Midlands Business Insider July – Moving Feature Brett Critchley – MD, Orchid IT - 3/6/2009

Who do you need to speak to at each stage?

When you’re considering moving your business, the level of IT support you’ll need will depend greatly on the level of IT that your business uses. If a business has several simple computer systems, then a move can be fairly straightforward, however if a business has multiple servers, video conferencing, CCTV and state-of-the-art facilities, it is always advisable to bring in an IT support provider to ensure that a change in premises causes minimal disruption to the business.

Firstly and most importantly, before you do anything, you must prioritise your telephone connections and internet connectivity, as these are areas that you have no control over. BT, your telecoms provider or your IT company will handle your telephone lines and activate them for you, and it’s important not to forget your analogue lines for your fax, Redcare and ADSL.

You should also plan for any potential issues with your internet connections. Your internet line will be set up either by your ISP or your IT provider, and it is important to check how good your connection is, as some areas, even large cities have poor internet connectivity. Make sure you have back-ups in place for your telephones and internet i.e. all of your workforce has access to a mobile phone or 3G cards for internet connectivity, just in case there are any glitches. Make sure your internet connection has been tested before you move in.

Before you move your business, it is also vital that you have considered important issues such as what is the data cabling like where you are moving too? Is it already in place? If so has it been FLUKE tested to make sure it works? Are the communications in place adequate enough for your needs? Are points in place for each user? Is the area for your server well ventilated and easy to access? Will you need a rack installing?

If you can plan out in detail exactly where people are going to sit and how you see the business growing, it is an ideal time to add or amend any data cabling within the building before you move in. You may want video conferencing or CCTV at some point, so it’s a good time to consider adding in data cabling whilst the building is empty.

It is crucial to put the correct procedures in place before you move to ensure a smooth transition of your IT. Obvious things like doing a back-up the night before the move (and testing the back up to make sure it is working and your data is safe) is critical.

If you’re concerned about moving your IT systems, this can be the ideal time to bring in a professional IT company, who can safely shut down your systems and move the equipment for you without damage or loss of data.

Ideally most businesses would shut down at the end of the business day, preferably a Friday so that the move can be carried out during the night and over the weekend. Prior to the move it’s advisable to contact your IT company to make sure all of your system passwords are written down. This will enable them to complete the move as smoothly as possible.

If a move is correctly carried out, a business should suffer only minimal downtime, if any at all. Provided everything is correctly managed and properly set up at the new premises, disruption to the business should be minimal and the move should be fairly straightforward.

The potential pitfalls of moving?

The common pitfalls of moving businesses are generally issues involving forward planning – for instance not ordering the Internet and telephone connections early enough. The moving of IT and the set-up in the new office are generally straightforward, it’s the communications such as phone lines and internet that are the most vital.

A useful checklist of things to remember to do when moving?

• Early installation of the internet
• Test the internet strength
• Telephone lines
• Data Cabling
• Telephone Numbers
• Passwords
• Routers
• Data backup and testing

It’s good to remember that as long as your phone lines and internet connections are pre-planned and working properly the rest of a move can be very simple. However, I would always advocate seeking the advice of an IT company – an initial spend can result in a problem-free move, and mean that your business can be up-and-running almost immediately, saving you money and time later on.