Technology moves

Computers, Internet, IT, Technology

Well, the whole office moved really, this weekend.� And in a rare moment of quite, surrounded by not quite as many boxes, I thought it was about time I added a new blog post.� Can you tell things around here have been a little busy?

So, a couple of tips for moving your technology (which I really should write up as a free report, but with content slightly better than just off the top of my head):

A) Backup, backup, backup:� Always ensure you have a current, valid, tested backup before you move critical equipment like laptops and servers! That includes a system state backup for Windows Servers.� Might take you a bit of time, but if anything gets upset about being moved, you�ll thank me for this one.

B) Voice Over IP: Apart from the wonderful cost savings (if you can get the quality right with decent VoIPgear AND a decent internet connection, preferably with �Quality of Service�), VoIP is so wonderful when you are moving premises.� No longer are you at the mercy of the phone company to disconnect/reconnect or allocate a new number, but as soon as your internet connection is live, just plug in your VoIP and phones and away you go!

C) Cable guy: If your new office needs any cabling, get yourself a quality, approved cable guy.� Our network takes one internet feed and splits into two networks � one for customer PCs and one for our server and office domain.� Looks fairly straightforward on paper yet my husband can create it from scratch without a drawing.� Invaluable.� Minimal downtime.

D) Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3:� Test that EVERYTHING works .. phones, email, printer etc etc.� Dont take for granted that just because you can browse the internet, you can send/receive email.� Technology can be fussy like that.

With our entire�business dependant on our internet connection (website, email, phones, downloads etc) this was the first priority of the move.� If we had to put up with boxes or sit on the floor on Monday morning, at least we would be operational if our connectivity was sorted.� Kind of the IT equivalent of setting up the bed first when you move into a new house!

If your future contains any plans for moving, good luck!

-SCuff