Contact us for a free consultation today! officemove@aie195.com

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1 IT Relocation Schedule Moving offices? Often, relocating your IT infrastructure can be one of the most daunting aspects of the move, and it s also the most critical to business continuity. Servers, PCs, ethernet cabling, VoIP phone systems, IP addresses and routers all have to be moved carefully and set up properly in the new location. AIE has been providing office relocation services to Chicagoland since Whether relocating an existing network infrastructure, deploying new technology, or working with cloud based environments, hosted and IP voice service, servers, routers, network security, mail solutions, or back up/disaster recovery solutions, AIE is there to help. Not only do we help you move, we also manage your new network. AIE s team offers ongoing support options including on-demand support, staff augmentation, managed IT services, project-based services, and more. Serving the IT needs of Chicago and the five-collar county region Contact us for a free consultation today! officemove@aie195.com

2 One Year Prior to Move Begin evaluating location options. As you make your decision, consider the accessiblity of Internet service, what ethernet cabling changes would need to be made, and whether there would be space for your servers. Create a technology budget. Make sure you include the cost of hiring an IT consultant to help with your move. Assign an internal manager to coordinate the IT move. This can be anyone from the CIO and IT staff, to an office manager who will work with your outside IT consulting firm. Inventory all IT service agreements. If you plan to switch providers, be aware that you may need to notify your current provider as soon as a year in advance. Be sure to inventory: Internet service provider VoIP or telecom provider Lease contracts on servers, copiers, etc. IT managed services Cloud applications Line of business software Planning tip: It s important to start planning your move early, to make sure you don t miss critical steps or lose opportunities to evaluate your IT service contracts. AIE is ready to consult with you on all the initial steps of the move, including location selection and service contract inventory. Old Address Location Information New Address

3 IT Equipment Inventory Employee Workstations Printers Copiers Phones Surge Protectors Server Room Checklist Electrical (30 amp dedicated circuit) Ready Changes Needed: Cooling (HVAC w/ alarm, thermostat) Ready Changes Needed: Dimensions (Needed: ) Ready Changes Needed: Floor covering Ready Changes Needed: Secure Ready Changes Needed: Nine Months Prior to Move Inventory each piece of IT/Telecom equipment. Determine what is and isn t necessary for your new office. (See checklist to the side.) Build an IT department database of all employees. Include: Name Department Phone/extension address Computer set-up notes Any special requirements Begin planning office layout. Work with your IT provider to determine locations for the following: Power outlets, network cabling points Printers, scanners, fax machines Desks/cubicles Server room Voice/data cabling closet Planning tip: Wiring jobs are easy to mess up. Make sure cabling distances are measured exactly to avoid mistakes, and plan for extra wiring drops to make your solution flexible for future. Or, contact AIE s wiring experts to remove the worries and let us design the cabling plan for your new office.

4 Six Months Prior to Move Review moving procedures for data that requires special handling and security, particularly as it relates to HIPAA and Sarbanes-Oxley regulations. This can often be a complicated process, so consider a data security consultation with AIE. Finalize the space plan and low-voltage wiring bids. Arrange a site visit with internal IT teams and your external IT provider. Make final decisions on new equipment to be purchased. Be sure to make note of lead time needed for new orders, and plan to test all new equipment before you move. Determine internal IT move teams. Be sure to cover the following categories: Desktop Team: Break down workstations and rebuild in the new office. Printer Team: Install and configure all printers. Backup Team: Backup all data from the server and workstations prior to move. Network Team: Build racks and configure switches and routers. Planning tip: A lot can go wrong when moving your IT equipment. Rather than giving your employees the responsiblity of moving and configuring your network, consider outsourcing the moving day tasks to AIE. Upgrades to Consider If you re moving, chances are good that your business is also growing. Take the opportunity as you move to reevaluate your network and other technology. Some of the upgrades our clients consider include: New IT managed service contracts Server consolidation or virtualization Cloud migration Virtualized desktops or applications Upgrading Exchange, SharePoint, or Lync Disaster recovery planning Security policy auditing and improvement VoIP phone contracts officemove@aie195.com

