The trickiest part of an office move is not the furniture — it is IT. If the network, servers, phone system and staff computers are not reconnected in time, the new office cannot operate on day one. Below is the IT checklist Network Star uses when handling relocations for Hong Kong businesses, split into before, during and after the move.

How far in advance should you plan office relocation IT?

Start planning IT 6 to 8 weeks before moving day. The longest lead time is the new office's broadband and leased line — in Hong Kong a business circuit typically takes 4 to 6 weeks from order to activation, and longer if the building has no existing fibre. Ordering early is the single best way to avoid "moved in, but no internet".

IT preparation before the move

  • Site survey of the new office: confirm the server room / rack location, power supply, cooling, floor trunking and wall penetrations.
  • Cabling plan: calculate the number of network points from the seating plan, and plan Cat 6 / Cat 6A runs and Wi-Fi AP positions.
  • Broadband and leased line orders: order early and arrange an overlap period between the old and new offices for a phased move.
  • Equipment inventory: record the model, serial number and current configuration of every server, switch, firewall, UPS, IP phone and computer.
  • Full backup: take a restorable backup of all servers and critical data, and verify the restore actually works.
  • Downtime notice: coordinate the system outage window with each department and external partners — usually a weekend or after hours.

IT tasks on moving day

The IT team should arrive earlier than everyone else. A standard sequence:

  1. Shut down in order at the old office: application servers first, then databases, then network devices — and label every cable.
  2. Transport servers and network gear in anti-static, shock-proof packaging; use a dedicated vehicle for high-value equipment.
  3. At the new office, install the rack, UPS and network devices first, and confirm power and earthing are correct.
  4. Bring up broadband and leased lines, then test external connectivity and VPN.
  5. Power on device by device and verify server services, shared folders, printers and IP phones.
  6. Spot-check network points and Wi-Fi signal at staff desks.

What to confirm after the move

  • Backup schedules, antivirus updates and monitoring are all running normally again.
  • Firewall rules, remote access and public-facing web services work.
  • Update the company address in domain WHOIS, Google Business Profile, email signatures and invoice templates.
  • Keep the old office network live for a transition period, and only surrender the lease after confirming nothing was missed.
  • Hand an up-to-date network diagram and equipment list to whoever maintains IT afterwards.

Use an IT relocation service, or handle it in-house?

If you only have a handful of computers and no physical server, internal staff plus the telco can manage it. Once a server room, servers, many network points, an IP phone system or a cross-border move are involved, use a professional IT relocation team — a single day of downtime usually costs far more than the outsourcing fee. Network Star offers end-to-end computer and office relocation and server and data centre relocation, from survey and cabling through equipment transport to bringing systems back online.