10 Things to Ponder Before Moving Your Office Network

Moving the office network? How hard could it be? Anybody who's ever moved the office network knows the risks and challenges associated with this colossal task. This mighty endeavour is not merely a case of logging-off, shutting down and pulling the plug.

The move requires careful, systematic planning, forethought and a little luck. The following considerations provide valuable guide ropes for hauling serious office technology.

Think of the move as the evolutionary-growth to a better network

An office move can provide the perfect opportunity to re-evaluate your IT systems, introduce new technology and upgrade your equipment.

Consider the future of your company and the flexibility your network will need as your company expands. Assess your needs and work out exactly what you will need to add to provide for your future growth.

Hire a network specialist to fine tune your systems

Obtaining expert advice helps cut corners, taking the guesswork out of what equipment you'll need, design and implementation of the network and the difficulties associated with troubleshooting.

"We take great pride in our work. As a reliable, efficient and highly specialised IT company in London, you'll be afforded the peace of mind that with us, your computers and network are in the hands of professionals" says Andrew Cruise, Managing Director of Hypercubic.

You also get an idea of what the costs will be, including the benefits of on-going maintenance and support. Planning the installation process with a professional takes the load off your shoulders and many thorns out of your side.

Save on downtime

Install the new system over the weekend, this way there will be minimal disruption to the business. Think about how many emails, phone calls and enquiries you will be missing if you move during the week. If the installation takes longer, inform clients or users in advance so they know what to expect.

One businessman reported, "Before we moved offices, we sent an email to all of our clients informing them about the move and provided all our clients with contact details. Our manager received valuable business related calls via his mobile phone thanks to this pre-planning".

Moving valuable, sensitive equipment requires care

Moving several floor-standing servers or a couple of 42u racks may take more than a fat guy with a slipped disk. Depending on the size of the server lifting the equipment may require hoists, trolleys and ropes.

A removal truck is obviously an essential part of the office move, though extra care needs to be taken concerning packaging.

Prepare for impact

Your delicate robotics need to travel comfortably between cushioned barriers, preventing devices from jarring together. Wrapping the equipment in anti-static bubble wrap shields the equipment against magnetic fields, preventing the loss of valuable data.

Equipment should ideally be placed in computer crates. Each crate should be dedicated to one complete system that is labelled for easy identification.

Think seriously about Insurance

When it involves your bread and butter being stored in digital format, ensure you have a back-up plan in case something happens during the move. Most insurance companies offer various policies for insuring computers against theft and damage.

Find out if your new building has the facilities for your network

Be sure to conduct a site survey and evaluate what your network needs are. This helps to curb overspending on equipment and identifies the best possible locations for installing access points. It also ensures that cable runs meet the local building codes.

Things just work better when cabling is installed before the move

Before the move goes ahead, the new network's cabling and network infrastructure should be in place, conveniently ready for each labelled workstation crate to be placed next to the correct plugs, power leads and phone lines.

Power On: Booting-up the network

Expect a few glitches; problems are inevitable with a new network. Hiring a professional at this point is an invaluable asset. Installation support ensures that the company can deal with any unforeseen teething problems during the initial start-up period.

Lastly, don't even think about doing it yourself

Most companies, before seeking advice from professionals, go down the DIY networking route. Unless you have a qualified team, installing a network can turn ugly and about as frustrating as unravelling 3000 feet of fishing line with one hand.

Hypercubic is a London based IT Support Company specialising in the installation and support of computer networks. Their IT support technologies help save time and effort, especially when moving a network to a new location.

---

Small Computers

Today, small form factor computers demolish the myth that bigger... Read More

Printers: What Really Happens When You Hit ?Print?

You just poured hours upon hours into a lengthy research... Read More

Ink Cartridge Recycling 101

Let's take a moment to think about the topic of... Read More

Batteries for Your Laptop

With technology advancing more every day, electronics have become smaller... Read More

A Look at Laser Toners

Laser toner is the ink for laser printers. It is... Read More

Choosing a Tape Drive

Tape drives remain the leading technology used by organizations for... Read More

Trouble-shooting Hard Drive Problems - Part 1

It is extremely important not to make or write any... Read More

Do You Feel Used by Computers?

Do You Feel Used by Computers?A look at second-user computer... Read More

How to Save Money With Cheap Computers

We all know that computers change more then any other... Read More

Buying / Selecting Computer Components

This is the step takes the most time and consideration.... Read More

Video Display

Video displays are most recent technique used in both outdoor... Read More

What Is A Crystal? And How To Test It

Crystal are use to keep the frequency of the clock... Read More

Bluetooth Basics - Bluetooth Technology Tutorial

Bluetooth BasicsBluetooth technology is nothing new, but in many respects... Read More

Review of Logitech Computer Speakers

When it comes to computer speaker systems, you have a... Read More

How to Change, Upgade or Remove an IDE Hard Drive

Hard drives - Hard drives are a little more complicated.... Read More

Buying a Plasma or LCD TV FAQs

This article focuses on frequently asked questions by buyers of... Read More

7 Steps to Cleaning the Laser Toner From Your Laser Printer

Cleaning a laser printer, fax, or copier of laser toner... Read More

Thumb Drives - Great New Technology!

The ability to easily move data from PC to PC... Read More

Nvidia Geforce 7800 GTX Review

Nvidia has done it again, with it's newest video card,... Read More

USB Key Drives - Useful Tool

There are many different names for these drives, just so... Read More

Laptop Computers Instigate Classroom Revolution!

Have you noticed that laptop computers are beginning to dictate... Read More

How To Buy The Perfect Student Laptop

If you are like most student's, money isn't exactly growing... Read More

Power Protection in the Home Theater - Use of Surge Suppressors to Guard Expensive Electronic Gear

Surge Suppressors ? A First Line of DefenseAll home theater... Read More

10 Solid Reasons To Make Your Next PC A Notebook

Notebook computers are becoming very popular. They seem to be... Read More

Rackmount Computer Keyboards

The other piece of vital equipment to accompany the rack... Read More