Moving offices? You’ve certainly got a lot to do. Of course, you and your employees may not be experts on everything. That’s why we’ve assembled a list of questions regarding network cabling basics for office relocation that you will need to be able to answer before you complete your office move. As an office in the midst of a relocation process, you have unique opportunities to upgrade or increase the capability of your current network infrastructure at a time when network cabling implementation would not disrupt normal work.
When Do Different Stages of the Office IT Relocation Need to Be Finished?
- When are you planning on moving offices? If you plan on moving offices within the next 60 days, you have to be sure that all of the time-sensitive plans are in place. There are phone lines or T1 lines that need to be installed, and some require at least 30 or 45 days’ notice before installing a new line. Don’t wait until two weeks before the move to hire a cabling contractor, only to find that they can’t finish the job for another two weeks because the proper lines are not in place.
- When do you want to have the new office up and running? Is there a week of downtime between leaving the old office and being ready to go in the new one? Or do you need to be fully network-capable the very next day? These are important things to consider when planning and implementing your office IT network. How much time do you have to accommodate unforeseen issues or problems that result from improper planning and installation?
- When should we hire someone to help us? The more you delay, the more likely you are to find that something has been overlooked that is time-sensitive. If you aren’t 100% sure that you and your employees are capable of handling network cabling implementation, then the earlier you call a cabling contractor for moving offices, the more smoothly your office move will go.
Where is Your Office Moving To?
- Where is Your New Office? Are you moving from a city office to a more suburban one? Or from a more rural area to a city office? Your cabling needs (and capabilities) may differ from the old office to the new one based on availability. If you had an office running on fiber-optic internet, you may not have that same capability in the new location. How are you going to bolster the network capability of your new office with this change? Or are you now going to have access to fiber in your office? How does that change your network cabling implementation strategy?
- What is Your New Office Space Like? Is the office established in its construction, or is it still in the building stages? How easy will it be to access wall, floor, and ceiling space to run cables? If you’re moving into a newly constructed space, how long will the office move take based on the construction projections?
- Where are the Heating and Cooling Units in Your New Space? This is very important to know. If your cabling will be running along with areas that share space with heating and cooling units or ducts, you need to be sure that your cabling material is fire-retardant. If this is an issue, is there another way to run the cables?
What Do You Need for this Office Move?
- Do You Plan on Upgrading Your Systems? If the answer is yes, then that leads to additional questions. What kind of equipment will you need? How much does that change the type and amount of cabling you will need when moving into the new office?
- How Much Have You Planned? And how much can you? We definitely recommend at least having a simple network diagram for your new location, but the more detailed you can get, the easier your office move will be.
- What Network Organization Will You Need? Do you have enough server racks? Are the cables going to be hanging down? Can you minimize clutter and interference?
- Do You Have an Inventory of Office IT equipment? Do you need one? How about a before and after? What will you do with any equipment you replace and no longer need?
- What is Your Budget for this Office Relocation? This is a big one. You need to know how much is available and how much you are willing to spend on this move. That can inform all of your (and your contractors if you hire one) decisions about how to move forward in this office relocation project.
We know your head is probably swimming with questions now, but this is where the questions get easier.
Why Is All of this Required for an Office Move?
If you are looking for network cabling basics for your office relocation, chances are, you may not be an IT infrastructure expert. If that’s the case, then you need to know how to answer these questions and prepare accordingly to prevent needlessly extending your company’s downtime between leaving the old office and moving into the new one. When companies take shortcuts in the planning phase, they often miss crucial components of their infrastructure installation, and the result is often a heavily extended move time. In short, proper network infrastructure planning will save you a lot of time and money during an office move.
How Do You Handle All of This and the Other Facets of Your Office Relocation?
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, one option is hiring a cabling contractor to help with your company’s IT infrastructure planning and network cabling implementation. A cabling contractor for office moves has more extensive knowledge about office relocation projects, including what to expect and what to avoid. As far as what to expect from your cabling installer, they will ask you the aforementioned questions and help you answer any that you aren’t sure about. They will also want to begin the IT on-site survey process so they can become acquainted with your new location and its IT infrastructure needs. They’ll be able to guide your company through the entire process, starting with cabling basics up through the most complex details of office IT relocation.
Who Should You Trust to Help with Your Company’s Office Relocation?
If you’re looking for an office infrastructure relocation company, look no further than Arrieta Logistics inc. We are experts in network cabling solutions for office relocation. We’ll partner with you to get your new office location up and running in your timeline and within your budget. Give us a call at 1 (866) 414 7760 or fill out our online contact form to start streamlining your office move today!