Moving Hardware During Office Relocation

So, your business is moving office and you’ve packed away all the chairs, desks and stationary, but how about the IT equipment at the heart of your business’ operations? It’s essential to pack these with great care to avoid costs in damage, disruptions to your business, or spending excessive time on this task. If you’re looking for help with office moves, it’s wise to hire the services of an IT company that can offer expert assistance during this crucial time. You need to ensure - for your business’ sake - that you’re not offline for too long, and that the move is planned well from an IT perspective.

IT Provider Help Moving Office
Moving office can create a rift of disturbance in your business's normal day-to-day operations. During this time, you’ll want your employees to focus as much as possible on keeping things afloat. Hiring an IT support company will give them that perseverance of energy, as well as peace of mind knowing the equipment will be handled by experts.

From the very beginning of the relocation process, your IT service provider can help you by visiting both your old and new office sites. Doing so will allow them to plan the move ahead of time, as they’ll understand each of the spaces and how to adjust which pieces will move where. The equipment, such as routers and cables, must all be properly uninstalled and reinstalled in the new space. Some equipment is very sensitive and fragile, like servers, which must be completely taken apart and then put back together again in the new location. Surely, with everything being set up again for the first time, there will be issues. Your support company will troubleshoot any of these malfunctions upon arrival to make sure it’s installed the right way and up and running perfectly.

How to Move Hardware
It’s important for you and your team to plan for this move. This means someone needs to be in charge and take an inventory check of every single piece of equipment you’ll require after the move. Additionally, you should clearly label everything and put item numbers on them. During this process, it’s also a good idea to assess the equipment you have – in other words, retiring some which are too used or dated, as well as thinking about buying new upgraded equipment. Office relocation is a great opportunity to carry out such assessments.

If you plan the move ahead of time, you’ll know where items like printers, faxes, the servers, P.C.s, and phones will need to be placed. You’ll have already considered where phone ports and routers are in the space so your plan for where to put things will be implemented successfully. Knowing the new space will make the transition more seamless because you’ll already know instead of guessing and then having to rearrange.

Moving the Server
Servers are very sensitive, and also very crucial to your business and its ability to network within the company. The first thing to monitor When it comes to the server, the first task is to ascertain the conditions in the new location and how they’ll affect that functionality. Ideally, the server should be in its own separate room so one can control the temperature and make sure the server remains cool enough. You’ll also need to make sure the space is large enough and that the surrounding electrical capabilities are appropriate to handle it. Most importantly, security for the server should be handled with great attention, as access to the server gives access to everything else in your system. This goes for software-related precautions and set-ups, but also includes physical security measures like putting a padlocked metal cage around it, and master locking the room it’s in. Only a select few of managerial staff should have access to that room.

When it’s time to physically move the server, you’ll want the process to be as efficient as possible to ensure your business experiences the least amount of downtime possible. All of the pieces must be taken apart carefully and packed skillfully so they remain undamaged throughout the moving process. This is when it’s extra helpful if you have an IT service provider who can ensure everything goes smoothly. Unfortunately, some businesses do experience their multi-hundred-thousand-dollar equipment falling off the back of a truck during a relocation. If you haven’t hired an IT service provider, it would benefit you to hire movers who specialize in transporting such equipment. Experience is absolutely key in this circumstance.

Conclusion
According to a recent Clutch survey, office moves have a positive effect on workers: sixty-eight percent reported just how good they felt because of it. These moves take time and effort, and may slightly disrupt day-to-day operations, but if they’re planned properly - and use an IT support company – they’re worth it. Having said that, proper care and consideration must be taken so your business doesn’t have to sacrifice too much while moving. Moving office is the perfect time to pay attention to your hardware and the physical equipment that help your company operate.

Additionally, it’s a great time to start afresh and see what can be upgraded, recycled or thrown away. This contributes to that nice feeling workers have when starting over in a new office: everything will be entirely functional and cleaned out. Furthermore, it’s a good time to ensure your server is safe and well taken care of. Handle it with extreme caution during the move so 1) you won’t damage such an expensive and vital piece of machinery and 2) the moving process isn’t too long or laborious. You don’t want it to take a week with no production, or your business will suffer. On that note, all the other IT equipment should also be moved systematically, assessing the new space, labeling things, and transferring them in an organized way, so the business can be up and running again as soon as possible.