Short answer: start the IT side of an office move eight weeks out, because business internet in Greater Portland can take four to six weeks to install and nothing else works without it. Order the circuit first, then cabling, then the firewall and Wi-Fi design, then phones. Take a full, tested backup the week before, move over a weekend, and have everything working before staff arrive Monday. A move is also the cheapest moment you will ever have to replace the server, the firewall and the phone system, because the disruption is already paid for.
First published in 2018, rewritten October 2026 with a timeline and current Portland-area specifics.
| When | What |
|---|---|
| 8 weeks out | Order internet at the new address (fiber where available: FirstLight, Fidium, GoNetspeed; Spectrum cable as fallback). Ask for the install date in writing. |
| 6 weeks out | Site walk: count desks, printers, phones, Wi-Fi coverage needs; plan network drops and the rack or closet. Book the cabling contractor. |
| 4 weeks out | Decide: keep the server, replace it, or move to cloud. Order any new hardware (lead times are real). Design firewall, VLANs, guest Wi-Fi. |
| 3 weeks out | Phones: port numbers or move the VoIP system; confirm e911 address with the carrier. Update the address with vendors and in Google Business Profile (schedule for move day). |
| 1 week out | Full backup of server and workstations, restore-tested. Label every cable and device. Print the cutover plan. |
| Move weekend | Internet live, firewall and switches up, Wi-Fi tested, server or cloud reachable, printers mapped, phones ringing. Walk every desk. |
| Week after | Fix stragglers, decommission the old site (wipe retired drives), update the address everywhere it was missed. |
What should we order first?
The internet circuit. Everything else on the list depends on it, and it has the longest lead time: a new fiber or cable installation to a commercial address in Portland, South Portland, Westbrook or Scarborough routinely takes four to six weeks, longer if the building needs construction to bring service in. Get the install date in writing and have a backup plan (a cellular failover on the firewall is cheap insurance) in case it slips.
Do we need new cabling?
Usually some. Older buildings have Cat5 runs that top out at gigabit, missing drops where the new desks go, and a “closet” that is a shelf in a storage room. Have a licensed low-voltage contractor pull new Cat6 to every desk, printer, access point and conference room, terminated in a proper rack with a patch panel. It costs less than you expect and it is the one thing that is almost impossible to fix after the furniture is in.
Should we move the server or move to the cloud?
A move forces the question every business eventually faces. If the server is under four years old, in warranty and running software that needs it, move it (powered down, in your own car, not the mover’s truck). If it is older, this is the moment: either replace it or move the file shares to SharePoint or a cloud server and retire it. Our cloud decision guide covers the trade-offs, including the engineering-firm case where large files argue for keeping storage local.
What about the firewall and Wi-Fi?
Do not plug the ISP’s router in and call it done. A business-grade firewall with current firmware, a separate guest network, and enough access points to cover the whole floor is the baseline. Our Wi-Fi design guide explains access-point counts and segmentation. If you take card payments, keep the point-of-sale on its own network from day one; it is far harder to separate later.
How do phones move?
If you are on a cloud VoIP system, the phones plug into the new network and work, but the carrier’s emergency (e911) address must be updated or a 911 call reports the old building. If you are still on a traditional PBX or copper lines, the move is the time to switch; porting numbers takes two to four weeks, so start early. See VoIP phone systems.
What gets forgotten?
- Static IP addresses and anything pointed at them (remote access, vendor VPNs, camera systems)
- Printers’ network settings and everyone’s printer mappings
- Door access, alarm and camera systems that ride on the network
- The copier lease (and the hard drive inside it)
- Warranties and vendor records with the old address
- Google Business Profile, website footer, email signatures, invoices, and the Secretary of State filing
How does ISM run a move?
As the project manager for the technology side. We coordinate the ISP, the cabling contractor and the phone vendor, spec and order the hardware (we do not mark up equipment), take and test the pre-move backup, run the cutover weekend, and walk every desk Monday morning. For managed IT clients, most of the planning information already exists in our documentation. For everyone else it is a fixed-price project under technology consulting.
Frequently asked questions
How long does the IT part of an office move take?
Planning starts eight weeks out. The cutover itself is one weekend for most offices under 50 people.
Can we stay open during the move?
Yes, with a weekend cutover and cloud-hosted email and files. The old office stays live through Friday; the new one is live Monday.
What does the IT side of a move cost?
Cabling is priced per drop; hardware depends on what you replace; project management is a fixed quote after the site walk. Ask for all three as separate lines.
Should we use the move to upgrade computers too?
If any are on Windows 10 or over five years old, yes. Set them up at the new site rather than moving old ones twice. See our Windows 10 guide.
Cite this page: “Moving Your Business? The IT Checklist for an Office Move in Greater Portland”, Information Systems of Maine, Portland, ME, updated October 2026.
Planning a move? Request IT help or call 207-653-4143.
