The Complete IT Checklist for Moving to a Serviced Office

Moving your business to a serviced office should be an exciting milestone — a sign of growth, a fresh start, or a smarter way of working. But for many UK SMEs, the reality is far less glamorous. Between tangled server cables, lost phone numbers, and email outages that stretch into day three, the IT side of an office move is where things most commonly fall apart.

We’ve supported hundreds of office relocations across London and the South East, and the pattern is always the same: businesses that plan their IT move methodically experience minimal disruption. Those that treat IT as an afterthought lose days of productivity — and sometimes clients.

This guide is the definitive IT checklist for your office relocation. Whether you’re moving from a traditional lease to a serviced office in Shoreditch, consolidating two teams into WeWork, or upgrading to a larger managed space in Canary Wharf, every step you need is here.

Why IT Is the Most Critical Part of Your Office Move

You can survive a day without your fancy ergonomic chairs. You can work from a café if the painters haven’t finished. But if your internet isn’t connected, your phones don’t work, and your team can’t access shared drives or cloud applications, your business effectively stops.

For service-based businesses — agencies, consultancies, financial services firms, legal practices — even a single day of IT downtime can mean missed deadlines, lost revenue, and damaged client relationships. A 2025 survey by the British Chambers of Commerce found that 42% of SMEs that experienced significant IT downtime during a move lost at least one client as a direct result.

The challenge is compounded when moving to a serviced office. Unlike a traditional lease where you control the building infrastructure, serviced offices come with their own network, their own switches, and their own rules about what you can and can’t plug in. Understanding these constraints before moving day is absolutely essential.

The Complete IT Relocation Timeline

This timeline has been refined through hundreds of real office moves. Each phase builds on the last, so skipping steps early on creates compounding problems later. Print this out, pin it to your wall, and tick off every item.

12 Weeks Before Moving Day

This is your strategic planning phase. The decisions you make now determine whether your move is smooth or chaotic.

1. Conduct a Full IT Audit

Before you can plan what to move, you need to know exactly what you have. This sounds obvious, but most businesses significantly underestimate the complexity of their IT estate. Your audit should cover:

Category	Items to Document	Priority
Hardware	Desktops, laptops, monitors, docking stations, printers, scanners	High
Network Equipment	Routers, switches, firewalls, access points, patch panels	Critical
Servers	Physical servers, NAS devices, UPS units, rack equipment	Critical
Telephony	Handsets, PBX systems, conference phones, headsets	High
Cabling	Ethernet runs, fibre connections, power distribution	Medium
Software & Licences	On-premise applications, licence dongles, site-specific licences	High
Cloud Services	Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, CRM, accounting software	Medium
Security	CCTV, access control systems, alarm integration	Medium
Contracts	ISP agreements, leased equipment, support contracts	High

2. Assess Your New Office’s IT Infrastructure

Visit the new serviced office with someone technical — not just the person who liked the décor. You need answers to specific questions:

• What internet speed is included, and what’s the contention ratio?
• Can you install your own firewall or router, or must you use theirs?
• How many Ethernet ports per desk, and where are they located?
• Is there a dedicated server room or comms cupboard you can access?
• What is the building’s Wi-Fi policy — shared or dedicated SSID?
• Are there restrictions on VoIP or SIP traffic?
• What’s the power provision — is there UPS backup?
• Can you bring your own CCTV or must you use the building system?

3. Engage Your IT Support Partner

If you have an existing IT support provider, they should be involved from day one. If you don’t, now is the time to engage one. At Cloudswitched, we begin every office move project with a detailed site survey and produce a migration plan that covers every aspect of your technology stack.

Your IT partner should provide:

• A detailed project plan with milestones and responsibilities
• A risk assessment identifying potential points of failure
• A rollback plan in case something goes wrong on moving day
• A communication plan so your team knows what to expect
• Post-move support to resolve any teething issues quickly

4. Review and Renegotiate Contracts

Check the notice periods and termination clauses on all IT-related contracts:

• ISP contracts: Most business broadband has a 30-day notice period, but leased lines may require 90 days
• Phone line contracts: ISDN and analogue lines (being phased out by BT by January 2027) need careful handling
• Copier/printer leases: These often have penalty clauses for early termination or relocation
• Software licences: Some on-premise licences are tied to specific hardware or locations
• IT support contracts: Check if your provider covers the new location

8 Weeks Before Moving Day

With strategic planning complete, it’s time to start making things happen.

