Moving office is a complex task and must be carefully managed to avoid costly mistakes. A poorly coordinated office move can have a significant impact on bottom line sales so it is important to dedicate enough resource to the project to ensure it runs smoothly. As a project manager, hiring a good removals company will minimise risk and ensure you have access to professional advice and support throughout your move. “Research and contact three moving companies that are at least accredited and approved by the British Association of Movers,” advises John Watson, Managing Director UK Services at Abels, a moving company specialising in UK and international removals.
Hiring a removals company will give you the headspace needed to focus on the other important elements of an office move such as your IT infrastructure. Relocating computers, servers and other IT equipment can be difficult since you need to connect it all again at the new location. This is not always quick or easy to do and can result in downtime. A great way for SMEs to overcome this is to use cloud computing, which essentially moves your IT services to a remote location and uses that to store your data for you to access remotely.
Let’s look at 4 ways the cloud can make your office move easier in 2017:
Minimise downtime
Cloud-based software means that you no longer need to shut down your services during an office move because you can easily stay connected with staff and customers. Ultimately, all that is required at the new office to enable your team to be working with minimal disruption is an internet connection and internet enabled devices. Data storage, backups, operating systems, applications and emails are all managed and updated by the cloud provider.
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Increased productivity
If you have multiple people working on a project simultaneously, then cloud-based software like Google Drive ensures everyone that is invited to view a document can see changes in real-time and add to the most recent version. With the team being able to access their data and applications from any location using their own devices, they could flexibly work from home or an alternative location whilst the move is taking place. This would ensure business continuity and increased productivity. It also means the team are able to still collaborate together without necessarily being in the same place.
Reduce the risk of error
Traditional IT systems are notorious for offering limited security and disaster recovery. Unsurprisingly, SMEs are finding it increasingly difficult to keep these systems up-to-date and secure. It is a big worry when moving offices to ensure all servers on which sensitive data is stored are relocated safely and backed up correctly, especially if back-ups are not performed regularly. The right cloud services remove this risk by ensuring data is stored and backed up regularly in secure ISO 27001 certified data centres.
Scalability
Cloud computing allows businesses to scale up or scale down their operation and storage needs quickly – it is very flexible. This means you only pay for the services you need and how many users you have depending on the size of the business. If you have relocated office due to plans for expansion then as the business grows, you can grow your cloud services with it.