Opening or moving an office: a technology timeline that works

Most office moves are planned around the lease, the build-out and the furniture. Technology is often treated as the last step: plug in the computers and go. In practice, the internet circuits, cabling and network are on the critical path. If they start late, move-in day slips, or people arrive to an office that does not work.

This is the sequence we recommend. Your lead times will differ by building, carrier and scope, but the order rarely changes.

Who needs to be in the room

Technology for a new space touches several trades and owners. Bring them together early:

General contractor. Sets the construction schedule, including the date walls close.
Electrician. Provides power for the telecom room, racks, workstations and ceiling-mounted devices.
Landlord or property manager. Controls riser access, roof rights, building rules and after-hours work.
Internet providers. Deliver the circuits. They often have the longest lead times of anyone involved.
Furniture vendor. Determines where power and data reach desks and benching.
Security and AV vendors. Cameras, access control, and conference room systems all need cabling and network ports.
Your own team. Someone who can make decisions on headcount, layout and budget.

The most common gap is that nobody owns the whole technology scope. When cabling, network, phones and systems each have a different vendor, the handoffs are where schedules slip.

The sequence

1. Survey and requirements

Walk the space with the floor plan. Record headcount and growth plans, workstation layout, printers, phones, conference rooms, Wi-Fi coverage needs, and any cameras or access control. Note the building’s existing pathways, risers and demarcation point, where the carrier’s service enters.

2. Order internet service first

Request circuits as soon as the address is confirmed. Carrier installation can require construction or permits outside your control. If the business cannot operate offline, plan a second circuit from a different provider, ideally on a different physical path into the building.

3. Plan the telecom room

Decide where the network equipment will live before the design is final. The room needs dedicated power, cooling or ventilation, a lock, and space for growth. Location matters. Under the TIA-568 cabling standard, an installed horizontal run is limited to 90 meters, with a 100-meter total channel including patch cords. A large or long floor may need a second telecom room to keep every outlet in range.

4. Design the network

Turn requirements into drawings and decisions:

Drop counts and outlet locations for every desk, printer, camera and access point.
Access point placement from a predictive wireless design.
Cable category. If you are planning for current Wi-Fi, see our note on Wi-Fi 7 cabling readiness.
Rack layout, switch port counts and Power over Ethernet budget.
A labeling scheme, agreed before the first cable is pulled.

5. Build the bill of materials and order early

Switches, firewalls, access points and battery backup units can have their own lead times. Order once the design is approved, not after cabling is done.

6. Cable during construction

Rough-in cabling has to happen before walls and ceilings close. Coordinate with the general contractor and electrician on pathways, sleeves and fire-stopping where cables pass through rated walls. Adding a missed drop after drywall costs far more than adding it on paper.

7. Stage the network off-site

Configure switches, firewalls and access points before they arrive. Label everything to match the drawings. Test the configuration on a bench, so installation day is about mounting and connecting.

8. Install, test and commission

Certify every cable run with a qualified tester and keep the results. Install and power up the network. Validate Wi-Fi coverage with an on-site survey. Test failover between internet circuits, and confirm battery backup behavior.

9. Cut over

Port phone numbers, move printers and shared devices, and update anything that depends on the old location. Give staff a short day-one checklist. Have someone on site for the first morning.

10. Close out

Do not accept the project as finished until you have the documentation (see below).

What to demand at handover

A finished office should come with a closeout package you can hand to any future technician:

Test results for every cable run, tied to its label.
Label map showing each outlet, its patch panel port and its switch port.
As-built drawings reflecting what was actually installed, not the original design.
Rack elevations and photos of the telecom room.
Device configurations, backed up and stored securely.
Credentials for every device, handed over through a secure channel.
Warranty and support details for cabling and equipment.
A signed punch list confirming open items were resolved.

Without this package, the next change to the network starts with guesswork.

Why move-ins slip

Internet circuits were ordered late.
Design decisions were made after walls closed.
No one planned the telecom room, so equipment ended up in a closet with no cooling.
Network equipment was ordered after cabling was finished.
Several vendors each owned part of the scope, and nobody owned the whole.

A short checklist

Address confirmed and circuits requested
Telecom room location, power and cooling agreed
Drop counts, access point locations and labeling scheme approved
Equipment ordered against an approved design
Cabling scheduled before walls close
Network staged and tested off-site
Every link certified, Wi-Fi validated, failover tested
Closeout package received and reviewed

Planning a move or a new site?

If you are early in the process, our Site Technology Planner turns a few details about your space into a preliminary scope you can share with your team. When you are ready, we can take the whole technology scope, from survey to closeout, as one accountable contractor. See site technology buildouts.