5. Order New Connectivity

If you need a dedicated internet connection at the new office, order it now. Provisioning times in the UK vary significantly:

6. Plan Your Phone System Migration

If you’re still using traditional phone lines, an office move is the perfect opportunity to switch to VoIP. The benefits are substantial:

• Keep your existing phone numbers (porting takes 5-10 working days)
• No physical phone lines to install at the new office
• Work from anywhere — calls route to mobiles or laptops seamlessly
• Typically 30-50% cheaper than traditional telephony
• Advanced features: call recording, auto-attendant, call analytics

If you’re already on VoIP, the migration is simpler but still requires planning. You’ll need to ensure your new office’s internet connection has adequate bandwidth and that Quality of Service (QoS) settings are configured correctly on the network.

7. Plan Data Backup & Migration Strategy

This is your safety net. Before anything is disconnected, ensure you have:

• Full backup of all servers and critical data — verified and tested
• Off-site backup copy — cloud-based or physically stored at a different location
• Documentation of all server configurations — IP addresses, DNS settings, Active Directory structure
• Export of email archives if using on-premise Exchange
• Database backups for any line-of-business applications

8. Create a Network Design for the New Office

Work with your IT partner to design the network layout for your new space. This should include:

• Floor plan showing every desk position and network point
• Wi-Fi access point placement (accounting for walls, interference, and density)
• Server/comms room layout with rack positions
• VLAN structure for separating voice, data, and guest traffic
• Firewall rules and security policies
• Printer and shared device locations

4 Weeks Before Moving Day

The pace picks up now. Everything should be ordered, and you’re moving into execution mode.

9. Pre-Stage Equipment Where Possible

If your new serviced office is available early (most allow some access before your contract start date), get your IT partner in to pre-install as much as possible:

• Mount and configure network switches and firewall
• Install and test Wi-Fi access points
• Set up the server rack or comms cupboard
• Run any additional cabling that’s needed
• Test the internet connection thoroughly under load
• Configure printers and shared devices

Pre-staging is the single biggest factor in reducing moving-day stress. If 80% of the infrastructure is already in place and tested, the actual move becomes a matter of transporting equipment and plugging it in.

10. Communicate with Your Team

Your employees need clear instructions about what’s happening with their technology. Send a detailed communication covering:

• Exactly when they’ll lose access to systems (and when it will be restored)
• Whether they should take their laptop home the night before
• How to connect to Wi-Fi at the new office
• Any new passwords, login procedures, or security requirements
• Who to contact if they have IT issues on moving day
• Whether personal items on desktops need to be cleared

11. Update DNS & External Services

If your move involves a change of IP address (it almost certainly does), you need to update DNS records and any services that reference your current IP:

• MX records for email delivery
• A records and CNAME records for websites and web applications
• VPN endpoints
• Remote desktop configurations
• Third-party integrations that connect to your servers
• SSL certificates tied to specific IP addresses

2 Weeks Before Moving Day

12. Perform Final Backup Verification

Take a complete, verified backup of everything. Test the restore process. Document the backup location and recovery procedures so that anyone on your IT team (or your support provider) can restore from backup if needed.

13. Prepare Equipment for Transport

Create a labelling system for all equipment. Every cable, every device, every component should be tagged with:

• What it is
• Where it came from (desk number/room at old office)
• Where it’s going (desk number/room at new office)
• Any special handling requirements

Equipment Type	Packing Requirements	Transport Notes
Servers	Anti-static bags, padded crates, climate control	Dedicated vehicle, no stacking, secure mounting
Desktop PCs	Original boxes preferred, bubble wrap minimum	Upright only, avoid vibration
Monitors	Screen protectors, foam corners, individual boxing	Upright, screen-face protected
Laptops	Laptop bags or padded cases	Staff should carry their own where possible
Network Equipment	Anti-static bags, padded containers	Labelled cables bundled with each device
Printers/Copiers	Remove toner cartridges, secure moving parts	Keep upright, allow settling time before use
UPS Units	Battery may need disconnecting for transport	Heavy — specialist handling required

14. Confirm Everything with the Serviced Office Provider

Double-check with your building management:

• Loading bay access times and booking requirements
• Lift availability and size restrictions
• Insurance requirements for contractors on site
• Any IT installation work scheduled (is the internet live?)
• Access card or key arrangements for your IT team
• Out-of-hours access for pre-move or weekend work

1 Week Before Moving Day

15. Final Systems Check at the New Office

Your IT partner should visit the new office one final time to confirm:

• Internet connection is live and performing to specification
• All network points are active and tested
• Wi-Fi coverage is adequate throughout the space
• Power sockets are working at every desk position
• The server area is ready to receive equipment
• Phone system is configured and test calls are successful

