Office move: the network plan to close before building work

Because afterwards everything is destructive. Lease, fit-out and furniture usually come first, and IT arrives at the end, adapting to whatever it finds. The right sequence is the reverse. And there is an advantage few people take: a move is the only time you can rebuild the network from scratch without paying for extra works.

Internet. Bringing fibre to a building that does not yet have it involves infrastructure, permits and sometimes street works. Weeks, sometimes months. Check coverage before choosing the space and order the line on the day you sign.

Phone numbers. Number porting follows legal deadlines and depends on the current operator. Delaying the request means arriving at the new address without the numbers your clients dial.

We have seen companies stuck for months on temporary connections because they chose a great space with no fibre. Goodwill does not fix that.

• Server room The rack needs space, ventilation, its own power sockets and a closed door. A stuffy cupboard in the corridor causes faults for years.
• Number of network points Start from today's headcount and add headroom. During the works an extra point is cheap; afterwards it means breaking walls.
• Trunking and cable trays Routes agreed with the contractor, never improvised.
• Access points Positions come from a business Wi-Fi coverage study on the floor plan, with cable to each point, including high ceilings.
• Power A dedicated circuit for the rack and space for the UPS.
• Video surveillance and access control They share the cabling and should be in the same design.

1. Monday or Tuesday, never Friday: a fault at 6 p.m. on a Friday runs through the weekend. Early in the week, suppliers answer the phone.
2. Validate with the space empty: servers, network, internet, phones and printers working before anyone arrives. Finding a problem with forty people at the door is the worst possible moment.
3. Keep the old space for a few days: being able to fall back for a week is worth it. It is almost never used, but it puts everyone at ease.

• Trusting inherited cabling The previous tenant's may be fine or may be ruined. Certifying it first costs little.
• Planning only for today Whoever moves office is usually growing. Sizing for the current headcount is scheduling the next works.
• Forgetting the rest of the equipment Printers, time clocks and meeting rooms come up at the end, with no network point.
• IT missing from site meetings That is where cable routes and the rack location disappear.
• No documentation Without a plan or points map, the first fault starts in the dark.

DataRoad manages office moves and business networks from the first sketch with the contractor to validation on go-live day. Request a no-commitment proposal.

More than 10 workstations · support contract · remote, on-site and telephone support. +351 211 459 950 * · sales@dataroad.pt

*Call to a Portuguese landline.