Business relocation and expansion decisions are among the most important ones company executives have to face. The rapid advances in information and communications technology over the past few years have dictated a change in the attitude towards working practices, employment patterns and, subsequently business relocation.
When moving a business, small or large, IT relocation strategy matters. Many businesses can not afford to be off their computers for more than a couple of hours. The process of relocation involves the difficult task of packing and a risky affair of moving. The IT department is often called upon to coordinate an internal department move, help relocate a remote office, or be involved in an entire company move. But IT and communications relocation are far more than just disconnecting, packaging and moving equipment. Among most common reasons of business moving disasters are: poor planning, lack of understanding of all of the essential IT components and services that are required and inability to develop a realistic and practical timeline. Many times a decision to move is dictated by availability of space, contract obligations and a desire to minimize the time of operation in multiple locations during the transition.
A smart move strategy involves detailed planning for new network connectivity, voice and video communications at the new location, testing systems as they come up, and so on. New network configurations are required, WAN circuits almost always have to be coordinated with some degree of flexibility in delivery time frames, new PCs and printers may have to be purchased, configured, and installed, new phone connections set up, and so on. Vendor management may require vendor evaluations, LOAs and great degree of coordination.
VoIP Hosted PBX and other cloud computing services such as remote or virtual desktops can become a real backbone of any relocation project providing agility in the relocation timeline. When an infrastructure item or WAN circuits delivery schedule falls apart, availability of VoIP Hosted PBX, Hosted (Cloud) Desktop services and Remote Desktops can literally save the day and ensure business continuity by maintaining productivity and minimizing employee downtime during the move. They allow simultaneous operation from multiple locations. Such flexibility greatly impacts the project management of a move planning.
Cloud service is one of the hottest topics of discussion in the technology sector today. According to the experts, it’s expected to have a tremendous, “game-changing” impact on how IT is delivered in the future – particularly to service industries. Until recently, many potential users were leery of the Cloud because of privacy, security and stability issues. Many still are. Others are waiting to see how their competitors manage their information in the cloud.
It is clear, however, that Hosted PBX and Cloud Computing services change what once was a daunting task of technology relocation for business by safeguarding its continuity from logistical failures – a benefit that can be easily recognized by anyone who had to deal with it in the past.