Office moves
How far ahead should we involve IT in an office move?
Ninety days is comfortable. Sixty is workable. Thirty means overnight shipping and overtime.
Answered by Pete Weigel, Partner
Sunk cost is real. A backup server you bought last year deserves a plan before it goes in a dumpster because a move made it convenient.
Server or cloud, honestly Gold Star survey"Draven responded fast and took care of the request right away. Great service!"
Amy, insurance agencyMeet DravenNinety days
Enough time to order the internet circuit, which is the item that decides everything else. Enough to walk the new space with the electrician and put network drops on the plan before the drywall. Enough to build a new server or firewall in our shop, port the phone numbers on a chosen date and move on a weekend with nothing shipped overnight.
Sixty days
Workable. The circuit order becomes urgent on day one, some things get done in the wrong order, and there is less room for the carrier to miss a date. Most of our moves happen in this window and go fine because the checklist is written.
Thirty days
It can be done, and we have done it, but it costs more. Overnight shipping on hardware, overtime on the weekend, a temporary internet connection because the real one is not ready, and staff working around whatever did not make it. Call anyway. Thirty days with a plan beats thirty days without one.
Before the lease, ideally
The very best time is before the lease is signed, when we can tell you whether the building has fibre, where the carrier's equipment is, and what it will cost to cable. That conversation has changed which building a client chose more than once.
Where we did this
Order the internet circuit the week the lease is signed. Carriers take six to twelve weeks. Nothing else on a move fails as often.
The relocation checklist From the shopEvery piece of gear we ship was configured and tested on a bench in Pell Lake first. Problems found here cost an afternoon. Problems found in your server room cost production.
The second-host storyPeople also ask
Should the server move with us?
If it has years of life left, yes, carefully. If it is due for replacement, replace it into the new building rather than moving it twice. We will tell you which.
The full answerWho orders the internet at the new building?
We do, in your name, the week the lease is signed. Carriers take six to twelve weeks and the order is the most common thing to fall through the cracks.
The full answerCan our phones keep the same numbers?
Almost always. Porting takes planning; we schedule it so the old office stops ringing on the right day.
The full answer
"Mike C. was spot on. Needed assistance setting up a software license with a third-party vendor. Mike was on time for the pre-arranged meeting and completed the install with no issues. After the install the vendor commented on how easy it went. Mike knew where everything needed to go and facilitated his end without flaw."
Jarad, HVAC contractorMeet Mike- A technician who knows your setup takes every request. Not a dispatcher, not a queue.
- Every closed ticket is surveyed and a partner reads every response.
- 99.5% of surveys come back positive.
- Family-owned since 2005. 21 years in the same corner of Wisconsin, not going anywhere.
"Another great job by Midwest IT. Our company just loves your fast response to our issues."
Client, 2024 surveyMoving in the next year?
Start with a complimentary relocation assessment. We will walk the space with you.
Talk to a partnerTalk to a partner, not a sales script.
Tell us what is going on. A partner will call you back the same business day, look at what you have, and tell you honestly whether we are the right fit. No pricing pressure, no pitch deck.