Three months out: the slow items
As soon as the new lease is signed, order internet for the new site and ask the provider for an install date, since new fibre connections and building work can take weeks. Check whether the new building already has fibre to your floor. At the same time, give notice on the old connection, but set its end date at least a couple of weeks after the move so you have a fallback if something goes wrong with the new one.
Visit the new premises with whoever will do the cabling and look at existing data outlets, the comms room or cupboard, ceiling space and building risers. Decide whether to reuse existing cabling or install new, and get it into the fit-out programme. If you rely on any equipment with strict needs, such as a server, large printer, security cameras or a door access system, flag it now so it can be planned rather than squeezed in.
Six to eight weeks out: decide what moves
Moving is a good moment to retire old equipment rather than carry it to a new building. Review the inventory and mark what moves, what is replaced and what is disposed of securely. An ageing server is a classic example: moving it risks a failure in transit, and it may be the right time to move its files and applications to the cloud instead. Printers on lease contracts may be relocated by the leasing company, which has its own booking lead time.
Confirm phone arrangements. If your numbers are on a cloud phone system they usually move with you without changes, but emergency service address details must be updated for the new location. If any numbers are tied to the old address or an old line, start porting them now. Order any new equipment needed for the new space, such as wireless access points, a firewall, meeting room cameras or extra monitors.
Two to four weeks out: the cut-over plan
Write a simple cut-over plan that lists each task, who does it, when, and how you will know it worked. Include shutting down equipment at the old site, packing and labelling, transport, installation, testing and sign-off. Agree who has authority to make decisions on moving weekend, and keep a list of contacts for the internet provider, building manager, cabling contractor and IT support.
Brief staff on what they need to do. Usually it is backing up anything stored only on the laptop, which should be little if files live in the cloud, taking laptops home over the weekend or packing them in labelled crates, and clearing desks of personal equipment. Tell them what to expect on the first morning and where to go for help. Confirm that the new internet connection is installed and tested before the move, not on the day.
The final week
Check that the comms cabinet at the new site is installed, powered by the electrician and ready, that cabling has been tested and labelled, and that the firewall and switches are configured. Ideally the network is up and running at the new site before anyone moves in, so moving weekend becomes a matter of carrying equipment and plugging in rather than building from scratch.
Update your address in the places that IT touches: email signatures, the website footer, Google Business Profile, online directories, invoice templates in your accounting software, and courier accounts. Confirm the backup has run successfully before anything is unplugged at the old office, so there is a known good copy of everything if equipment is damaged in transit.
Moving weekend and the first morning
On the weekend, move and connect equipment in a logical order: network first, then servers or storage if you still have them, then printers, then desks. Test internet, Wi-Fi, printing, phones, meeting rooms and key business applications. Sign in on a sample of laptops from different teams. Fix any issues before Monday rather than leaving notes for later.
Have a technician on site for the first morning to deal with the small things that always come up, such as a dock that will not detect a monitor or a desk phone that needs moving. Keep the old internet connection live for a short period in case you need to revert anything, then cancel it and collect any equipment the old provider expects back, because unreturned modems are often charged for.
After the move
Within a couple of weeks, update your network diagram and asset register to reflect the new layout, confirm that old equipment was disposed of securely with proof of data destruction, and review any issues raised in the first days. Close down accounts and services linked only to the old premises, such as building access fobs or a separate phone line for an alarm.
If you plan to move again within a few years, make a note of what went well and what did not. Office moves are infrequent enough that the lessons are usually forgotten by the next one, and a one-page record saves the next person from repeating the same mistakes with the same suppliers. Note which suppliers met their dates and which did not, because that is useful when choosing who to call next time.
In short
- Order internet for the new site as soon as the lease is signed.
- Keep the old connection live briefly as a fallback.
- Use the move to retire old servers and equipment rather than carry them.
- Build and test the network before moving weekend, not during it.