Your IT equipment.
It’s SO important to your business — and it needs special love and care when you’re moving.
How much care and attention should your moving company pay to the process?
Well, sometimes people write poetry to show they care, so we’ll give it a shot. Here’s a “moving” poem about the IT equipment moving process:
Your IT equipment is a crucial part,
Of your business functions, so we’ve gotta be smart.
When we move it to another location,
We must plan for removal and data migration.
Backup your data, pack what’s there ,
Label well, and handle with care.
Let’s plan ahead and prepare for the move,
To keep our equipment in a good… groove.
Okay… so *maybe* it needs work, but hopefully you get the idea. We might not be definitely aren’t poets — but we do take extra care in handling your technology.
Handle with Care
IT equipment moving can be a challenging task, especially if you have sensitive data on your servers. The whole process requires planning — from the security implications of who’s touching the equipment, to the inventory of devices, and the packing and relocation.
The process of moving your IT equipment can be divided into three phases: pre-move planning, disconnecting and packing.
Pre-Move Planning
Security
When it comes to IT equipment moving, it’s important to know who’s handing your servers — and why! There can be security implications for all the phases of the move — including disconnecting devices, unmounting equipment, moving the tech, and setting up at the new location. That’s why it’s essential to work with a moving company that has the expertise to handle devices securely.
Appleton has experience with government and military moves, and our techs go through the security clearance processes and training to handle sensitive data.
And even if you don’t have classified information on your servers, we still work with our clients to prioritize data safety through system and data backup. We recommend that all our clients keep their data backed up offsite to protect against unexpected events (like power outages or fiber line cuts) that can cause data loss.
Data backup is one kind of insurance we encourage during the IT equipment moving process, but we also recognize the value of insuring your equipment against damage.
At Appleton, we want our clients to be confident that they’re covered in the case of server damage.
Inventory
At Appleton Moving Company, we follow a comprehensive pre-move planning process, including a thorough assessment of the move scope. This evaluation helps us to understand the types and number of pieces to move during the IT equipment moving process as well as create a detailed inventory list of all the items. By working closely with our clients, we’re able to document the necessary information about the equipment BEFORE we start the move.
Disconnecting and Packing
Disconnecting Equipment
When it’s time to start packing, you might not have an internal IT team or IT provider who’s available to disconnect your cables and equipment. Appleton’s technicians are trained and qualified to handle your business’s IT equipment and can disconnect and reconnect your tech.
Packing
When packing up equipment, we use what’s needed to keep it safe. This can include specialized techniques and packing materials like foam packing and anti-static materials to protect your equipment during transport — and our team is trained to handle all types of equipment (from desktop computers to server racks).
Moving
For the ride to its new location during the IT equipment moving process, we take all the necessary precautions to secure your IT equipment on our moving trucks with multi-point straps. Our trucks are equipped with air-ride suspension and lift gates to keep your valuables safe during transport.
Unloading and Setup
Once we arrive at your new location, we’ll unload and set up your IT equipment. Our trained techs can connect the power and network cables and test the equipment to ensure that everything is working properly.
We can also help you with data migration from your old servers and computers to your new equipment.
And if you need disposal services for your unneeded tech, we offer eco-friendly disposal with our e-waste management. For secure devices, we remove and drill holes in your hard drives (to make sure they’re inactive) before disposing of them and recycle materials whenever possible!
Actions Speak Louder than Words
We started with a (bad) poem to explain how much care we take with IT equipment — but hopefully our attention to detail and planning are the real evidence of our love (for expertly moving your IT equipment).
IT equipment moving requires careful planning and thoughtful execution. At Appleton Moving Company, we understand the importance of your IT equipment and provide comprehensive services to get your technology where it needs to go.
If your business is moving, make sure your moving company is trained and equipped to handle your technology with care. Contact Appleton today to find out how we can help with your IT equipment move.
