A move also affects your telecommunications services. On its page about switching providers and keeping your number, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) states that you might need to get a new phone number "if you move to a different province or 'local calling area'," and advises not to cancel your service before you switch to the new provider. These points should be checked before you sign anything.
Short answer
You describe your current premises, your new premises and your systems: your request is reviewed by the Courtier TI team, then entrusted to the IT services company that will prepare your quote. The schedule, the cutover plan and the tests are set with you.
What the quote should cover
- A visit of the new premises and an assessment of cabling, the technical room and power
- An inventory of equipment to move, replace or retire
- Coordination with the Internet provider and the phone provider
- The cutover plan: order of operations, responsibilities, rollback plan
- A verified backup of data before disconnection
- Dismantling, transport, installation and reconnection of equipment
- First-day tests and a technician available for start-up issues
The steps of an IT office relocation
- Visit of the new premises and inventory of current systems
- Ordering the Internet connection and phone services for the new address
- Preparing the new premises: cabling, technical room, power, Wi-Fi
- Writing the cutover plan and choosing when to disconnect
- Verified backup, labelling, dismantling and transport
- Installation, reconnection, tests and employee support on day one
Internet and phones: start early
The Internet connection is often hard to plan. The installation lead time at the new address depends on the provider and the building: ask for it in writing as soon as the address is known, and plan a temporary solution if the connection is not ready in time. Also check equipment that depends on your public IP address, such as remote access or the firewall.
For your phone numbers, the CRTC states that you might need new ones if you move to a different local calling area, and invites you to contact your provider if you are unsure. It also notes that service disruptions, including to 9-1-1 services, can occur while a number is being transferred. If your phones run over the Internet, update the service address: the notification text the CRTC suggests for local VoIP service providers states that if your account information has not been updated, 9-1-1 calls may be misdirected to an incorrect emergency response site.
Cabling and preparing the new premises
Have the new premises visited before signing off on the layout plans. The visit checks the location of the technical room or network cabinet, the number of network outlets per workstation, power for equipment, ventilation and Wi-Fi coverage. Cabling is ideally done before furniture and partitions are installed.
If cabling work is required, ask the company doing it for its Régie du bâtiment du Québec licence number and the subclasses it holds. The RBQ recommends checking a contractor's licence before hiring them for construction work, and its list of specialized contractor's licence subclasses includes 17.2, Contractor – Intercommunications, telephone and surveillance.
Inventory, backup and cutover plan
The inventory shows what moves, what is replaced and what is retired. A move is often the time to get rid of old equipment or to move a server to a cloud server. Retired devices must be wiped properly: according to the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security's publication ITSAP.40.006, a factory reset does not truly delete data.
Before any disconnection, make a full backup and check that it can be restored. The Centre's baseline cyber security controls call for backing up systems that contain essential business information and ensuring they can be restored effectively (BC.7.1). The cutover plan describes the order of operations, who is responsible for each, the tests to run and what to do if something does not work. It also states the planned interruptions: a serious quote announces them rather than promising there will be none.
During transport, equipment holding personal information remains your responsibility. Quebec's Act respecting the protection of personal information in the private sector requires reasonable security measures given, among other things, the sensitivity of the information and its medium (s. 10): have the quote specify who transports servers and computers, and how.
Day one in the new premises
Plan a test list before employees arrive: Internet access, Wi-Fi, printing, inbound and outbound calls, a test call following your provider's instructions, access to files and applications, remote access. Ask for a technician to be on site or reachable to fix start-up issues, and for the network documentation to be updated with the new configuration.
Questions to ask yourself before requesting a quote
- What is the moving date, and how much leeway do you have if the Internet connection is not ready?
- Are the new premises already cabled, and in what condition?
- Which equipment moves, and which could be replaced or retired?
- Are you staying in the same local calling area?
- Which systems must work from the first hour in the new premises?
- When can you disconnect: evening, weekend, a closure day?
Pitfalls to avoid
- Ordering the Internet connection at the last minute
- Cancelling a phone service before the number transfer is complete
- Forgetting to update the IP phone service address for 9-1-1
- Disconnecting the server without a verified backup
- A quote promising a move with no interruption at all
- Recycling old devices after a simple reset
What to specify in your request
- The current and future addresses, and the planned moving date
- The number of employees, computers, printers and servers
- Your current Internet and phone providers
- The state of cabling in the new premises, if you know it
- Floor plans of the new premises, if available
- Critical systems and possible times for disconnection
You can then describe your project: the team will contact you to clarify your needs and provide a quote.
Frequently asked questions
When should we start preparing an IT office relocation?
As soon as the new address is known. The Internet connection and phone services are often the first items to order, because their installation lead time depends on the provider and the building. Ask for that lead time in writing.
Can we keep our phone numbers?
Often, but not always. According to the CRTC, you might need new numbers if you move to a different province or local calling area. Do not cancel your current service before the transfer is complete, and check with your provider.
Will the move happen without any interruption?
A move almost always involves an interruption, if only the time to disconnect, transport and reconnect. The cutover plan should state the planned interruptions and the time chosen to reduce them, such as an evening or weekend.
What should we do with our old equipment?
Have it wiped before recycling or reselling it. The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security states that a factory reset does not truly delete data, and describes methods such as secure erase or physical destruction.
Is a licence required to cable the new premises?
Ask the company for its Régie du bâtiment du Québec licence number and the subclasses it holds, then check them in the Licence holders' repertory. The RBQ recommends this check before hiring a contractor for construction work.