IT Considerations When Opening a New Office

Are you planning on setting up an office in 2022? Maybe you’re expanding your office and opening additional branches or maybe you’re looking for a smaller office space. In any of those scenarios, there is one thing in common. Technology is needed.

Whether you have an IT person, a full team or it’s just yourself, you’ll need to take some time to determine your technology needs for the office space and make sure everything is properly planned. People often overlook a lot of the IT pieces and try to put them in place at the end of the move. When in all seriousness, the technology pieces need to be discussed on the front end and it’s often easier to get technology in place at the beginning. Also staging the right technology at the right time can save you a lot of money and effort.

Giving as much notice as possible and determining technology needs early in the project can help things stay on track. With inventory issues still happening and just the general installation time of a lot of things such as internet, you’ll want several months’ notice (at least 90 days) if possible. Your project manager and IT team will thank you for knowing ahead of time!

But what are some of the important pieces of IT that need to be planned? Check out this list of a few items below!

1. Network infrastructure – That includes your switches, firewall, routers, wireless access points and servers. If you currently have that equipment in your office, now is a perfect time to evaluate the setup, age and capabilities of each one.
   • Is your equipment end of life? If so, you’ll need plenty of time to order new equipment. 
   • Do you need to reduce or increase the amount of equipment you have?
   • It’s also good to make sure you dispose of any old equipment properly.

2. Internet – Did you know that sometimes internet can take anywhere from 30 to 90 days to get installed? This should be one of the first vendors you contact once you know you’re moving into new office space.
   • Determine what type of internet you need and what speed you’re looking for.
   • Find out what kind of service is available in your building and what carriers are available. Depending on the setup and location, the carrier might need to have some construction done to get their internet into your building.

3. Network Cabling and Outlets – If your building is a brand new office space, you’ll want to make sure the cabling is done early on.
   • Do you know which offices will have phones in them?
   • Do you know where your copiers, scanners and printers are going?
   • Do you have outlets strategically placed where desks might go?
   • Where is your IT closet going to be?

4. Phones and Communication – This is similar to internet and could take some time to get installed.
   • Are you upgrading your phones? If so, you’ll need to make sure you decide on a vendor well before the move.
   • Are you keeping your existing phone number? If you’re changing phone vendors or carriers, you will need to port your number if you plan to keep it. That can sometimes take up to 30 days. You can also setup a forward on your phone number.
   • Do you have a fax number? Make sure you’ve addressed how you will be faxing in the new office. Depending on your setup, you may need to also port this number or setup a forward.

Of course, there are several other components to moving into an office space such as occupancy certificates, furniture and don’t forget the people! The key is to plan with enough time ahead to ensure that you’ve covered the items that can get your business up and running.

Make sure that after you move, you have time to test your technology prior to opening. Your IT provider or person can help you test the following items:

• Test your phone system to make sure you can make outbound and inbound calls.
• Make sure your current phone numbers and fax numbers are routed correctly.
• Verify internet connection in the offices and make sure you can connect to your Wi-Fi.
• If you have onsite server, make sure you are connected and can access your data.
• Test your printers and copiers and make sure the right people are connected to the right devices.

Not involving IT early enough in an office move can result in delays and can often cause downtime. Giving yourself enough time to plan is crucial to the success of getting technology installed.  Have more questions or thinking about setting up a new office? Invicta Partners is happy to be a local resource for you! Call us at 423-664-8700 or email us at sales@invictamsp.com!