Perhaps your business has grown over the last couple of years and now needs more office space to house employees and equipment. Or maybe your organization has found a better location that will help you lower operational costs. Whatever the reason, there is a lot to consider when moving offices. Office moves are exciting but they can also bring on stress to the ones planning the move. How can you minimize your stress and make sure your office relocation goes as smoothly as possible?
We asked our pros this question who have helped many customers over the years relocate their offices smoothly and successfully, and here are their top 10 tips for you:
Tip #1
The first tip is the most important and is often forgotten… As soon as you are considering moving offices, make sure to bring IT and technology into the conversation. Too often, IT is forgotten about until the last minute which leads to decreased productivity and people scrambling. If you are thinking about making an office move, engage your technical team right away. They can bring valuable insight into how to transition technical equipment to the new office and what is needed in the new space. If you have a vCIO and a TAM, these two account managers will help you make sure all things technology are taken care of from start to finish of your office relocation.
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Tip #2
Plan for a space in the new location to house network equipment such as a network closet or a small secure server room. This equipment is important to your business and should be safely secured in a tidy and clean space away from employees and office guests.
Tip #3
To avoid cables running across the floor or chasing a wall around a room from one side to another, make sure to consider where things are being plugged in and connected to data. When you are planning the floorplan of the space, ensure that there are data and phone jack areas where printers and common copiers are going to be deployed.
Tip #4
When choosing desks and workspaces, consider desk designs that allow for data and phone jacks to be easily accessed. For example, the desks that have a back that only goes halfway to the floor make it easy for cords to reach the jacks and for workstation setups. For pods and cubicles, we recommend ones that have panels that can open up and have hidden data jacks and power within the cubical walls. This will also allow for proper cable management that looks more professional.
Tip #5
This tip is primarily for the movers and ensuring the right equipment is placed in the right spot… Instead of looking at computer models and trying to remember who had what in the old space, we recommend that you label all computer equipment with the end-users names before moving. This will help speed up the workstation setups and ensure the user has the correct computer at their desk in the new space.
Tip #6
Create a blueprint of the floor plan that shows all the data drops (plug-ins) are numbered so that when a network issue does arise in the future, IT support can trace the issue much quicker. This will help you avoid Helping any lengthy downtimes that lead to low productivity. Keep this blueprint on hand in the network closet or on the patch panel.
Tip #7
When planning the layout of the desks, consider that most people like to face the door so that they have privacy when using their computers. This will help avoid any prying eyes on their computer monitors.
Tip #8
Don’t forget to label your wall plates and patch panels in the new location. It seems minor but this will save you and any IT support time when troubleshooting an issue and keep anyone from accidentally turning off your AC unit in the heat of the summer!
Tip #9
Nowadays you can’t do much without the internet so make sure to get your new Internet Services Provider (ISP) ordered and connected as soon as possible. Setting up your internet can take longer than most expect, especially if you want fiber internet so getting this done sooner rather than later could save you days of no productivity.
Tip #10
If possible, get access to your new location as soon as you can to inspect any deficiencies so you can create a plan to fix them prior to moving in. For example, you might find there are old cables in the walls that need to be removed or there are not enough patch panels for your network equipment. It’s possible to find that there is not enough power to host your UPS or worse, there are water pipes in the server area. The sooner you understand what needs to change in the new building, the quicker you can resolve them before your entire company moves in. No one likes construction in the workspace…
Need help with your office move?
If your organization is planning to relocate, make sure to keep these tips in mind to avoid extra stress with moving. Also, keep in mind, these are all things that your Managed IT Services Provider should be helping you with! So if your organization isn’t working with a Managed IT Services Provider or you have one that isn’t supporting you with your move, Yardstick can help.
With decades of expertise under our belts and access to the tools and knowledge you need, we are the partner you are looking for! Contact us today for a free- no-obligation call to find out how we can support your business today and for years to come.
