Your IT Checklist for an Office Move Avoid common problems – and downtime – with a plan that looks ahead! The To-Do List ⃝ Involve your IT team early in the process . Many CEOs are caught off guard by how much lead time is necessary to successfully plan and execute an IT move. Involve your key IT staff or outsourced IT team early in the process – preferably even before you have signed a lease. ⃝ Design your IT closet . Your architect and IT team should both be involved in planning for IT closet space. Key considerations are square footage, ventilation, physical security and equipment noise. Be sure to consider your future as well as current needs. ⃝ Evaluate Internet and phone service options . Your options for Internet and phone will vary from location to location. Find out what vendors service your new location and ensure they will be able to deliver the service capacity as well as up-time assurance that your business requires. In many instances it makes sense to have two internet connections so that your business can continue to operate smoothly if one of the connections should experience a failure. ⃝ Budget and plan ahead for network wiring . Be sure you place network and phone jacks in every location you can foresee placing an employee in the future. It’s much easier to go all out now than it is to augment your wiring later after the construction is complete. ⃝ Get your wiring vendor and general contractor on the same page . In some instances, your general contractor may oversee network wiring. Other times, you’ll need to bring in a separate vendor to install wiring. If you bring in a separate wiring vendor, be sure they’re on the same page as your GC from the start of the process to avoid costly delays. ⃝ Decide: will you move or replace IT equipment – or move to the cloud? If you have IT assets that are approaching the end of their lifecycle, you may want to replace them in conjunction with your office move. This is less disruptive than moving existing equipment because it doesn’t require any downtime during the move and your staff can move into a fully functioning office. This is also a great time to consider options for moving services to the cloud and doing away with aging servers. ⃝ Developing contingency plans. Always expect the unexpected when it comes to office moves. What happens if a construction deadline is missed, or if a vendor install doesn’t go smoothly? Build contingency plans into your move. Can key staff members function from home if need be? Do you need to allow for an overlap in occupancy from your old office to your new office? ⃝ Allow time for IT hiccups and staff adjustment. Moving your office network is like performing major surgery on your IT, so give your business time to recover. Allow your IT team time to assess how the network is functioning once the move is complete, and take into account that your employees will need time to adjust to their new surroundings.
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