Moving Office in Brisbane? Your IT Relocation Checklist
An office move is the easiest time to lose a week of productivity to IT problems. This checklist covers internet, phones, cabling, Wi-Fi and move-weekend planning so your team is working on day one.
Brandon Strangman7 min read
The furniture arrives, the boxes are unpacked and everyone sits down on Monday morning, and the internet is not connected. It happens more often than you would think, and it is almost always because the IT side of the move started too late.
An office relocation touches your internet, phones, network, Wi-Fi, printers, security and every computer in the business. Plan it properly and your team barely notices. This checklist is organised by how far ahead each step needs to happen.
Three months or more before the move
1 Order your internet service as early as possible
Business internet is the item with the longest and least predictable lead time. Depending on the building, a new NBN business service, enterprise ethernet or dedicated fibre can take anywhere from days to many weeks, especially if new infrastructure has to be built into the premises. Check which services are available at the new address before you sign the lease if you can.
If your business runs on Microsoft 365, cloud accounting or practice management software, no internet means no work. A backup 4G or 5G connection is worth having for the first few weeks regardless.
2 Inspect the new site
Walk through the new office with your IT provider. Look at:
- Where the internet enters the building and where your network equipment will live
- Whether existing data cabling is usable, and how many outlets are in each area
- Power points for desks, printers and the comms cabinet
- Wi-Fi coverage challenges such as concrete, glass partitions or multiple floors
- Ventilation for the comms cabinet or server
3 Decide what to move, replace or retire
A move is the ideal time to replace old switches, Wi-Fi access points and PCs rather than moving them and replacing them six months later. It is also a good time to move remaining on-premise servers to the cloud or a hosted server, so there is less to physically relocate.
Six to eight weeks before
4 Arrange data cabling
If the new office needs new or additional cabling, book a licensed cabler now. Cabling is far easier and cheaper to install before desks, partitions and ceilings are finished. Plan outlets for every desk, printer, meeting room screen, access point and security camera, plus spares.
5 Plan your phone system
If you use a cloud phone system, moving is mostly a matter of plugging handsets in at the new site, but confirm the emergency service address is updated. If you have an on-premise phone system or traditional lines, plan the transfer or use the move as the time to switch to a cloud phone system. Keep your existing numbers: they are printed on everything and your clients know them.
6 Design the network and Wi-Fi
Plan where Wi-Fi access points will go based on the floor layout, not guesswork. Separate staff, guest and device networks, and make sure the firewall is configured and tested before move day.
Two to four weeks before
7 Update your address everywhere
Update your Google Business Profile, website, email signatures, invoices, letterheads and supplier accounts. Update the registered address with your internet and phone providers, and the emergency service address on your phone system.
8 Test the new site before you move
Once the internet is live and the network is installed, test it with a laptop at several desks and in meeting rooms. Check speed, Wi-Fi coverage and access to your key systems.
9 Confirm your backups
Before any equipment is unplugged, make sure you have a recent, tested backup. Servers and storage devices are most vulnerable when they are being moved.
Move week
10 Label everything
Label every PC, monitor, dock and cable with the user's name and new desk location. It turns reassembly from a puzzle into a routine job.
11 Move IT over the weekend
Shut down and pack the comms cabinet and server after close of business on Friday. Install and test at the new site over the weekend so the network, internet, phones and printers are working before staff arrive.
12 Have IT on site on day one
Have a technician on site on the first morning to fix the inevitable monitor that will not connect and the printer that has vanished from everyone's list. Small problems solved in minutes do not become a lost morning.
Start the IT conversation before you sign the lease. The internet options at a building can make it the right or wrong choice, and it costs nothing to check.
After the move
- Walk the office and confirm every desk, meeting room and printer is working
- Remove old internet and phone services at the previous address, but not until the new ones are fully working
- Update your network documentation with the new layout
- Securely wipe or dispose of any equipment you have retired
Let us handle the IT side of your move
Defy IT plans and runs office relocations for businesses across Brisbane, Ipswich and the Gold Coast, from checking internet options at a new site through to getting your team working on the first morning. See our IT projects service, or call us on (07) 3521 8515 to talk through your move.
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Written byBrandon StrangmanNeed Help with Your Business IT?
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