The thing that goes wrong on an office move is almost never the furniture. It’s the internet line that isn’t live on Monday morning. This office move IT checklist covers the handful of jobs that decide whether your team is working on day one or sitting around a stack of boxes.
It’s written for Guildford businesses, but most of it applies anywhere. The local part is the range: Guildford businesses work from everywhere between the High Street and North Street, Guildford Business Park, Ladymead and Surrey Research Park, and each building has its own way of getting connected.
Order the internet line before you sign the lease
Internet is the one item on this list you can’t hurry. A new line needs surveying, ordering and installing, and the date is set by the provider, not by you.
So ask for a realistic install date before the lease is signed, not after. If the line can’t be live by moving day, find out now, while you can still change the moving date or arrange a temporary connection.
Keep the old line running until the new one is proven. Paying for both for a few weeks is cheaper than a week of no email.
Back up everything and test the restore
Before a single machine is unplugged, you want a recent backup of your data that you know you can restore. Know and have tried are different things: a backup nobody has tested is a hope.
The NCSC’s small business guidance (Backing up your data) is clear on the basics: keep a copy that isn’t attached to your main systems, and check you can get files back. An office move is the best excuse you’ll get to do exactly that.
If your files and email already live in Microsoft 365, moving is simpler, because the data doesn’t sit in a cupboard in the old office. If you still have a server in that cupboard, a move is the moment to ask whether it needs to come with you at all.
Plan what moves, what’s replaced and what’s retired
Walk the office with a list. Every device gets one of three labels: moves as it is, gets replaced, or gets retired.
Be strict about retired. Old laptops, spare phones and the printer in the corner with a hard drive full of scans are how data leaves a business quietly. Wipe them properly or have them securely disposed of, and write down that you did.
Then check the things that don’t look like computers: the firewall, the Wi-Fi access points, the door entry system, the phone handsets, the card payment terminals. They all need power, network points and, often, someone who knows their login.
Sort phones, printers and Wi-Fi before the day, not on it
If your phones run through Microsoft Teams or another cloud system, the move is easy: the numbers follow the people. If you still have a physical phone system, speak to its supplier early, because moving numbers to a new line takes lead time you don’t control.
For Wi-Fi, don’t copy the old layout. A new floor plan means new dead spots. Get the access points planned against the new office, not guessed on the day.
Do a test on the Friday before. One person, one laptop, one printer, one call. Whatever fails will be quicker to fix with an empty office than with twenty people waiting.
Don’t let security slip during the move
Moves are messy, and mess is where mistakes happen. Firewall rules get left open because someone needed to get something working. Shared logins appear because an account wasn’t ready.
Set a rule that the new office goes live with the same protections as the old one: multi-factor authentication on, devices encrypted, guest Wi-Fi kept separate from your business network. If you hold or are working towards Cyber Essentials, remember the certification covers your network and devices, so a new office is a change to the thing being assessed (NCSC, Cyber Essentials overview).
Update your records too: the address on your insurance, your supplier accounts and the details that automated alerts and invoices go to.
Tell your team and your customers
Your team needs to know where they’re working, when, and what to do if something doesn’t work on the first morning. A one-page note beats a dozen separate messages.
Customers and suppliers need the new address, and anything that depends on your old one needs checking: card machines, alarm monitoring, the courier account, mail forwarding. None of it is technical, and all of it is forgotten more often than the router.
Decide, too, what happens to anyone working from home that week. Their laptop still needs to reach your files and systems from wherever the network happens to be that day.
Who does what on the day
Name one person who owns the IT side of the move, and give them the authority to say “not yet”. Write a short run sheet: who unplugs, who labels, who sets up each desk, and who the supplier contacts are on the day.
Label every cable and every machine with the name of the person it belongs to. It sounds fussy. It saves a lot of guessing on the Monday.
If you’re planning a move in Guildford or the surrounding area and want a second pair of eyes on your IT, we’re twelve miles away in Camberley and look after businesses across Surrey. Read more about our IT support in Guildford, or speak to Matt about your IT.
Frequently asked questions
How long before an office move should I order the internet?
As early as you can, ideally before you sign the lease. A new line has to be surveyed, ordered and installed, and the date is set by the provider. Ask for a firm install date and plan the move around it.
What should be on an office move IT checklist?
The internet line, a tested backup, a list of every device and whether it moves or is retired, phones, printers, Wi-Fi, security settings and a named owner for the day. Most of the risk is in the internet line and the backup.
Do I need to tell my IT provider about an office move?
Yes, and early. They need to know the date, the new address and what is moving so the network, security and support records match the new office.
Should I move my server when I move office?
Ask first whether you need it. If your files and email can live in Microsoft 365, a move is a good moment to stop carrying a server from one cupboard to another.