16. Send Final Staff Communications

A clear, step-by-step email to all staff covering:

• The exact timeline: when to shut down, when systems will be back
• What they need to do with their personal equipment
• Emergency contact numbers (mobile, not office phones)
• First-day procedures at the new office
• Temporary workarounds if systems aren’t immediately available

17. Take a Final Complete Backup

Yes, another one. This is your “golden copy” — the last-known-good state of every system. Store it securely off-site. You should also export and save:

• Current firewall configuration
• Switch configurations and VLAN assignments
• DHCP scope and static IP assignments
• DNS zone files
• Group Policy configurations
• Print server settings and driver packages

Moving Day

This is where preparation meets execution. A well-planned IT move on the day itself is almost anticlimactic — and that’s exactly what you want.

18. Controlled Shutdown Sequence

Systems should be shut down in a specific order to prevent data corruption:

1. Notify all users to save work and log off
2. Shut down user workstations
3. Stop all running services on servers (databases first, then applications)
4. Shut down servers (application servers first, domain controllers last)
5. Power down network equipment (switches, then firewall, then router)
6. Disconnect and label all cables
7. Disconnect UPS units last

19. Transport & Setup

Equipment should arrive at the new office and be set up in reverse order:

1. Connect UPS units and verify power
2. Install and power on network equipment (router, firewall, switches)
3. Verify internet connectivity and firewall rules
4. Power on servers (domain controllers first, then application servers)
5. Verify all services are running and accessible
6. Set up and test printers
7. Connect and test a sample workstation
8. Verify phone system functionality
9. Only then — start setting up user desks

20. Testing Checklist for Moving Day

Test	Expected Result	Pass/Fail
Internet connectivity	Stable connection at advertised speed	□
Email send/receive	Emails flowing within 5 minutes	□
VPN connectivity	Remote users can connect successfully	□
File server access	All shared drives accessible with correct permissions	□
Printing	All printers discoverable and printing correctly	□
Phone system	Inbound and outbound calls working on all extensions	□
Wi-Fi	All SSIDs visible, authentication working, adequate speed	□
Line-of-business apps	CRM, accounting, and specialist software functioning	□
Backup system	Backup jobs configured and running for new environment	□
Security systems	CCTV, access control, and alarms operational	□

Post-Move: First Week

21. Day One Support

Have IT support on-site for the entire first day. Issues will crop up — a monitor that won’t connect, a printer that needs a new driver, a VPN that needs reconfiguring. Having someone there to fix problems immediately prevents frustration from building and keeps productivity high.

22. Days 2-5: Snagging & Optimisation

• Monitor network performance and address any bandwidth issues
• Fine-tune Wi-Fi coverage based on real-world usage patterns
• Resolve any printer or peripheral issues that emerge
• Update any documentation with new IP addresses and configurations
• Ensure all backup systems are running successfully at the new site
• Update your business address across all IT platforms and licences
• Review and update your disaster recovery plan for the new location

23. End of Week One: Post-Move Review

Conduct a formal review meeting with your IT team or provider:

• What went well?
• What caused issues?
• Are there any outstanding technical items?
• Are users happy with their setup?
• Are there any performance concerns?

What Can Go Wrong: Real Examples from Real Moves

These aren’t hypothetical scenarios. They’re actual situations we’ve encountered during office relocations across London.

The Leased Line That Never Arrived

A 40-person marketing agency in Clerkenwell ordered a leased line 6 weeks before their move. The provider quoted 45 working days. On moving day, the circuit wasn’t in — a wayleave issue with the landlord had delayed installation by three weeks, and nobody had informed the customer. The agency operated on a single 4G dongle for 11 working days. They estimated the lost productivity at £35,000.

Lesson: Always have a backup internet solution. Always chase your ISP weekly for installation updates. Always order connectivity as early as physically possible.

The Phone Number That Disappeared

A financial advisory firm in the City moved from a traditional office to a serviced space in Moorgate. They cancelled their old phone lines, assuming the number port to their new VoIP system had completed. It hadn’t. Their main business number — printed on every piece of marketing material, listed on the FCA register, and used by clients for over a decade — was released back to BT Openreach. It took 6 weeks to recover.

Lesson: Never cancel old phone lines until you’ve confirmed the port has completed. Keep old lines running in parallel for at least two weeks after the move.

The Server That Didn’t Survive the Journey

A legal firm in Holborn had their office contents moved by a general removals company. The movers stacked boxes on top of the server during transit. The server’s hard drives failed on startup due to physical shock damage. The firm’s case management system was down for 4 days while data was recovered from backup. Forensic data recovery costs alone exceeded £8,000.

