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Office move guide · Canada · EN / FR

Sequence the IT before the furniture arrives, not after.

Ce guide est aussi tenu en français. Déménagement de bureau →

An office move is usually planned around the lease date, the movers, and the furniture delivery. Internet installation lead times, cabling, and phone number porting run on a different, often longer clock—and they are the items most likely to leave a new office without a working network on day one.

The decision to enable

Decide the IT sequence for a move—what to order first, what depends on what, and what would leave staff unable to work on the first day—before the moving truck is booked.

Order connectivity before anything else

New internet service at a new address can take weeks to install, especially where new cabling or a new circuit is required. Confirm the provider’s realistic lead time immediately after the lease is signed, not once the move date is already fixed.

  • Provider-confirmed installation lead time, not an advertised estimate
  • Whether the building already has usable cabling or needs new runs
  • A fallback connectivity option if installation slips past the move date

Sequence cabling and network setup before desks are placed

Network cabling, access points, and switch placement are far easier to plan and install in an empty space than around furniture that has already arrived. Confirm the cabling contractor’s timeline against the connectivity install date, since one commonly waits on the other.

Plan phone continuity as its own line item

Number porting to a new address or a new system has its own lead time and its own risk of an incoming-call gap during cutover. Decide explicitly how incoming calls are handled during the transition window, rather than assuming the old and new systems will simply hand off cleanly.

  • Number porting lead time confirmed with the current and new provider
  • How incoming calls are covered during any gap
  • Who tests the phone system before staff arrive, not after

Confirm day-one readiness before moving day, not during it

Test internet, Wi-Fi coverage across the actual floor plan, printer and phone function, and access badges or door codes before staff show up expecting to work. A move that succeeds logistically but leaves people unable to log in creates cost and frustration that has nothing to do with the movers.

Decision frame

What leadership should be able to verify.

These criteria do not produce a score. They expose the questions that need resolution before a responsible decision.

CriterionUseful signalLeadership question
Connectivity timelineInternet installation lead time is confirmed by the provider, not assumed.What is the provider’s confirmed install date, and what happens if it slips?
Cabling sequenceNetwork cabling is planned and installed before furniture arrives.Does the cabling timeline actually fit before the move date?
Phone continuityNumber porting and incoming-call coverage are planned as their own task.What happens to an incoming call during the cutover window?
Day-one testNetwork, phones, and access are tested before staff arrive, not discovered after.Has anyone actually tested the new space before moving day?

Practical scenarios

The same discipline applied to different decisions.

The lease is signed with a move-in date six weeks away

Situation: Leadership wants staff working from the new space in six weeks, and internet installation has not yet been ordered.

Useful response: Contact the provider immediately for a confirmed lead time—if it exceeds the available window, decide now on a temporary connectivity option rather than discovering the gap during move week.

Boundary: This guide does not select a specific internet provider or guarantee any installation timeline.

Furniture and desks are delivered before the network is cabled

Situation: The moving schedule placed furniture in the space before the cabling contractor had access to run new network lines.

Useful response: Treat this as a sequencing failure to correct for future moves, and work with the cabling contractor on the least disruptive way to complete the work around existing furniture now.

Boundary: This guide does not perform physical cabling work or select cabling contractors.