6 Tips for Moving Your Office Computers
Every Cheltenham office has them. Every place of work in the Gloucestershire area relies on them. Whereas 20 years ago you wouldn’t have to worry about moving these objects, nowadays it is all too common. If you are moving to a bigger office in Cheltenham or you are downsizing to a more affordable place, you will have to move your computers. And computers can be difficult to relocate. They are fragile, and they contain important data. But if you make a comprehensive plan for moving your IT equipment you will get everything to the right place with the minimum of stress. Here are some things to consider before you move.
1. Use a Specialist
Unless you are trying to save every penny and are moving alone (which is not necessarily recommended in the case of office moves) you will be hiring a removals company. Consider that office moves, when they include IT equipment, are different from home moves so you need to use a specialist in commercial moves. For professional removals Cheltenham provides a number of different options – shop around to see which one suits your needs in terms of features and budget.
2. Make Sure You Have Insurance
Check with the removals company what level of insurance they include with their removals package. For example, companies like http://www.andrews-removals.com offer a full level of insurance but other places may not. Considering that your computers are probably the most valuable of your office contents, make sure they are covered in the insurance plan.
3. Back Up Your Files
For small offices zip drives, portable hard drives or flash drives are the most accessible means of storing files. You can also store documents in a cloud drive, which removes the risk that the portable hard drive will be damaged too in transit. Keep flash drives, pen drives and hard drives in a metal lockable box and include the instruction manuals and software disks for start-up in the box too for safe keeping. Make sure that you take out any disks that are still in the computer before you shut it down. Additionally, an on-site shredding service can help you dispose of all of your sensitive documents safely and securely. For document shredding Lynchburg call 1st Choice Shredding.
4. Transport Computers in Their Boxes
Hopefully you will have the original box the computer came in, so you can use this to transport the computer to its new location. If you do not have the box, use specialist computer transportation packaging – the removals company will be able to supply this. You will also need Styrofoam inserts to make sure that the monitor is safe and that the hard drive is protected from knocks and jolts during transit.
5. Use a System for Dismantle and Set-Up
If you are doing all the IT set-up yourself, make it easier to remember which cable goes where by adding small pieces of coloured tape to correspond the plug with where it goes. Or take a photo of the computer plugged in before you take out all the wires.
6. Store Cords Carefully
Once you have worked out where everything goes later, take out all the wires and coil them carefully, keeping them with the computer in a plastic bag or box.
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