Lesson: IT equipment should always be transported by specialists, or at minimum in a dedicated vehicle with proper protection. General movers don’t understand the fragility of server hardware.

The Wi-Fi That Couldn’t Cope

A 60-person tech startup moved into a shared serviced office in Shoreditch. The building’s shared Wi-Fi was fine during their site visit (when the building was half empty), but completely buckled under the load once all tenants were present. Speeds dropped to 3Mbps during peak hours. Their cloud-based development tools became unusable. They had to install a dedicated connection at emergency prices — costing 40% more than if they’d planned it in advance.

Lesson: Test connectivity under realistic conditions. Ask the building provider for utilisation data, not just headline speeds.

Cost Comparison: DIY vs Managed IT Move

One of the most common questions we hear is “Can’t we just do this ourselves?” For very small businesses (under 5 people, all on laptops, fully cloud-based), the answer might be yes. For everyone else, the numbers tell a compelling story.

Cost Factor	DIY IT Move	Managed IT Move
Planning & project management	£0 (your time)	£500 - £1,200
Site survey & network design	£0 (if you know what to check)	£300 - £600
Equipment transport	£200 - £500 (general movers)	£400 - £800 (specialist IT movers)
Network setup & configuration	£0 (your time)	£800 - £2,000
Workstation setup (per desk)	£0 (your time)	£50 - £100
Phone system migration	£0 - £500	£300 - £800
Testing & verification	£0 (if you remember)	£400 - £600
Post-move support (1 week)	£0 (you’re on your own)	£500 - £1,000
Total direct cost (25-person office)	£200 - £1,000	£4,000 - £8,500
Average downtime	2-4 days	1-4 hours
Downtime cost (at £5,000/day)	£10,000 - £20,000	£200 - £800
True total cost	£10,200 - £21,000	£4,200 - £9,300

Downtime Costs by Industry

The financial impact of IT downtime varies dramatically by sector. These figures are based on UK industry averages for a 25-person business:

Professional IT Move vs DIY: Side by Side

Serviced Office-Specific Considerations

Moving into a serviced office presents unique challenges that don’t apply to traditional leases. Here’s what you need to be aware of:

Shared Infrastructure Limitations

Most serviced offices provide shared internet, shared Wi-Fi, and sometimes shared printing. While this is convenient, it creates several issues for businesses with more sophisticated IT requirements:

• Security: Shared networks mean your traffic is on the same infrastructure as other tenants. Without a VLAN or dedicated connection, your data could theoretically be intercepted.
• Bandwidth: You’re competing with every other tenant. A neighbour running large backups or streaming video eats into your bandwidth.
• Control: You can’t configure firewall rules, set up VPN endpoints, or manage QoS on a shared network.
• Compliance: If you handle sensitive data (financial, legal, healthcare), shared infrastructure may not meet your regulatory requirements under UK GDPR or industry-specific regulations.

The Solution: Hybrid Approach

For most SMEs moving to a serviced office, we recommend a hybrid approach:

• Use the building’s internet for general browsing and guest access
• Install your own firewall (configured as a VPN endpoint) on the building connection or a dedicated line
• Run your own internal Wi-Fi network for company devices
• Keep sensitive traffic separated using VLANs
• Use cloud services wherever possible to reduce reliance on local infrastructure

Cloud Migration: The Office Move Opportunity

An office relocation is the ideal time to move remaining on-premise systems to the cloud. Think about it: you’re going to have downtime anyway. You’re going to be reconfiguring systems anyway. Why not take the opportunity to modernise?

Systems to Consider Migrating

On-Premise System	Cloud Alternative	Typical Savings
File server	SharePoint / OneDrive / Google Drive	60-70% over 3 years
Exchange server	Microsoft 365 / Google Workspace	40-50% over 3 years
On-premise backup	Cloud backup (Veeam, Datto, Azure)	30-40% over 3 years
Local phone system (PBX)	Cloud VoIP (Teams, 8x8, RingCentral)	30-50% over 3 years
On-premise CRM	Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive	Variable
Local Active Directory	Azure AD / Entra ID	20-30% over 3 years

By migrating to cloud services before or during your move, you reduce the amount of physical equipment that needs transporting, lower the risk of hardware damage during transit, and potentially eliminate the need for a server room at your new office entirely. For businesses moving to serviced offices, this is particularly attractive as server room space is often limited or unavailable.

