Most Fortune 500 companies started with a single office or even a couple of folding tables in a dusty garage. For many small businesses, upgrading to a larger space or opening a second location is proof that all that hard work is paying off, that the company is taking a significant step forward.

Moving offices has always been stressful. You have to manage all the logistics of the IT Infrastructure relocation move itself without interrupting business and leaving customers out in the cold. And today, office relocation has taken on a new degree of difficulty now that most companies rely on complex Information Technology infrastructure. In addition to simple things like setting up new phone lines and broadband access, many companies have their own private servers and IT network, which has to be installed ASAP in the new location.

So how can you move your existing IT infrastructure without taking your business offline in the process? How do you deploy new hardware and software at the same time, while also taking care of the hundred other items on your Moving Day To-Do List?

A Short Guide To IT Relocation Services
Even if you already have your own team of in-house tech geniuses, IT relocation requires very specific experience. So how do you gain IT peace of mind during the big move?

Step 1. Site Visits
If you’re moving to a new office, then, of course, you’ve already checked out the new site top to bottom and inside out. However, our business IT consulting experts always review the blueprints to ensure proper placement of all cabling needs, like:

• Broadband Internet cables
• Phone systems
• Electrical wiring and outlets
• Wireless access points

Until you have a comprehensive overview of all these systems and more, it will be impossible to come up with a detailed IT relocation plan.

Step 2. Do You Need Professional Help?
If you’re already feeling lost, then don’t hesitate to call on business IT consulting experts. Our Charleston, SC IT consulting firm is often asked to provide IT relocation services, even when a company already has a computer support team of their own. Professional IT relocation services will know exactly how to research your new location and recommend the most optimal solutions for your IT and computer support needs. Then, they can help with the integration and installation of all your company’s onsite technology.

When you move to a new office, you can’t simply pack up your servers and computers in boxes and then turn them back on in the new space. You’ll need to design an entirely new network infrastructure based on the physical layout of the new location. Plus, the best business IT consulting firms can help minimize any network downtime, getting your company back online faster.

Step 3. the Design and Build Process
Once steps one and two are complete, our IT relocation experts use a “design and build” system. As described in step two, the design process involves drawing up a detailed blueprint for your new IT infrastructure needs. However, you’ll also need at least one technician on hand throughout the moving process. Moving almost always comes with unexpected surprises and annoyances, and without onsite technicians available for troubleshooting, all your best-laid plans can go awry.

Step 4. Update Network Security Management
Although we tend to imagine hackers as shadowy cybercriminals operating underground, fully 75-80% of cyber breaches come from within an organization. And businesses can be vulnerable during the relocation process.

Here’s a sobering fact: even the federal government has seen a 680% increase in cyber security breaches in the last six years — and those are just the ones we know about! The private sector is at risk too, with an estimated 57% of companies experiencing staff-related cyber breaches.

When you relocate or upgrade your IT infrastructure, take the opportunity to beef up your network security management. The best business IT consulting experts can also act as network security specialists. They can help tighten up security and put new safeguards in place to protect valuable company and customer data.

Ultimately, successful IT relocation depends on preparation.

Do you need help?

Contact us today – our technicians are ready to help you solve that problem.