5 Three Months Prior to Move Review lease and service contracts for copiers, fax machines, PCs, and servers. Determine who is responsible for moving the equipment. Your service contract may be voided if someone other than the contractor moves it or preps it for moving. Finalize your Internet service provider at the new location. Your responsibilities are greater if switching ISPs. Disconnect all leased lines, such as T1s, at the old location. Make arrangements for installing T1 lines at the new location; often, 6-8 weeks of lead time is required. Switch your and DNS to the new IP address. Planning tip: Choosing VoIP and Internet vendors can be time-consuming. AIE offers full vendor management services, designed to maximize your budget and make your relocation go more smoothly. Let us start by sourcing competitive quotes for you and discussing the wide array of VoIP and Internet options available at your new location. Finalize your new telephone systems. Be sure to consider VoIP solutions as you make your plans. Inventory every telephone number to be moved. If you have an 800-number, make sure your vendor is aware and ready for the cutover date. Review programming/routing on the phone system. Schedule the move with building management at both facilities. Reserve freight elevators, and make sure doors, hallways, ramps, and elevator doors are wide enough to accomodate all moving equipment. Consider having an elevator mechanic onsite that day.

6 Two Months Prior to Move Create a business continuity plan in case of disaster on moving day. Be sure to take advantage of AIE s experience in enterpriselevel disaster recovery planning. Overall plan A for switching Internet and phone connections, data migration, and moving of servers Master list of critical business data, classified according to priority Backup of all data servers to an offsite location Emergency contact numbers for all vendors Temporary location for continuing business operations in case of sudden delay/disaster Extra parts and cables on hand, determined by reviewing service logs from the previous year Create a color-coded labeling system to simplify packing, unpacking, and tracking of equipment. On your floor plan, number rooms, plates, jacks, desks, etc. Plan to post this next to the patch panels, and in each room of the new building. All low-voltage cables being moved should be labeled on both ends with room destinations and jack numbers, and whether voice or data. Label all end-user technology with destination location information such as room numbers and office location. This includes computers, keyboards, power cords and surge protectors, mice, monitors, etc. Phone Numbers Property Management Telephone provider Internet service provider officemove@aie195.com Website webmaster IT provider

7 One Month Prior to Move Re-confirm the moving date with all vendors, move teams, and employees. If outsourcing your IT move to AIE, confirm with us and we ll handle the rest. Make arrangements for electonics that will not be used after the move, returning leased equipment and either donating or safely disposing of owned equipment. Make backup copies of all company data systems, including firewalls and servers. Be sure to store these in an off-site location, such as a data center, where they will not be affected by the move. Remind your employees to back up their own files prior to the move. Write detailed shut-down instructions for the night before the move, making sure each employee knows to completely back up, shut down, and disconnect their workstations at the end of the day officemove@aie195.com Make moving simple and let us move your network! Script detailed configuration steps for all employee workstations, and test the steps before the move. When writing the list, assume that the end-user will be doing the configuration. Be sure you have a help desk set up to handle moving day issues. Planning tip: The physical transportation of your servers and backups is a critical part of the move. Make sure they are transported in separate vehicles, even at separate times, so that if anything happens to one, the other can keep your business running. Reduce the worries of disaster by outsourcing the physical moving of your data to AIE.

8 Moving Day If you ve followed this checklist, you already have the plan set in place. Follow it step by step, or let us handle the moving day for you. Once physical relocation is complete, be sure to test all network functions to make sure you re back in business. Ensure all equipment has been moved according to label system Check all individual telephone numbers and their location Start all servers and check to make sure data migrated Check incoming and outgoing s Check website, intranet and extranet Perform a broadband frequency test on each network connection With any relocation, even an internal one, there will likely be a few minor problems. Be prepared to have a help desk onsite to handle these and make sure the transition happens smoothly. Serving the IT needs of Chicago and the five-collar county region officemove@aie195.com Planning tip: Office relocation is only the start of your IT support needs. Once your network has been moved and reconfigured, you need someone to handle the day-to-day monitoring, help desk, and management of your network in your new location. AIE has a full array of managed IT services contracts available. Contact us today!