7 Signs Your IT Office Move Has Gone All Wrong

80% of an IT relocation project is in the planning, here’s how to prepare:

Obviously, it can be an exciting time but if things are not planned out and considered properly, it can weigh heavily on the shoulders of those coordinating the move.

How an IT relocation is a complex task to carry out:

If this is your first office move, it is worth considering how an office relocation can have an unanticipated impact on staff, their well-being, and their ability to perform effectively as a result of the disruption.

If IT relocation is your responsibility, it is essential for the new office to be ‘ready-equipped’ for existing challenges and to be capable of sufficiently supporting demands of the business further down the line.

Getting an IT move right can be pivotal for future business performance as well as for individuals to achieve their objectives, it is imperative for the project manager to cover every aspect, prepare for any potential situation, budgeting for all expenses, and ensure continuity through each phase of the move.

Office moves are rare in the lifespan of most businesses. Therefore, it is doubtful you will ‘shoulder the burden’ of managing IT relocation projects too often throughout your working life. However, there is a high probability this could be the first and last time you will be responsible for one and could be thinking

“Where do I start?”

In this article, we highlights seven key areas we believe the success or failure of overseeing an IT move are decisive – hopefully preventing you spending an arm and a leg on the project:

How sure are you that you have budgeted for every project delivery expense?

Unfortunately, financial modelling and actual costs often do not run in parallel. You may premeditate for most expenses, but some costs could arise which you didn’t prepare for, leading to your total expenditure far exceeding your budget long before initially expected.

Here are some prevalent elements often absent from many financial projections:

1. Costs incurred in restoring your previous office space for those about to move in.
2. Rented gear, machinery or high-risk appliances requiring supervision from qualified personnel.
3. Health and safety concerns, barriers to entry or time-related restrictions that may prolong project delivery and so inflate and impact total cost beyond initial financial forecast.

Ultimately, it may be more cost efficient to seek advice from professionals who are experienced in IT relocation and can enlighten you on the following key areas to best manage your move:

IT Audit

Prior to moving anything, you must carry out a comprehensive IT audit, accounting for every piece of IT equipment to avoid any mishaps. This is an essential part of the planning stage of your office move. Reviewing your current IT equipment allows you to identify what needs to be replaced, added or upgraded.

Stakeholder contact list and communication plan for all parties involved

Identifying stakeholders along with their detailed project plan in your relocation project is a huge step in delivering a successful project. A good stakeholder communication plan, such as weekly progress calls, will not only clear the path of potential obstructions, it will actively support a successful transition.

Leased equipment

In situations where equipment is on lease (i.e. printers), vendors of that equipment often have policies within their service cover agreement that only they can move their equipment therefore to not break warranty on that equipment, you will at least need to be given the green light by them before moving.

Be sure to double check your contractual agreement for any leased equipment before attempting to move their equipment.

Telephones, Internet Connections, Power and Data ports

The minute staff begin their day-to-day duties at your new office, they’ll need the ability to make phone calls, access their emails and browse the internet. Ensuring the building has electricity to power phone and internet connections which involves plenty of preparation like ensuring your power, telecomm and internet connections are connected when you all move in.

Data Centers, Servers & Workstations.

To avoid any negative impact of downtime during ‘peak’ business hours, servers holding data sensitive to the business must be attended to with meticulous detail, transported to your new business location with utmost caution and in a period where minimal disruption is caused during busy business hours. Over the course of a weekend is often common practice. The objective here is to maintain business continuity during peak times resulting from a smooth migration of your IT infrastructure.

Bear in mind that during the transportation of IT systems, every component is at its most vulnerable. Items can get damaged for whatever reason; some equipment may not work like they used to when you set them up again. In addition, we all know business data existing on hardware and servers is of value to clients and is a target for cyber criminals in a hacking sense – what if they were to get wind of your entire infrastructure being in transit?

Ensure efficient security measures are taken into consideration such as:

• On premise backups
• Off premise backups
• Secure courier services

Some may consider Breakages, failures or theft as unlikely events during an office relocation project. However, all risks should be taken into consideration as potential damages can be hugely expensive. It may be wise to take out relevant insurances.

How IT Support Services Provider can effectively help relocate your IT equipment across London:

It’s critical to double-check your total predicted expenditure for your office move before you start. It is not rare for project managers to happen upon considerable setbacks from miscalculating projections or not accounting for an expense completely.

There are many areas to cover when moving entire IT infrastructures (hardware, servers, data, etc.). With computer technology being integral to day-to-day operations within modern London businesses, it is crucial to take precautionary measures before, during and post relocating your business setup and having the support of Managed IT Services can help you complete this successfully.

 

Conclusion

Whichever way you intend to perform your office move, whether it be your in-house personnel or hiring business removal experts – the most important thing is you feel totally confident that the planning has been methodical, detailed and meticulous with ‘no stone unturned’ in order to have everything set back up efficiently during a period that doesn’t impact business hours.

Bringing in a business removal company to assist you reduces the possibility of things going wrong. They will be experienced with a greater awareness of the risks and know how to prevent them. They will also have procedures which they follow daily when it comes to:

• preparing chattels lists
• packing and unpacking company belongings
• Transporting business items securely
• Disassembling and reassembling tables, desks and computing equipment
• Deep Cleaning of both old and new locations

More work than you thought it was? Contact us at Fifosys and let us help you.