Preparing for an office move? We can help....

Our team has worked with dozens of businesses and organisations as they prepare for an office move - and in this blog, we share our top tips and preparation guide!

EPX looks to fully understand their client’s business challenges and work with them to handle business-critical IT aligned with company visions - and when it comes to an office move, the IT team should be the first port of call…

Where to start

Plan in advance!

If you are potentially moving offices in six months, then your planning should already be underway;

What are your broadband requirements?
Can the office space you are looking at fulfil them?
If not, what costs will be involved to meet your need?
Will you need a server room, or is now a good time to move to the cloud?
If you require a server room, will it need air conditioning?
Cybersecurity dictates the server should be in a locked room - have you allowed for that when looking at office size and rooms?
Can sensitive data be seen from windows or reception areas in the layout you are planning?

Ensure you are supported throughout the process - your IT team knows how your business works and what its requirements are; they need to be with you from the start of planning right through to the final moving day.

A leased broadband line can take three to six months to put in place, and the broadband needs to be live before your company moves in.

I have found the office space for my business; what now?

Your IT team will assess and work with you on the next steps.

Does the new office have all the sockets where you need them?
Does it have sockets in all the places you may potentially need them in the future?

You will have thought about how many desks you have and the socket needs for computer equipment….but have you thought about:

Access Control
CCTV
Mounted projectors
Smart lighting
Door intercoms
Digital signage
Dual monitors

CCTV, equipment, security systems, phones and more all come under the remit of the IT team as the networking all lives in a server cabinet or in an online system.

How many telephone lines do you need?

Devices that can require a telephone line include:

A lift
Franking machine
Credit card machine
Phones

You may be able to cut down on telephone lines depending on what system you are putting in place, or you may have to increase them depending on the facilities and layout of your new office.

If you want to retain the company phone number, that needs to be on the IT team's radar so they can ensure this happens and that temporary forwarding is in place while a new network is being set up.

Who is best placed to coordinate the move and monitor equipment? The IT team!

In order to make moving offices as smooth-running as possible and prevent downtime or system issues, your IT team needs to coordinate the move.

Experienced engineers can troubleshoot for you to prevent problems making the move more of an upheaval and to ensure a smooth transition for both staff and clients.

Our top tips:

Run full back-ups before your office move.
Factor in server downtime if you do not have an IT support team that works out of hours to ensure this does not take place. Please note: If you are an EPX client, we are able to work out of hours in accordance with your need.
Ensure each employee has a labelled box for their monitor, computer, keyboard, and cables - and don’t forget to provide bubble wrap to protect screens.
Once the furniture has been delivered, label each desk with the employee who will use it so the IT engineers can set up the correct equipment on the correct desk.
If your employees are moving their own equipment across, bear in mind the extra costs that will be incurred if any equipment is misplaced or damaged.
Consider new equipment that may be required, including longer cables for equipment no longer in close proximity to a socket.
Ensure all documentation and paperwork are updated as necessary - a new office usually means updates are needed to your cyber insurance and your Disaster Recovery Plan.
Change the company address on your website and other platforms, and update your email footers. Please note: If you are an EPX client you can access software for this process.

And finally….

On the day of the move, be prepared for errors. Have an IT engineer in the room so that they can help with any problems and assist in showing employees new systems and set-ups.