March 16, 2021

The essential IT checklist for your office move

Commercial relocation is never easy. With so many different tasks to undertake and attend to issues that inevitably arise, IT relocation is an area that leaves absolutely no margin for error. Moving IT equipment can be the most challenging and riskiest part of any office move. An IT relocation checklist can help you prioritize equipment that need to stay and the ones that need to go.

Plan early

Schedule a site visit of the new office location to review network cabling requirements.
Contact all carriers, ISPs and technology vendors two months in advance and intimate them of the likely move date.

Audit equipment and services prior to the move

Prepare an up-to-date inventory record of your IT equipment and identify any existing IT hardware that needs replacing or updating before the move
Document all Internet Service Providers (ISP) and Telecoms Service Contracts that are currently active and serve notices to the services and providers you intend to discontinue.

Assess your requirements

Plan and implement your cabling infrastructure well in advance of your moving day and avoid grappling with networking issues on the D-day.
Review the configuration plan of your new office with the IT provider.
Figure out ideal locations for workstations, power jacks, and see that network cabling points are found.
Earmark location(s) for printers, scanners, routers, etc.
Confirm whether the minimum requirements for the server room will be met (electrical, cooling, dimensions, and security).

Review telephony and internet requirements

An office moving is an ideal time to review telephony requirements. If the you are expanding the office set-up then consider moving from traditional phone line to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). If you are already using VoIP, ensure bandwidth requirements are met for a fast internet connectivity.
Installation of internet and telephone line can take some time. Ensure internet and phone lines are installed, tested and function well in advance of the moving day.

Back up data

Create data backup files or leave the job to professionals. Cloud backup storage can be one option to secure your data.
It is advisable to have a Disaster Recovery (DR) solution in place before the office move starts. Cloud-based Disaster Recovery ‘as a service’ (or DRaaS) can be a cost-effective solution.
Create an emergency contact list and make a response plan to what will happen if the new office move doesn’t go as planned.

Day one in the new office

On day one at the new office, it’s better to have the IT and telecom solution provider onsite to address employee queries and to fix or attend to post-configuration issues.
Start all servers and test network capability and data migration.
Verify all cabling, equipment, and phones are in the right place.
Test each network connection.
Check all cloud-based apps are operating correctly.

At Crown Workspace India, we provide professional IT support services for those moving or changing their IT systems, servers, or data centers. Our handpicked team of experienced, qualified and informed IT engineers are on hand to complete the job efficiently, securely and sustainably, enabling you to focus on your core business.

To know more about our services, please write to us at crownworkspace.in@crownww.com or speak to our consultants at +91 8080 322 322.