Security Considerations During a Move

An office move is a period of heightened vulnerability for your business. Equipment is in transit, staff are distracted, and systems may be temporarily configured in less secure states. Here’s how to maintain security throughout:

Physical Security

• Maintain a chain of custody log for all equipment during transport
• Use encrypted drives for any data that travels separately from servers
• Ensure old office is cleared of all equipment, including items in cupboards, under desks, and in meeting rooms
• Securely dispose of or wipe any equipment that won’t be making the move
• Update building access credentials and deactivate old office access immediately

Cyber Security

• Change all network passwords and Wi-Fi keys at the new location
• Update firewall rules rather than copying old ones (an office move is a chance to tighten security)
• Verify that all endpoint protection is active on every device after the move
• Test your VPN with new IP addresses and update any IP-based access controls
• Conduct a vulnerability scan of your new network within the first week
• Update your cyber insurance policy with your new address and any infrastructure changes

Essential Contacts & Resources

Keep these details accessible (not on a computer that’s being moved) during the relocation:

Contact	Why You Need Them	When to Call
IT support provider	Technical issues during move	First point of call for any IT problems
ISP (old & new)	Connectivity issues	If internet isn’t working at new site
Serviced office building manager	Facilities and access	Loading bay, lifts, power issues
Phone system provider	Call routing issues	If phones aren’t working
Domain registrar	DNS changes	If email or website routing fails
Key software vendors	Licence reactivation	If software detects new hardware/location
Insurance broker	Cover during transit	Before the move & if any damage occurs

The Cloudswitched Approach to Office IT Moves

At Cloudswitched, we’ve refined our office IT relocation process through years of experience supporting London businesses. Our approach is designed to make the technology side of your move completely stress-free.

How We Work

Phase 1 — Discovery & Planning (8-12 weeks before): We audit your current setup, survey the new office, identify risks, and build a detailed migration plan. You’ll know exactly what’s happening, when, and who’s responsible.

Phase 2 — Preparation (4-8 weeks before): We order connectivity, pre-configure equipment, design your new network, and handle all the technical procurement. We coordinate with your serviced office provider so there are no surprises.

Phase 3 — Pre-Staging (1-2 weeks before): We install and test as much as possible at the new office before moving day. Firewalls, switches, Wi-Fi, printers — all configured and verified before a single desk is moved.

Phase 4 — Moving Day: Our engineers manage the controlled shutdown at the old office, oversee transport, and systematically bring everything online at the new location. We don’t leave until every system is tested and every user can work.

Phase 5 — Post-Move Support: On-site support for the first day, priority remote support for the first two weeks, and a formal review at the end of week one to ensure everything is running perfectly.

Frequently Asked Questions

How far in advance should we start planning our IT move?

Ideally 12 weeks, but 8 weeks is the absolute minimum for a smooth relocation. If you need a new leased line at the new office, you may need even longer — up to 16 weeks. The earlier you start, the more options you have and the less you’ll pay for rush installations.

Can we move over a weekend to avoid downtime?

Absolutely, and we recommend it for most businesses. A Friday evening shutdown with Saturday setup gives you Sunday as a buffer day for any issues, and your team arrives Monday to a fully working office. Weekend moves do typically cost 15-25% more due to out-of-hours labour, but the productivity savings far outweigh the extra expense.

What if our new serviced office won’t let us install our own network equipment?

This is increasingly common. Solutions include using a managed SD-WAN overlay, a dedicated VLAN from the building provider (many will configure this for an additional monthly fee), or in some cases, a separate internet connection brought in specifically for your business. We assess the options during our site survey and recommend the best approach for your needs and budget.

Should we upgrade our equipment during the move?

An office move is the ideal time to refresh ageing hardware. Rather than paying to carefully transport old equipment that’ll need replacing within a year anyway, invest in new kit that’s delivered directly to the new office. This also reduces transport costs and eliminates the risk of old equipment failing during or shortly after the move.

What about data protection during the move?

If you handle personal data (and under UK GDPR, you almost certainly do), you have a legal obligation to ensure data security during transit. This means encrypted drives, secure transport, chain of custody documentation, and immediate secure disposal of any redundant equipment containing data. We handle all of this as standard in our managed move service.

Your Office Move Starts Here

An IT office move doesn’t have to be stressful. With the right planning, the right partner, and the right checklist, you can relocate your entire technology stack with minimal disruption to your business.

Whether you’re moving 5 desks or 500, whether you’re going from traditional to serviced or upgrading to a larger space, the principles in this guide will keep your move on track. But if you want the peace of mind that comes from having experienced professionals handle every aspect of your IT relocation, we’re here to help.