I’ve had more than one conversation with a client that started like this…“Oh, by the way, we’ll be moving our office in two to three months.” This should be music to my ears since we’re in the business of supporting our client’s technology needs. However, office relocation can easily become a painful experience. We often encounter issues with the availability and variety of data communication providers at the client’s new location. In spite of the perceived availability of high-speed data communications, it isn’t always that easy.

Case in Point

Hurricane Ike convinced one of our clients that a proper disaster recovery plan required moving all servers and the PBX to a colocation facility, so as to not disrupt the company’s worldwide operations and other processes. To support both immediate needs and future plans, it turned out that the required bandwidth was more than could economically be provided by bonding a couple of T-1 circuits.

The problem we encountered was provisioning the appropriate high-speed circuits between the company’s new office location and its colocation facility. In spite of the fact that the new location is an office building more than twenty years old, it was never provisioned with anything other than copper circuits.

We researched and located multiple carriers who offered the necessary bandwidth at attractive rates.

The problem?

Right of Entry.

It seems the building owner was reluctant to provide authorization to any new carriers to install the necessary fiber circuits. Five months into the negotiations between the carrier and the building owner, it now looks like a deal is imminent.

Why is it taking so long? I’m sure some of it is on the carrier’s end, but it appears that far more of it can be attributed to the building owner.

The Lesson Learned

Data communications availability is every bit as important as the included allowances for electricity and air conditioning. In spite of the seeming ubiquitous nature of cable and fiber, not every building has been provisioned or “on net,” as the various providers call it.

Knowing the vendors already in the building and the types of services they have provisioned goes a long way towards avoiding considerable pain later. Particularly since this information allows right of access to be negotiated with building management and the building owner along with the underlying office space.

Consider all aspects of a move while in the planning process to avoid being left disconnected.

What are some of your war stories from office relocation?