Top 4 Risks of IT Relocation

Top 4 Risks of IT Relocation
By Shannon F

IT relocation is one of the most difficult parts of the office move because there are so many opportunities for it to awry. Don't make the same mistakes so many relocating businesses have made before. Check out the top risks of IT relocation below and start making smarter decision for your move!

Computers and laptops go missing. This happens more often than most companies realize, and frequently those laptops and computers have confidential information saved in their hard drives. Not knowing where this data is or what data is on what computer can be extremely damaging for a company. The first thing you absolutely need to do is inventory what files are on what computer and on what server. Knowing this will help you recover any lost data should a laptop or computer go missing.

Data loss occurs. Data loss can happen without laptops and computers going missing. It occurs most frequently because 75% of data back-ups fail, meaning when the servers and computers are assembled in the office space your data is not recovered. The data recovery system or back-up fails to operate correctly. To avoid this risk, hire an experienced IT relocator, not simply a maintenance IT worker. Have them back-up your system and run a test recovery of the data multiple times. You want to be sure that the data back-up will work when the servers and computers are set up in the new office space, so leave plenty of time to prepare and test!

To double-protect your company's valuable data, you may even want to rent a back-up server which will be set up at another location and linked to your system in event of a data recovery failure. They key is, you want no downtime whatsoever when you finally move into your new office, and IT network issues often cause the biggest setbacks.

Severs and expensive equipment are damaged. Damage to your valuable equipment can happen in a number of ways. A traffic accident involving the moving van could occur, a server could be dropped by movers, a computer could be poorly packaged, etc. Make sure that you have a contingency plan in place for these kinds of accidents. Understand what data you absolutely need for your business to operate and create a realistic timeframe for recovery of this critical data. Once you have prioritized your data, your IT experts can come up with the best recovery plan for any damaged equipment.

Broken IT equipment is not reimbursed by the movers. Most movers operate under a minimal insurance and liability clause. Typically, a business will receive 60 cents per pound of the damaged good. That means your incredibly expensive server may only be reimbursed for three of four dollars-hardly any consolation. Make sure that you can work out a deal with the movers that you equipment will be insured in full and cut any further losses their reckless handling might cause.

IT relocation is fraught with possible mishaps. Know the risks and start preparing for your office move as early as possible. The sooner you start considering the options, the less likely any five of these moving disasters will occur.

If you have more questions about IT relocation, check out MoveMyBiz.com's free IT resources at http://www.movemybiz.com/it/it-relocation.

Or check out our comprehensive eLibrary, filled with absolutely free articles, guides, and checklists to help make your office move easy and stress-free! http://www.movemybiz.com/article/elibrary

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