Moving your business or setting up a new office can be an extremely stressful endeavor, specially relocating your business’s IT infrastructure, but it need not be.
As an experienced managed service provider, NIC helps businesses successfully set up their IT infrastructure at their new premises.
The information shared in this article is based on our own experiences helping clients setup their new offices, and discusses best practices for IT relocation to ensure a seamless relocation of your IT infrastructure during an office move.
5 Tips to Help you Move your IT Infrastructure to the New Office
Moving your IT infrastructure is not a small feat, if you have no prior experience. Whether or not you decide to hire an experienced managed service provider to help with the IT relocation, there’s one important factor you shouldn’t overlook. Time! Start planning everything well ahead of the moving date.
Here are 5 other important tips to help you relocate your IT infrastructure without any setbacks:
Tip 1: Create a New IT Strategy with Top Management’s Input
While there will be a thousand and one things to consider when setting up a new office, make sure you don’t overlook your IT strategy. As a part of the top management, you’re the ones making the important decisions about the future direction of the business. Only you are aware what the scope of technology will be in the future i.e. the extent you’d be automating your business operations. When/if that happens will you consider an IT expansion or do you develop the new IT infrastructure to support that future growth now?
Whatever direction you take, your new IT strategy needs to encompass its scope. Discuss your decisions and business vision with your managed service provider, and create the best IT strategy together.
Tip 2: First Things First: Communication
The first thing to look into when planning to install your new IT infrastructure is the communication, VOIP and internet/broadband alike.
Start asking the important questions.
- Would traditional phone lines meet your communication needs, or are you going to upgrade to VOIP?
- Does your business need an upgrade?
- Would a CAT-6 cable be sufficient for your internet needs, or would fiber optics be a more prudent future-proof investment?
- Are these cabling options supported by the local internet provider at your new premises?
- Are there any contractual limitations/implications? Etc.
Tip 3: What will your Business Need: In-house Servers or Cloud Hosting?
Once the communication layout/plan has been developed, consider your business needs regarding data storage and access.
If hosting a server is more practical, then would you need a separate room for it or are you going to invest in virtualization/virtual servers?
If cloud hosting seems like the right fit for your company, then you need to ensure you have uninterrupted and fast access to the internet. Cloud hosting is not only less expensive than hosting physical servers, but it also lets you bypass the need and cost to license and install different software on the company end-points.
Or you may want to consider a hybrid solution, a combination of virtual servers along with cloud hosting, which in my experience is oftentimes the best strategy.
Many of NIC’s clients are only considering one or the other, but when they come to NIC, we asses not only their current IT service needs but their future IT service needs as well. And if we see that IT is playing an increasingly integral role in their future, we advise them to consider a hybrid solution.
Tip 4: Evaluate the Equipment
Relocation is the perfect time to update or upgrade your equipment. Here are just a few things you can do to evaluate your equipment:
- Inventory the IT infrastructure equipment in the following three categories: 1) Current to be discarded, 2) Current to be reused and 3) New needed (don’t forget to include the quantity of each equipment present and/or needed!)
- Get in touch with equipment vendors
- Return any IT or phone equipment leases not needed anymore
Tip 5: Review Office Space
Now, that you have a blueprint of everything you might need for setting up your new IT infrastructure at the new location, you need to review the office space.
Make arrangements for physically setting up the hardware at the new premises. Check to see if the new office will meet your IT equipment’s power requirements. Take note of the ideal locations for power jacks, cabling points, workstations, printers, routers, scanners etc.
Make a detailed equipment floor plan, clearly stating where each piece of equipment needs to be fitted before you start moving the equipment into the new office.
Parting Thoughts
Setting up your complex IT infrastructure anew can be an outright nightmare if you don’t know what you’re doing. This will not only cause unnecessary delays, but it can end up costing you a pretty penny, too.
Take on the help of a managed service provider that has experience helping clients with their office moves.
If you start planning your IT infrastructure well in advance, you can have it set up at the new location before the actual moving date. This way, not only will you have already tested your new network, but your IT operations will see no interruptions during the move.
As a complete managed service provider in Los Angeles, NIC can help you plan and execute your office move efficiently and take care of all your IT needs. If you’re planning an office move, then contact us today to discuss exactly how we can make things easier for you during the most turbulent time of your business.
