As things currently stand, 2020 is looking to be a year of major disruptions. At the root of this are the health concerns caused by a global pandemic, but subsequent disruptions and damages are likely to impact most areas of business. However, in the face of such a crisis, businesses should continue to operate as much as possible, to make the most of a difficult situation and to keep losses to a minimum. Time spent away from the office can mean there is extra time to lead online meetings and consultations, to review business strategies and plans for the future.
As each enterprise grows, certain changes need to be made that give extra space for a larger workforce and expanded operations. Many new technologies allow for extra scalability, but a new office that offers more physical space is often needed. For those businesses that need to find a new centre of operations, it may be wise to find IT relocation experts while there is more time available for planning. The process of a business move is all too often overlooked, with numerous challenges presenting themselves at the worst possible time. Here are some of the issues that should be considered first.
Budgeting
Planning for the various financial expenses that an office relocation will incur will probably come at the top of the list. This is something that is not that easy to plan and manage, given that costs are often just projections and therefore subject to considerable change.
The first problem is that quotes from contractors can be inaccurate and give a false impression of the overall budget. Added to this, there are often a number of costs that do not reveal themselves in the planning stages. These could include service charges that are not shown on the first look at a new lease. Such issues require potential tenants to be extra vigilant when making new agreements, and carefully plan for all possible expenses.
Planning
For any office or IT relocation, probably the most important task is planning. Aside from being within budget, the new office needs to be suitable for all current office needs, but also take into account all of the new or potential operational activities the company will assume on new premises. In this way, a relocation will account for scaling in the present and in the future.
Planning should be carried out with a timeframe and a checklist for every activity, to allow for everything to be easily tracked and followed. IT support is always on hand to assist with IT relocations, and this is in both the planning stages and for the actual move.
IT upgrades and renewals
In the age of rapidly growing cybercrime, the use of old or outdated systems leaves businesses with a higher amount of vulnerabilities that are open to a range of cyberattacks. The newest and best software and hardware systems act to safeguard against cyber-attacks, just as ensuring that security updates are received reduces vulnerabilities. A shocking 60 percent of data breaches were a result of patches for vulnerabilities that were available yet had not been applied.
Office relocations offer the perfect opportunity to renew and upgrade on old IT systems, offering the business a chance to grow and scale, improve on efficiency and productivity, and take security measures to the next level.
Logistics and security
Naturally, a central consideration to any IT relocation is logistics, as existing IT systems and equipment need to be fully functional in a new location. This process can be fraught with difficulties, such as finding there are no places to install servers or individual phones in the new office. Cables need to be of sufficient length for the new space, and bandwidth must be adequate to meet your business requirements.
Another factor to consider is IT security. Cybercrime has become the world’s most expensive form of crime in recent years, even exceeding narco crimes in terms of financial transfers. Contrary to popular belief, small businesses are the ones most affected by these crimes. Businesses should be even more cautious at the time of an office relocation when the disruption in operations could reveal a vulnerability to be later exploited. As should always be the case, security measures must be kept to the highest level.
Downtime
It may be quite easy to forget, but an important consideration could be the number of hours that the business will be offline during the move. Of course, this should be kept to a minimum, but a period of time when the site will be down and clients and customers are unable to get through may be unavoidable. It may be possible to manage some things remotely, but some kind of disruption should be expected. One way of making this process easier could be to carry out the relocation over the weekend.
With careful planning, budgeting and consideration given to common areas of difficulty, an IT relocation can be easily managed. Without this approach, relocation could be disruptive, challenging and time-consuming. In a new location, a business has the chance to relaunch with new equipment, new staff and a fresh outlook. With the right assistance, moving offices can be handled smoothly, and the company can look forward to a new future in a new space.