How to solve the most common IT problems businesses encounter when moving offices

Anyone who has ever planned a move, even a residential one, knows how much hard work, preparation, and stress is involved. When you’re talking about relocating an entire business, however, everything gets multiplied tenfold. Aside from moving furniture and getting your employees accustomed to a new location, there’s also all your technology to think about.

Even just an hour of technology downtime can cost a company thousands of dollars, and relocating offices rarely stays on schedule. There will be unexpected problems, developments, and obstacles. Here are three tips to help you overcome the most common IT issues you’ll encounter when moving offices:

#1. Track Your Hardware Inventory

Technology might be getting simpler from an end user’s perspective, but that’s not the case behind the scenes. For starters, there’s network cabling, cooling hardware, internet connectivity devices, server software, and electrical wiring to think about. In fact, even a single missing cable can significantly extend the time it takes to get back up and running.

Long before the big move, you’ll want to draft a comprehensive inventory of every hardware item in your office. Aside from the obvious items -- such as servers, workstations, networking devices, keyboards, etc. -- be sure to include any of the extra things they depend on to operate, such as cabling, cable management, and cooling. If you have a particularly extensive setup, you may want to consider using inventory management software to keep track of everything.

#2. Start planning early

Between cloud services and mobile device management, everyone seems to be fixated with the flexibility of their computing infrastructures. But the fact remains that you can’t simply plug in a complicated server system and hope that everything’s just going to work. Every in-house server you rely on will require several hours of a professional’s time to set up.

The best solution to this dilemma is, proper preparation. Before you move, be sure to thoroughly inspect the new site to map out things like power outlets, HVAC units, and any pre-existing cable-management infrastructures.

Also, there are several building design considerations you’re likely to forget about. Desktops and servers require a lot of climate-control, thick walls get in the way of wireless signals, and a lack of power outlets could create a fire hazard that gets you into trouble. Draw up a detailed map of the new office layout long before beginning your relocation to nip these problems in the bud.

#3. Getting in the Way of Employee Productivity

Unexpected issues are inevitable during any office relocation, but most HR/IT conflicts are avoidable. Common problems include users accounts not being moved over to the new network or infrastructure changes that keep employees from getting to work on their first day back. These issues will quickly lead to a dip in productivity which, in turn, can have an impact on customer satisfaction.

The ideal solution to this problem is completing your move at night or over the weekend when employees aren’t around. Then take as much time as possible to double check that every network account, drive, and application is working properly. If it’s simply not possible to get everything up and running again so quickly, then give your employees access to IT solutions that let them work remotely. Cloud technology will be your savior when moving offices. It will allow employees to stay productive and make data migrations much simpler.

With cloud technology and dependable consultants on your side, you never have to worry about office relocations and expansions again. OC-IT takes the headaches out of moving office with complete coordination services, reliable and timely transport, and full cable management. Call us today to find out more.