Moving office is a logistical headache that usually starts with furniture and floor plans, but it is the IT setup that determines whether you can actually work on Monday morning. If the internet isn't live or the phones don't ring, the nicest ergonomic chairs in the world won't help your bottom line. We have seen moves where everything was packed perfectly, but the business sat idle for two weeks because they forgot that a leased line takes months, not days, to install.
An office moves and IT relocation project requires a timeline that starts at least three months before the vans arrive. This guide breaks down the technical dependencies you need to manage to ensure your staff can plug in and get straight back to work.
Why the internet is your longest lead time
Connectivity is the most common point of failure in an office move. You cannot assume that because the previous tenant had broadband, you can simply 'turn it on'. If you require a dedicated leased line for guaranteed speeds and uptime, the lead time is typically 60 to 90 working days. Even a standard FTTP (Fibre to the Premises) installation can be delayed by wayleave agreements, which are legal permissions required if a provider needs to cross someone else's land or modify a building.
We recommend auditing your new site's connectivity options before you even sign the lease. Check if the building is 'lit' by major providers. If it isn't, you need to place your business broadband order immediately. If you rely on a specific phone number, you must also start the porting process early. Moving a number between different exchanges or providers can take 10 to 15 working days, and any errors in the administrative data will reset that clock.
Assessing the physical infrastructure
Once the contract is signed, you need to look at the 'bones' of the new office. Do not trust a floor plan that shows data points; you need to see them. Most modern offices use Cat6 cabling, which supports Gigabit speeds. If you find old Cat5 cabling, it may limit your network performance.
Check the comms room or the area where the rack will sit. It needs adequate ventilation and enough power sockets for your switches, routers, and servers. A pattern we see on most relocations we manage is that the 'cabled' office actually has several broken ports hidden behind desks, which only get discovered on Monday morning when a PC won't connect. Testing every port before the furniture goes in is the only way to avoid running messy cables across the floor later.
This is also the time to plan your Wi-Fi. Thick walls, lift shafts, and even neighbouring networks can create dead zones. A professional signal survey will tell you exactly where to place access points to ensure full coverage. If you are installing Networking, Wi-Fi and CCTV, ensure the cabling is pulled to those high-level positions before the ceiling tiles are closed.
Moving hardware without the headache
An office move is the best time to audit what you actually own. If you have old servers rattling away in a corner, consider whether you need to move them at all. Many businesses find it more cost-effective to undergo cloud migration and server decommissioning rather than paying to move, insure, and re-configure physical hardware that is nearing its end of life.
For the hardware you are keeping, labelling is critical. Every PC, monitor, and peripheral should be labelled with the user’s name and their new desk location. We suggest bagging the cables for each workstation separately. There is nothing more frustrating than having 20 PCs on desks but no power leads because they are all at the bottom of an unmarked crate.
If you use a Business VoIP system, the physical move is simpler, but you must ensure the new network is configured to prioritise voice traffic. Without 'Quality of Service' (QoS) settings on your new router, your phone calls might drop or sound robotic whenever someone starts a large file download.
The financial cost of a botched move
To understand why this planning matters, model the cost of a 'bad' move. Take a hypothetical 25-person firm where the average staff cost is £30 per hour. If the internet is down or the network is misconfigured on Monday morning, you are losing £750 per hour in wages alone. By lunchtime, that is £3,000 gone. This does not account for lost revenue, missed client calls, or the reputational hit of being 'offline' for a day. Spending a few hundred pounds on an extra day of engineering support to test everything on Sunday is an easy investment to justify.
Five mistakes we see on move day
- The 'Storage Cupboard' Comms Room: Placing the server rack in a small, unventilated cupboard that is also used for coats and boxes. The kit will overheat within hours.
- Forgotten Printers: People remember the PCs but forget the heavy multi-function printer needs a specific data point and often a static IP address to work.
- Mismatched Patch Leads: Using old, damaged cables to connect new switches, leading to intermittent 'ghost' faults that are hard to diagnose.
- Door Access and CCTV: Moving the IT but forgetting that the door entry system or the security cameras need to be integrated into the new network.
- No On-Site Support: Assuming staff can set up their own desks. Someone always plugs a phone into the wrong port or loses a mouse dongle.
The definitive office IT relocation checklist
12 Weeks Out
- Audit current IT inventory and decide what stays and what goes.
- Check connectivity at the new site (Leased line, FTTP, SoGEA).
- Order your internet line (the lead time starts now).
- Review your phone system and start the number porting process if needed.
8 Weeks Out
- Conduct a site survey of the new office for cabling and Wi-Fi.
- Arrange for any new data points to be installed.
- Finalise the floor plan with desk numbers and user names.
4 Weeks Out
- Confirm the 'Go Live' date with your internet provider.
- Audit your backup system; ensure you have a full, off-site backup before the move.
- Notify your IT support provider of the move dates to book engineering time.
1 Week Out
- Label all hardware and cables clearly.
- Test the internet connection at the new site if the provider has delivered it.
- Brief staff on the shutdown and startup procedure.
Move Weekend
- Gracefully shut down all servers and network equipment.
- Physically move and re-rack equipment.
- Patch all desks and test connectivity for every port.
- Test the phones, printers, and any shared drives.
Day One
- Have IT support on-site for 'floor-walking' to help users with login issues.
- Verify that the backup system is running correctly in the new location.
Frequently asked questions about office IT moves
Can I just move my existing broadband router to the new office? No. Broadband is tied to the physical phone line or fibre circuit at your current address. You must place a new order for the new premises. Even if you stay with the same provider, they will treat it as a new installation with its own lead times and hardware.
How long does it take to port our business phone numbers? Typically, it takes 10 to 15 working days, provided all the information on the Porting Authorisation Form (PAF) matches exactly what your current provider has on file. Any discrepancy, such as an old office address or a slightly different company name, will cause the request to be rejected.
Should we replace our hardware during the move? If your PCs or servers are more than four years old, it is often more efficient to replace them during the move. This avoids the cost of moving obsolete kit and ensures that when staff arrive at the new office, they are working on faster, more reliable equipment.
How Black Sheep Support handles the heavy lifting
We manage office moves for SMEs across the UK, taking the technical burden off your internal teams. From auditing your new site's cabling to managing the ISP and ensuring your Wi-Fi actually reaches the boardroom, we make sure the 'IT stuff' just works. We also handle hardware, broadband, mobile and networking, not just security, providing a single point of contact for the entire move.
If you are planning an office move and want to ensure you don't lose a single day of productivity
and we'll help you map out a bulletproof relocation timeline.
Not ready to talk yet? Run our free IT Health Check to assess your business risk and security posture before you start the moving process.
Want this handled for you? See Managed IT support.
Based in Brighton or Hove? We are too: see IT support in Brighton.
