Vermont Bar Journal, Vol. 40, No. 2 Vermont Bar Journal, Winter 2017, Vol. 43, No. 4 | Page 18
by Mike Servidio, TCI Technology Consultants, Inc.
TECH TIPS
Moving Mistakes
Moving your Office anytime soon?
DON’T Until you read the This Tech-Tip
first;
Moving is always a big pain for those
involved, but it doesn’t have to be a hor-
rific, expensive experience. The number
one complaint from someone who’s expe-
rienced a “bad” move is: ”I didn’t know
I needed to…” flowed closely by “I com-
pletely forgot that…” In other words, it’s
what you don’t do that makes the move a
disaster.
To make your move easy and effortless,
here are the 4 most common mistakes to
avoid:
Mistake #1 – Not using a checklist
This may seem like a no-brainer to those
who manage projects, but project manage-
ment my not be a forte of someone placed
in charge of your move (like yourself or an
office admin). Even those who use a list typ-
ically fail to make the list detailed enough.
Mistake #2 – Trying to save money by
moving your own computer network
Don’t ask your staff to disconnect, move
and reconnect computers, phones and oth-
er devices just to save a few bucks. You’ll
frustrate them and end up with phones
ringing at the wrong extension, lost cables,
and workstations that get dropped ren-
dering them useless. You don’t want to let
the movers do this job either; they may be
great at moving furniture, but a network is
a lot more sophisticated and sensitive. Be
smart and hire an IT pro to pack and setup.
Mistake #3 – Not Hiring your IT firm to
review your new location for IT readiness
Don’t ask your IT firm to help setup your
network at your new location the day of the
move, or even a week before the move.
Most of the time the new location does not
have all the connections for all your work-
stations or devices and your staff will be
frustrated at the inability to work till it is
fixed. Have your IT company do a site visit
to the new location and have them make
any recommendation for changes and they
should provide a budget for the changes.
Not all IT people have the background in
dealing with facility management and deal-
ing with a move, so make sure you ask if
they have experience and references.
Mistake #4 – Not Giving Your Phone, In-
ternet and Cable Vendors Enough Advance
Notice
80% of unexpected communications,
blackouts and cost overruns on network
moves are caused by failure to properly
plan voice, data and electrical installation in
advance. Just because the prior tenant had
computers and telephones is no guarantee
that the cabling is suitable for your phone
and computer network. Advance planning
will help you avoid emergency rush fees or
band aid fixes to make things work.
Internet and telephone connections re-
quire as much as six weeks advance no-
tice to be installed, tested and ready the
day you move in. And if you are building
a new office, don’t leave it up to the build-
er to decide how many power outlets, net-
work and phone connections you will need.
Remember, changes and additions after the
walls are up are at your expense. With print-
ers, scanners, faxes, security cameras, sen-
sors and other technologies connecting di-
rectly to the network these days, the rule of
thumb of one electrical outlet, one phone
and one network connecting per employee
is woefully outdated.
BATTLE OF WITS!
Last contest, Thomas Simon outwitted us all with his “taking so long” leaf pile caption. Members are invited to bring forth their
truly dizzying intellect and join the battle of wits! We want to hear from you –take a few moments to ponder and submit! Montpelier
cartoon artist (and lawyer) Kathy Fechter has once again graciously provided us the above cartoon for our fierce competition. Sub-
mit your proposed caption to the above ‘snowmen’ cartoon to [email protected]. The deadline to submit your caption is March 1, 2018
18
THE VERMONT BAR JOURNAL • WINTER 2017
www.vtbar.org