AnnexA4Annex Planning and software
Office IT relocation in Toronto and the GTA
We plan and run the technology side of an office move: internet ordered early, the network, servers and phones moved over a weekend, and every desk tested before your staff walk in on Monday.
- Internet ordered early
- Network, servers and phones moved
- Cutover over a weekend
- Every desk tested before Monday
The part of an office move that can stop the business
Movers can shift forty desks in a weekend. What they cannot do is make the internet work in the new suite, bring the server back up in the right order, or move your phone numbers. Those jobs have lead times measured in weeks, and they depend on landlords, carriers and software vendors who do not work to your moving date.
When an office move goes badly, the cause is almost always one of a handful of things: the internet line was ordered too late, the network cabinet in the new space had no power or cooling, a server was bumped around on a truck, or a system quietly stopped working because something was tied to the old address. Every one of those is avoidable with enough notice.
We plan and run the technology side of moves for offices of 5 to 250 people across Toronto, Mississauga, Vaughan, Oakville and the rest of the GTA. Our aim is simple: staff leave on Friday, come back on Monday to a new office, and work.
The countdown, from lease signing to Monday morning
The earlier we see the new space, the cheaper and calmer the move. These are the dates that matter, counted back from moving weekend.
| When | What happens | Why it cannot wait |
|---|---|---|
| As soon as the lease is signed | We walk the new space: telecom room, power, cooling, where the riser comes in, which carriers already have fibre in the building | A building with no fibre to your floor changes the plan, and the landlord’s answers take time |
| About three months out | Internet ordered, with a second line from a different carrier if you need one | A new fibre build into a building can take many weeks, and carriers do not speed up for moving day |
| About two months out | Data cabling, the network cabinet, power and cooling designed and booked with your cabling contractor | Cabling goes in before ceilings close and furniture arrives |
| About six weeks out | Phone numbers and porting planned, new equipment ordered, after-hours building access booked | Firewalls, switches and phones can have supply delays, and porting runs on the carrier’s schedule |
| Two weeks out | Every device listed and labelled, backups tested, software vendors told about the new address | Some licences, portals and banks are tied to an office IP address and need notice |
| Moving weekend | Systems shut down in order, network gear and servers moved by us, rebuilt, tested desk by desk | Servers and network equipment should travel with technicians, not on the moving truck |
| Monday morning | A technician on site from opening time | The small things, like a printer that will not scan, get fixed before they turn into tickets |
Moving sooner than this? Call us anyway. A tight move needs more decisions made quickly, such as temporary 5G internet while the fibre is built, but it can still go smoothly.
What moves, and what should be replaced at the move
A move is the cheapest moment you will get to retire old equipment. Everything is being unplugged anyway, and the new office does not have to inherit the old office’s compromises.
Usually worth moving
- Servers still under warranty and on a supported version of Windows Server
- Firewalls and switches that still receive firmware updates
- Laptops, docks and monitors
- Network storage with healthy drives
- Recent Teams-certified desk phones and headsets
Usually better replaced or retired
- A firewall past its support date, or one sized for a smaller office
- Unmanaged switches and consumer Wi-Fi routers
- An old phone system and its copper lines, which our phone system migration page covers
- A file server near the end of its life, often by moving files to SharePoint before the move
- Desktop towers that could be laptops, so the next move is easier still
Old equipment that will not come with you is wiped before it leaves your hands, and we can arrange certified disposal so client data does not end up on a resale shelf.
The things that get forgotten until Monday
These are not the big jobs. They are the small dependencies on the old address that nobody writes down, and each one has stopped a business on its first morning somewhere.
| Item | Why it bites |
|---|---|
| 9-1-1 address on your phone lines | An internet phone line sends the address it was registered with. If that is still the old office, emergency services go to the wrong place |
| Your office IP address | Banks, payroll portals, software vendors, remote access and email filters often allow only your old address. The new one has to be added before the move, not after |
| Alarm, fax, elevator and door entry lines | Many still run on copper lines, which may not exist in the new building or may need a different device |
| Scan-to-email on printers | Copiers store mail server settings and sometimes the old IP range, so scanning silently stops |
| Software licensed to a machine or address | Some accounting, design and practice management software checks the hardware or network it was installed on |
| Wi-Fi network name and password | Keeping the same name means every laptop and phone reconnects on its own. Changing it means visiting every device |
| Payment terminals and postage meters | They often have their own line or settings, and the provider needs notice to move them |
| Site-to-site links and remote access | A second office or staff at home connect to an address that is about to change. See our VPN support page |
Why servers and network gear travel with us
Movers insure furniture. They do not know that a server needs a clean shutdown, a tested backup and a cushioned box, or that the order you start things up in matters.
