by When moving offices or setting up a new office there is so much to consider regarding IT. More than ever before, businesses rely on technology to operate — so any office relocation needs to be well-planned to ensure a smooth transition. A poorly planned approach to IT during a move can disrupt your business operations and result in lost profit and costly downtime. IT needs to be considered in the planning process early on whether your IT is going to be managed in-house or will be outsourced. This is important so we can coordinate with other contractors and revise the short to long-term IT roadmap.
The IT team needs to be involved in numerous aspects of the planning. Firstly, your IT team need to begin the process with some discovery several months in advance. Short and long-term goals need to be identified. Everyone needs to be aware of their responsibilities during the moving process.
Steps
- Discovery
- IT move plan (statement of work)
- Review and potentially update IT
- The “move”
Is the current office going to completely shut down during the move and then go live at the new office? Or will you make a staggered move and have both offices fully operational? This one question can change a relatively simple project into a complex one. Secondly, an IT move plan will need to be developed. As part of this plan, your IT team will need to set timelines and coordinate with outside contractors that are involved in:
- Data cabling
- Electrical
- HVAC
- Security
- Phones and fax machine
- Interior designers/office furnishing firms
Technology renewal?
A third aspect of the office move process is a review and potential IT upgrade. An office move is a terrific opportunity to re-evaluate your technology from a business perspective. Consider these key questions:
- Are you getting the results you desire?
- Is your IT roadmap up-to-date and aligned with your business goals?
- Do your workstations or other hardware need to be upgraded?
Smart Dolphins IT has moved offices a few times, so we know first-hand just how stressful (but amazing) an office move or expansion can be. Over the years, we have helped many of our clients move into a new office smoothly without much downtime. With many businesses transitioning to the cloud, our job has become a lot easier! Here is how our dedicated project management team will help you stay productive during the move:
- Reduced downtime to ensure maximum business continuity and productivity
- Stress-free computer cabling solutions, infrastructure relocation and deployment
- Coordination with third-party vendors
How do we do this?
- Standard operating procedures are always kept up to date to facilitate and refine our moving processes
- Documentation: yes, we record and track your hardware
- We ensure your site is ready prior to the move
Consider IT early on if your business is moving. Review your technology roadmap and reach out to our project team for help!