough space in your new building or office? Conversely, if you intend to downsize your operations in the near future, don’t take on more space than you’ll need.
Plan Your IT Equipment Move
IT equipment is delicate. To this end, you’ll want to ensure it’s properly packed so nothing is damaged. You’ll also want to make a list of items that you are bringing with you and label each box so it can be unpacked with ease at your new location.
You’ll also need to keep your equipment secure during your move and while it’s being set up at your new office. Your IT set-up will likely have personal and financial information for your employees, business partners, and customers, and you cannot afford for this information to fall into the wrong hands. If you cannot fully supervise the IT move and set-up yourself, you may want to put a trusted manager or even a reputable IT relocation service provider in charge of the job.
Plan for Downtime
It takes time to move an IT set-up to a new location. If you run a large business, moving one office shouldn’t affect your overall business operations because you’ll be able to have another customer service department handle communications during your move. However, small businesses may need to take time off to complete the move properly. If this is the case for you, tell customers and suppliers that you will be unavailable for a certain amount of time. Be realistic about how long you’ll remain offline while at the same time limiting your downtime to avoid losing business.
Need Advice on Safely Moving Your IT Structure?
There is an old saying that states “failing to plan equals planning to fail.” It can be applied not just to running a business but also to planning a business IT infrastructure move. Your IT infrastructure is one of your most valuable business assets, and it should be treated as such. Make sure you have the right set-up, the right amount of space for your set-up, and a safe, secure, organized moving plan so your business can run smoothly long-term. If you need additional guidance, one of our IT experts can help. Don’t hesitate to contact us today.
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