IT Infrastructure for a New Office: Office Move Checklist

An office move can interrupt sales, customer service and collections even when every computer arrives safely. Planning IT infrastructure for a new office should begin before workstation locations are finalized and movers are booked. The aim is to reach moving day with a working internet connection, a tested network and a contingency plan for delays.

You need to coordinate the renovation plan, connectivity providers and the systems employees actually use. Every dependency needs an owner, and every critical system needs a business acceptance test. This lets you base the move on infrastructure readiness as well as the key handover date.

IT infrastructure for a new office starts with mapping the work

Plan IT infrastructure for a new office around workflows and the equipment needed to support them. List workstations, meeting rooms, printers, phones, servers and access control systems, and mark their planned locations on the office floor plan. For each component, record who uses it, which system it connects to and what happens if it is unavailable. Distinguish equipment that must work when the office opens from equipment that can be connected later, so suppliers also understand the priorities.

Collect the details missing from the architect's plan: service account ownership, supplier contacts, administrator permissions and configuration file locations. Identify software licensed per user, device or server, and check whether the licensing terms require additional action when hardware changes. Copying software to a new computer does not necessarily resolve licensing requirements. Keep credentials in the organization's password management system and give suppliers only the information they need for their role, without adding passwords to the shared move document.

Create a plan that identifies an owner, dependencies and completion criteria for each task. Connecting workstations, for example, depends on completed cabling and tested switches. Decide who can approve a postponement and who authorizes remote work if the site is not ready. At this stage, 1iT can help manage and support business IT through its office IT setup and relocation service. Give everyone the same version of the plan so the electrician, network technician and operations manager follow consistent locations and decisions.

How do you confirm internet and phone services are ready?

The internet connection is ready for the move only after it has been installed at the new address and tested with business systems. Ask the provider to confirm connection feasibility, the handoff point and any work required inside the building. Arrange access to communications rooms and shared areas with building management. Establish who is responsible for the cable between the handoff point and your cabinet, and what the technician needs to complete installation. An order confirmation or a general assurance that infrastructure exists on the street is insufficient.

Choose connectivity based on simultaneous calls, file access, business applications and uploads, rather than advertised download speed alone. Request a written proposal detailing upload speed, service terms, equipment and any need for a static IP address, an internet address that remains unchanged under the service terms. If an application restricts access to the old office's address, plan and test the permission update before disconnecting. Assess an alternative connection too, and ask whether it shares physical infrastructure with the primary connection.

Map phone services separately: main numbers, extensions, call routing menus, incoming calls and devices dependent on a line. Ask the phone provider for a service transfer plan and a temporary alternative if delays occur; do not assume numbers will move automatically with internet service. Make incoming and outgoing calls and check that caller ID is correct. If the alternative uses cellular connectivity, test reception inside the office, then run a call and a business application simultaneously to establish which activities can continue during an outage.

How should you plan cabling, Wi-Fi and the network cabinet?

Plan cabling and active network equipment around the office layout, building conditions and expected load. Mark network outlets at workstations, in meeting rooms and near shared equipment, and ask the installer to document how outlets map to cabinet connections. Agree in advance on the cabling tests and the documentation you will receive. Allow for future seating changes so adding a workstation or reorganizing teams does not repeatedly require opening cable ducts or running cables through walkways.

Wi-Fi provides a wireless network connection, and its coverage needs testing in the rooms where people will actually work. Do not position access points based on floor area alone; walls, partitions and furniture affect the result. Request an initial design and a coverage check after installation, then test a video call and everyday work in each relevant area. Configure a separate guest network and verify that a connected device cannot reach the internal resources you intend to block, even if the network names already look different.

Place the network cabinet in an area with controlled access and ventilation and power conditions suitable for the equipment. Have a licensed electrician check the supply, and work with your IT specialist to determine which components need backup power. Check whether the switches can power connected equipment and whether capacity remains for planned connections. Request clear documentation of connections and power supplies, and verify that maintenance access does not require moving office storage or exposing the cabinet to everyone entering the office.

How do you protect data during the move?

Protecting data during a move requires a tested backup, control over equipment and restricted supplier access. Before dismantling equipment, confirm that the backup completed and perform a trial restoration of data needed for work. Keep a protected copy of network device configurations and document where recovery keys for encrypted devices are held. Do not ship the only backup copy together with the original equipment. A backup monitoring and recovery testing process can help assess the ability to resume work before dismantling begins.

According to the Privacy Protection Authority's guide, Israel's Protection of Privacy Regulations (Data Security), 2017 require physical protection of database systems against unauthorized entry. Databases subject to medium or high security requirements also require records of employees entering and leaving sites, and equipment being brought in and taken out. Determine the security level applicable to your database and assess the implications for transport and the new site. As an operational recommendation, prepare a handover and receipt inventory for equipment containing data.

When a supplier receives access to a database, assess whether Regulation 15 applies and arrange the engagement in line with the Authority's guide updated following Amendment 13. The guide addresses services involving database access by an external party that is not an individual, and covers risk assessment, security provisions and oversight. Do not automatically classify every mover as a supplier with database access. Define who may handle equipment, supervise sensitive work and revoke temporary permissions afterward; assess the legal classification against the actual data and service involved.

What should you test before disconnecting the old office?

Disconnect the old office after testing workflows at the new site and obtaining approval from the relevant business owners. Browsing the web is insufficient: run the accounting system, open a shared file, send a scan and join a video meeting. Compare expected and actual results and record issues by business impact. If temporary home working is needed, verify in advance that employees can connect through approved methods and have equipment and support contacts available, instead of improvising access on moving day.

In a Microsoft 365 environment, also check the network path from the new site. Microsoft recommends local internet egress and name resolution close to the egress point to reduce indirect routes to the service. Ask your network specialist to review settings against current guidance and the required endpoint list. Changing addresses or replacing a firewall can leave settings that no longer fit the new design. Make controlled adjustments and test applications without disabling security controls across the board.

Define in advance which faults prevent opening and the approved alternative for each. Before final handover, review the following checklist with team representatives and keep the results alongside supplier details. Once operations stabilize, update network and equipment documentation and remove unnecessary services and permissions. Make cancellation of old connections a deliberate decision that considers contractual commitments, available alternatives and dependencies discovered in testing, so you retain a fallback until the business is ready.

• Internet: sign in to systems, upload and download files, and test the alternative connection.
• Communications: make incoming and outgoing calls, join video meetings and operate meeting room equipment.
• Workstations: test user sign-in, file access, printing and scanning.
• Security: verify guest separation, administrator permissions and physical access to equipment.
• Operations: obtain team managers' approval and distribute work instructions and support contacts to employees.

Frequently asked questions