Conducting a business relocation is a huge undertaking, no matter the size of your operations. Relocating IT is a big part of that challenge. Every minute that your business is disconnected it is losing productivity, revenue, and valuable momentum. Successful business relocation plans prioritize IT – reflecting its central role in everything today’s businesses do.
Here are four critical considerations for minimizing IT disruption during a move:
Planning is key
Your network and systems are the foundation of everything, from communication to operations and delivery to customers. It touches every part of your organization. Any move must plan for IT transition and disruption. Planning should involve a holistic view of the entire organization and its IT and communications needs. This process requires knowing your current technology equipment, any deficiencies, and an assessment of overall technology and IT requirements. Resources can then be channeled to critical functions to ensure continued services.
Planning should also be tied to project management of the move process. Site visits and coordination with service providers and vendors should be tracked and incorporated into the IT move plan. And, as with any significant organizational change initiative, planning should look to future goals and needs.
Know the new site
Site visits are essential to a successful move. They provide information on the physical layout of the building at the early stages of planning the move as well as the progress of any work that may be necessary at the new site before the move. General considerations at a site visit include:
- Locating workstation power and cabling ports
- Determining optimal locations for on-premises technology such as routers, servers, and document production machines
- Comparing server room location with equipment requirements for electrical, cooling, and fire suppression
- Involving your Managed Services Provider and a cabling vendor
Site visits should also take into account future plans and predicted changes in technology. Cabling work can be expensive, and you may be able to save future costs by pre-wiring spaces for expansion.
Protect data
Data protection is part of the planning process for a successful move, and it is a key element of moving day logistics. The first step in protecting data during a planned move is knowing what your data is and where it resides. Someone should be tasked with an organization-wide data assessment. During this process it may also be helpful to review this data against data retention policies and regulations – purging what is no longer required.
The move to your new location can introduce vulnerability and risk into your organization if not handled correctly. When data protection is part of the planning process and the actual move, businesses can dial down risk and keep information flowing normally. Backups are crucial and should include all company systems. Recovery should be enabled so that critical data is retained so normal operations can proceed, even if there is a problem with the move.
Test after the move
The last IT moving essential occurs once a business begins at the new location. From the moment workers begin using IT resources, testing should occur to ensure the optimal functioning of all systems. Testing should encompass:
- Ensuring cabling is properly located
- Testing call forwarding of the old location
- Reviewing new phone system features
- Testing incoming and outgoing emails
- Testing network access and data migration
- Determining WiFi signal performance
The move plan can also set a few milestones for further testing. Some issues might not be readily apparent in the rush of a new move.
These four areas are not comprehensive because each organization’s IT needs are unique. Business relocation can be complicated, but the assistance of an experienced partner can help move the process forward toward success in planning and conducting a move. TailWind helps enterprises successfully manage IT relocation. Our expertise in planning and conducting moves is the guide, while our boots-on-the-ground approach to service and support delivers.
If you’re looking to move your organization’s location, partner with TailWind. We deliver superior technology project management so you can focus on business as usual — or better. Contact us for more information.
