Five factors to consider when planning Choosing Office Space

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IT Considerations While Choosing Office
Space
The search for a new office space requires a lot
of brain storming and is often the most stressful
time for a medium/ small business. It usually
involves tons of analysis, comparing various
options in terms of spatial features, facilities,
benefits, opportunities of moving in to a new
office space etc. While business owners usually
pay a lot attention to all these things, they
must make sure that they are doing their due
diligence towards the IT consideration while
choosing an office space. The business owners
must make sure that the new office space is
configured to support their existing IT needs and
future goals. They should also make sure that
their IT functions are operating flawlessly in
the new environment so that they do not face
unwanted downtime. Let us have a look at few
points that must be in your IT checklist while
choosing a new office space
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• Telecommunications After furniture, setting-up
  telecommunications requires the longest lead
  times in a move. It should be noted that, while
  relocating the telecommunications partner should
  be consulted in order to seek assistance for the
  relocation.
• Enabling Employees IT acts as an enabler for the
  employees of an organization to perform their day
  to day operations. While looking out for an
  office space, business owners should pay
  attentions towards these enabling technologies.
  They should make sure that the new office spaces
  facilitates telephone lines, space for printers,
  a UPS room, emergency power backup, HVAC
  requirements, cabling for data and voice
  transmission.

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• Wireless Needs A change in location means a
  change in office configuration which translates
  to a change in wireless access point set-up. The
  IT Department should review the number and
  placement for wireless access points in the new
  space. Since most companies prefer to keep their
  wireless traffic off their corporate LAN/WAN,
  availability of separate telecommunications
  connections to support wireless traffic should be
  included in your evaluation.
• Cellular services Once you have finalized moving
  into an office space, make sure to check for
  cellular reception throughout the floor. If you
  have company-managed devices, they usually are
  typically under a single carrier (CUG Plans) and
  you can get a clear picture how your mobile
  phones are going to work in your new office
  space. A smart move would be to ask your
  employees to poll upfront to determine which
  carriers are being used to make sure no one is
  left in a cellular desert. Cellular reception
  doesnt have to be a deal-breaker as there are
  technologies to boost carrier capabilities.

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Employee Satisfaction If the space you are
renting/ buying is brand new, there is very good
chance that prior tenants might have left behind
cabling infrastructure, power and phone jacks.
The IT Department should carefully assess the
effort for moving, replacing and adding extra
cabling and power capabilities in the new office
space. Data Center Smartly evaluate data center
requirements while looking for a new office
space. This evaluation will help you to decide
whether or not your new office space will be able
to handle your servers and network devices
efficiently and securely.
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It should also be considered that how the IT
infrastructure will align with your plans for
furniture placement as well as locations for
printers, copiers, conference rooms and kitchen
space. Considering technology needs while looking
out for new office space is an important part of
ensuring company productivity and employee
satisfaction in your new space.