people moving boxes

Planning, Preparation and Execution

One of the most critical pieces of advice for any office relocation is to plan in advance. This means creating a comprehensive timeline, identifying key milestones, and ensuring that you have the resources and support you need to execute your plan. Failure to do so can lead to costly delays, lost productivity, and even data loss.

Moreover, having a dedicated project manager is crucial when planning an office relocation. They can help you steer clear of common pitfalls and ensure a smooth transition, ultimately saving you both time and money.

In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the most critical aspects of an IT office relocation, from discovery and analysis to day one at the new office. We will walk you through these steps and show you how it is done by our professional team.

By following our advice and by choosing to work with a dedicated team, like Operum.Tech, you can make your office move a success and avoid unnecessary stress.

Discovery and Analysis

Before you start your office relocation, it’s crucial to take stock of your current situation and identify any potential roadblocks or challenges. This discovery and analysis process will help you understand your current IT infrastructure, identify any security or compliance concerns, and determine what equipment and services you’ll need in your new location. By taking the time to fully analyse your current situation, you can avoid any costly mistakes down the road.

You should consider the following items which need to be relocated:

Main office:

Comms:

Cloud:

Consider whether the cloud server’s configuration will require any adjustment once the office is relocated.

Plan in Advance to Avoid Disruptions

As already mentioned, planning is the key. If you choose to work with an IT provider make sure that you will have a dedicated office move manager and together you can agree on the timeframe, taking into consideration the following common pitfalls.

First of all, it is critical to understand any limitations that the local office has and consider any legal requirements that need to be fulfilled, such as Wayleave Agreement and fibre line installation times.

Why? Because, consent under Wayleave Agreement to grant access to land and/or property, to install and/or maintain electronic communications apparatus by network provider can be time-consuming. A typical time in the UK is around 60 days, subject to a site survey, which could mean a much longer waiting time.

Additionally, it is common for fibre connections to take anywhere from a few hours to as long as 180 days before the connection is life at the new location.

Another factor to consider is whether there are any requirements to excavate through council or other private property, which may necessitate obtaining legal documents for the work to proceed. This can cause further delays in the process, not to mention how frustrating it can be

New Site Visit

When planning your office relocation, it’s essential to visit your new site to understand the layout, infrastructure, and any potential issues that may need to be addressed.

This visit will also allow you to determine what equipment and services you’ll need to move and how best to move them. By visiting your new site, you can ensure that you have a solid understanding of what needs to be done before you start the relocation process.

As mentioned above, one of the longest tasks is usually getting fibre optics. Some offices come with providers that are already available on-site, and they can provide an internet connection. However, it is a good idea to understand the pricing structure, as frequently, the internet from serviced offices can be fairly expensive. Not to mention their contracts can be lengthy with inflexible terms.

Another important factor to consider is the coverage of the mobile network, and you should decide if you are happy with the quality of that connection.

Moreover, during the site visit, you have to make sure that there is a sufficient amount of network sockets, and that the location of those sockets meets your requirements. If the move to the new office requires extensive refurbishment of the site, it is common to provide three data connections per desk.

Essential Initial Tasks

Before your office move, there are several essential initial tasks that must be completed. These include setting up telephony and connectivity, ensuring business continuity, and testing your new office facility for readiness. By completing these tasks early on, you can ensure a smooth transition and avoid any costly delays or disruptions. Therefore, let’s have a look in detail at what each of these steps entails:

1. Telephony and Connectivity

One of the most critical aspects of any office move is ensuring that your telephony and connectivity are up and running. This means working with your telecommunications provider to ensure that your new location is properly connected bearing in mind that ordering a newly leased line can take a very long time and that your phone and internet services are fully operational by the time you move in.

By taking the time to ensure that your telephony and connectivity are working, you can avoid any unnecessary downtime during your office relocation.

Additionally, talking well ahead to an IT team, like us, will help prepare you for the move. Our experience taught us not to rely on building contractors to deal efficiently with the networking side of the refurbishment. It is common to have situations where contractors either forgot to bring fibre from the basement to the customer’s floor or did not run essential cables for Access Points in the rest of the building.

We also saw far too many terminated sockets at the wall instead of desks, meaning that clients had to run multiple cables across the floor making it a tripping hazard before the amendments took place. Additionally, there was an urgent need to purchase patch leads and connecting wall sockets which added to the delay.

Such issues can be easily averted with correct planning and checks ahead of time.

2. Business Continuity

When planning your office relocation, it’s crucial to consider how you’ll maintain business continuity during the move, so you don’t suffer any unnecessary downtime. This means ensuring that your critical systems and data are backed up and that your employees have access to the resources they need to stay productive during the transition.

One of the most important parts is to ensure that your phones are available during the move and after. Many of our customers utilise VoIP technology and divert calls to their smartphones allowing them to be fully operational without losing a single call.

Our experienced team handled many situations like that where phone line availability was critical to the business and VOIP technology allowed for the successful completion of the relocation.

3. Pre-move Office Facility Testing

Before you move any equipment or furniture, it’s essential to test your new office facility for readiness. This means ensuring that your electrical and network infrastructure is in place and that any special requirements or considerations have been addressed.