Before anything is unplugged
A full backup is taken and a test restore is done, so a server that does not survive the trip is a delay rather than a disaster. Every cable in the cabinet is photographed and labelled at both ends.
On the road
Servers, storage and network equipment are packed by our technicians, in original boxes where you still have them, and transported by us rather than in the back of the moving truck.
In the new cabinet
Equipment goes back in a sensible order with room to breathe, on battery backup that has been tested under load. Systems come up in sequence: firewall and internet, then switches, then servers, then everything that depends on them.
Before anyone arrives
Each desk is tested for network, phone and printing. You get a new network diagram and a list of everything that changed, which also makes the next audit or insurance form far easier.
Opening a second office, or starting from scratch
Not every project is a move. Opening a second location, adding a warehouse or setting up a brand-new business raises the same questions with a different twist: how the new site connects to the first, whether it needs a server at all, and how people sign in at both.
Most new offices we set up today have no server room. Laptops are managed through Intune, files live in Microsoft 365, and the site needs little more than good internet, a firewall, switches and Wi-Fi.
If you are still choosing between spaces, we are happy to look at the shortlist with you. The state of a building’s telecom room and the carriers already in it are worth knowing before you sign.
Relocation projects we quote
Every relocation is quoted as a fixed price after we have seen both the old office and the new one. Equipment, carrier charges and cabling are quoted on their own lines, so you can see exactly what the move itself costs. If you would rather start with a list of what you own and what is due for replacement, an IT assessment gives you that before the planning begins.
- Office move for a small team, one weekendFixed quote
- Office move with servers and a network cabinetFixed quote
- Second location connected to your head officeFixed quote
- New office set up from an empty suiteFixed quote
- Temporary internet while fibre is installedFixed quote
- Old equipment wiped and disposed of with certificatesFixed quote
Questions people ask
How far ahead should we plan the IT side of an office move?
Ideally three months or more, mainly because of the internet line. A new fibre installation can take many weeks, and cabling has to go in before furniture arrives. Shorter moves are possible, sometimes with temporary 5G internet until the fibre is ready.
Can our office move happen over a weekend without downtime?
For most offices, yes. Everything is planned and ordered in advance, systems are shut down on Friday evening, moved and rebuilt over the weekend, and every desk is tested before Monday. A technician is on site when staff arrive.
Should the movers move our server?
We recommend they do not. Servers and network equipment need a clean shutdown, a tested backup, careful packing and the right start-up order. Our technicians pack and move them separately from the furniture.
Will our phone numbers change when we move?
No. Numbers can be kept and moved with you, whether you stay with your current provider or move to a new one. The 9-1-1 address registered to each line has to be updated so emergency services go to the new office.
Is a move a good time to replace old equipment?
Usually, yes. Everything is unplugged anyway, so replacing a firewall past its support date, an old phone system or an ageing server costs less in disruption than doing it later.
Do you handle the data cabling in the new office?
We design the network and coordinate with your cabling contractor so the cabling, the network cabinet, power and cooling are ready in time. Our work is the equipment, the systems and the move itself.
What happens to the equipment we leave behind?
Anything leaving your hands is wiped first. We can arrange certified disposal with a certificate for each device, so client and employee data does not end up on a resale shelf.
How is an office relocation priced?
As a fixed price after we have seen both offices. New equipment, carrier charges and cabling are quoted on separate lines so you can see what each part costs.
Tell us what’s going on
Pick how urgent it is and leave a way to reach you. The help desk replies by phone or email. If work has stopped, call 647-812-3775 instead.
Something broken, or something to plan?
For anything urgent, call. A technician answers the emergency line 24/7. For everything else, open a ticket and tell us what is going on.