Before You Move Your Business

Before you sign a lease at the new location, speak with your Internet provider to confirm they can deliver service to that address. There is a possibility they may not, or they might need several weeks to install. Only your Internet provider will know for sure, so get answers before you make any big decisions. If you do need a temporary option, LTE offers a dependable and affordable alternative to wired Internet circuits and delivers a truly redundant solution to keep your business up and running.

Make sure to notify your telephone system vendor well in advance of the moving date so they can make arrangements to transfer the system and give you an estimate of cost. They typically need two to three weeks of lead time to schedule manpower and gather materials. If your phone system is old and outdated, you may want to consider whether it makes more sense to invest in an upgrade rather than paying to transfer. Many businesses use a move as an opportunity to invest in a whole new cloud based VoIP phone system.

Not all buildings are cabled for phones and Internet so make sure the infrastructure you need is in place. Depending on your lease agreement, this may be either yours or the landlord's responsibility.

Pinpoint and label the proposed location of all telephones, fax machines, networked computers, printers, scanners, network copiers, wireless access points, time clocks, and any other network appliances. Be aware that climate-control and security are key factors in the positioning of IT and Telco equipment. Label all staff desks/cubicles so your vendor can place phones correctly. If the new space is already cabled, compare your floor plan needs with what already exists to ensure cables and jacks are where you need them to be.

Moving a data network may involve changing public IP addresses. Your IT vendor should look at cabling (either existing or plans for new) to make sure there are provisions for all your IT equipment. If you have a Cloud Hosted Phone System or a premise-based VoIP phone system, then you'll need the LAN in place before you can turn up the phones.

Determine how you plan to handle telephone calls, faxes, and e-mail during the migration. If your move is local, you may be able to get dual service for a week. If the move is not local, you can set up forwarding on your main number and send calls to a voice mailbox or cell phone.

If the move requires a telephone number change, decide how you want to handle the old numbers. Most phone companies will forward calls for a period of up to one year. Contact your phone service provider to make sure that this is possible for all published numbers (fax, private lines…).