Typically, it is great to test the speed and stability of your new internet connection and if there is sufficient coverage of the wireless, especially in critical places such as meeting rooms. If your business requires static IP addresses, it is advisable to ensure that you have been allocated the correct addresses.

This is where your project manager should demonstrate their value. Our experienced project managers prioritize monitoring these requirements because they can be easily overlooked. This process demands close attention to detail and can sometimes take several months, adding an extra layer of complexity to project planning.

4. Preparation for Moving Equipment

Moving your office equipment can be daunting, but with the right preparation, it can be a smooth and stress-free process. This means identifying what equipment needs to be moved, how it will be moved, and who will be responsible for the move.

The best approach, based on our experience, is to prepare all online services ahead of the move. By implementing this approach while relocating offices for our clients, we can solely focus on the physical part of the move on the day.

Once online services are taken care of, the first step in the physical move is to label each desk with the name of the person in the old office. Our engineers usually pack all IT equipment, such as computers, laptops, monitors, and all connecting cables, into a large crate labelled with the person’s name, securing it with packing materials. The removal company is tasked with transporting it across to the new site.

In the new office, the customer is asked to label all desks with the names of the people who will be occupying them. By doing so, our engineers can unpack and reconnect all IT equipment on the new site with no further delays and confusion about what goes where. This is usually a good opportunity to provide the under-the-desk cables with a bit of TLC.

Moving equipment from Comms Rooms usually requires more extensive preparation as the hardware may need backups in case of damage during transportation. These backups are performed before the move, and a deadline is agreed upon to avoid any data loss.

Only after the backups are complete, the equipment can be safely powered down. The next step involves an engineer removing the equipment and labelling it accordingly.

Bear in mind, that you might not be allowed to remove some parts of your equipment, like servers from comms rooms in your old, serviced building. Building managers may insist on removing these components themselves due to security reasons. Therefore, it is essential to plan with them for the availability of an appropriate technical person when it is time to move.

Finally, it is crucial to allocate sufficient time in the new office for unpacking and reconfiguring all equipment. Once the comms equipment is reinstalled, and your internet connection is up and running, it is wise to test the backup connection.

5. First Day at Your New Office: What to Expect

On the day of your office move, it’s important to allow at least a few hours to check and test all new systems and your team’s ability to perform their jobs as normal. Our recommendation is to have a few of our engineers onsite as they can rapidly provide support in case there are any unexpected issues.

It is prudent to avoid booking any high-profile meetings on this day, as any unforeseen technical issues can have a negative impact on your image. Our recommendation would be to allow 2-3 days where your team can comfortably settle into the new office, and there is sufficient time to iron out any teething issues.

Our extensive experience in this field enables us to minimize the amount of time when our customers’ office is not operating at an optimal level.

Good Luck with Your Office Relocation from Operum.Tech

We understand that planning an office relocation can be a challenging and time-consuming task. That’s why we’re here to help.

Contact our team today to plan your move and get 25% off.

With our expertise and support, you can make your office relocation a success.

For help with your office relocation feel free to get in touch with us Contact Us – Operum. We can discuss and offer free advise as well as a Free Template on How to Move you Office Step by Step, or if you are interested in other IT matters have a look at our services IT Support Services – Operum

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1. What is the role of a dedicated project manager in an office relocation?

A1. A dedicated project manager can help you save time, avoid common pitfalls, and ensure a seamless transition. They will oversee all aspects of the office move, from planning to execution, to ensure that everything runs smoothly.

Q2. Why is it essential to plan in advance for an office relocation?

A2. Planning in advance is critical for any office relocation because it allows you to identify potential roadblocks and challenges, create a comprehensive timeline, and ensure that you have the resources and support you need to execute your plan. Failure to plan in advance can lead to costly delays, lost productivity, and even data loss.

Q3. What should I look for in a new office facility when planning an office relocation?

A3. When planning an office relocation, it’s important to visit your new site to understand the layout, infrastructure, and any potential issues that may need to be addressed. This visit will also allow you to determine what equipment and services you’ll need to move, and how best to move them.

Additionally, ensure a sufficient number of connections with some spares (including conference rooms) and the location of access points and printers. Also, check mobile and Wi-Fi coverage.

Q4. How can I ensure business continuity during an office relocation?

A4. Ensuring business continuity during an office relocation is critical to maintaining productivity and avoiding any unnecessary downtime. This means that your critical systems and data are backed up and that your employees have access to the resources they need to stay productive during the transition, such as e-mails, CRM or VoiP.

Q5. What should I do to prepare for moving my office equipment?

A5. Identify what equipment needs to be moved, how it will be moved, and who will be responsible for moving it. Also, a new site survey is required so you can plan for any amendments needed there. Create a detailed plan for moving your office equipment, and a timeline for when everything should happen. Having a designated project manager would be also a good place to start.

Our final word 🙂

Planning an office relocation can be a daunting task, but with the right preparation and support, you can make your move a success. By taking the time to fully understand your current situation, planning in advance, and choosing to work with a professional team, like us, you can ensure a seamless transition to your new office facility.

Remember to focus on the critical aspects of the move, such as telephony and connectivity, business continuity, and equipment preparation. With these essential tasks taken care of, you can focus on continuing your work while the move takes place.

Good luck with your office relocation from Operum.Tech team!

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