IT management
Moving office: what do you arrange for IT, and when?
Short answer
Start with the internet connection, because it has the longest lead time and decides whether you can work on the first day. Cabling and wifi follow, and must be done before floors and ceilings are closed. Printers, screens and workstations are work for the last week. Move servers and network equipment outside working hours, with a backup made and tested just before. Work in this order and on Monday you have an office that works.
Why does the IT so often overrun in a move?
Because everyone is thinking about the furniture. The interior is drawn months ahead. The internet connection is ordered three weeks before the move, and then it turns out the provider needs longer.
The second cause is the order of the building work. Cables go through ceilings and floors. Once those are closed, every forgotten outlet is a hole in a new ceiling.
What do you arrange in which phase?
As soon as the address is known
- Internet. Check what can be delivered at the address and order. This is the only part where you do not set the lead time yourself.
- A bridge. A mobile network connection that you can keep afterwards as a backup line.
- The floor plan. Where do workstations, meeting rooms, printers, the meter cupboard and the place for network equipment go.
During the fit-out
- Cabling. Outlets at every fixed workstation, at printers, in meeting rooms and in the ceiling for wifi. Lay more than you need now; one extra cable costs almost nothing at this stage.
- Power. Enough sockets where equipment goes, and a separate circuit for the network cabinet.
- A place for the network cabinet. Dry, cool, lockable and not in the broom cupboard next to the boiler.
The last weeks
- Build and test the network. Mount and configure the firewall, switches and access points before the people arrive.
- Measure the wifi. With the walls and furniture in place, because they decide the range.
- Printers and screens in the meeting rooms. Small work that causes the most questions on day one if it is not done.
- Changes of address. With software suppliers, the domain name, certificates and the alarm monitoring centre.
The moving weekend
- Make and check a backup. Just before switching off.
- Switch off, label and move the equipment. A label on every cable; it saves hours when connecting.
- Connect everything and go through it. Using a list: internet, wifi in every spot, printing, the accounting, phones on wifi, the alarm.
The first working day
Make sure someone walks around who picks up problems straight away. Most are small: a laptop looking for the old wifi network, a printer that cannot be found.
What is forgotten most often?
| What | Why it goes wrong |
|---|---|
| The fixed IP address | Suppliers and integrations only allow the old address |
| Cancelling the old connection | Notice periods keep running after the move |
| Devices with a fixed network setting | The printer and the card terminal look for the old network |
| Access control and cameras | Connected to the network, but supplied by another party |
| The guest wifi | Visitors on day one are often customers |
Is a move a good moment to clear out?
The best moment. Everything is coming apart anyway.
- An office server that only shares files does not need to come along. See SharePoint or a network drive.
- Network equipment that is ten years old gets replaced now, not in a year.
- Laptops due for replacement are swapped before the move. See how long a business laptop lasts.
- Loose wifi points of different brands make way for one managed whole.
What do we do?
We draw the network, coordinate with the contractor and the provider, build it and are there on the first working day. That falls under network installation and business wifi. The sooner we see the floor plan, the less has to be done to a ceiling afterwards.