Office Relocation Guide & IT Considerations

Moving office locations in respects to IT can be tedious and for the inexperienced, very stressful. For over 15 years, we have guided and managed the relocation of IT services and hardware for hundreds of clients in the Dallas area; this post describes the important aspects to consider and will help you perceive the big picture.

Things to consider

1. Network drops installed or if they exist from the previous tenant, drops tested at the new location
2. Setup Internet services at the new location (new or transfer existing services)
3. Finding the right moving company capable of safely transporting your technology
4. Having your IT support company on site to disconnect your devices and computer at the old location Once movers have finished moving all your technology, having your IT company reconnect everything
5. Timing on moving DNS records and re-configuring firewalls/routers (if applicable)
6. Testing your network and devices at the new location to ensure proper functionality

1. Making sure the new site is wired with necessary data and phone drops for each room and work area. If the network and phone cables are being adopted from the previous tenant, it’s important to have a 3rd party cabling company test each drop.

2. Having internet services activated at the new location involves collaboration between your IT support company and the Internet Service Provider. In most cases, companies only move their existing service (and respective contracts) to the new location. It is important however that you take this opportunity to see if there is a faster, more cost efficient internet service package available at the new place of duty. Fiber optics is quickly becoming the best choice for high-speed yet relatively inexpensive internet service and if given the opportunity should be taken advantage of.

3. Not all moving companies are adequately trained or equipped to handle moving computer systems, especially servers and network connectivity devices.  It’s important that the moving company is insured and bonded to move the computer components.

4. It’s a good idea to have your network administrator on site to properly disconnect computer systems, servers, and related components before the moving company’s arrival. You'll want to have your IT support company on site to disconnect and reconnect the IT systems the day of the move.  This allows him or her adequate time to thoroughly test everything before the opening day at the new location.

5. If email and other internet service related servers are on site at the old place, there may be the need to change DNS records. This is an aspect of the office relocation that should be entirely managed by the IT support company.

Over the years, we have facilitated countless office relocation's and can help you.

If you would like a free consultation from our IT consultants, please contact us.  We would be happy to assist in creating a custom and clear path to follow if your office is moving locations.