THE TECHNOLOGY MOVING GUIDE FOR IT...

1 The Technology Moving Guide for IT Pros 1.800.453.6304 www.gencomminc.com

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Table of Contents

2 How to Budget Your Audio and Visual Needs

3 Involve Decision Makers for Best Results

4 How Technology Integrators Can Help in the Early Planning Stages

5 Which Technologies to Keep and Which to Upgrade

5 Choose the Right Approach for Your Business

6 Your Moving Checklist and Schedule

7 Simplify Your Move by Working with an Integrator

8 Get Started Planning Your Move

THE TECHNOLOGY MOVING GUIDE FOR IT PROS One technology misstep during a business move—like not

having internet service set up in time or losing equipment with

sensitive data on it—can throw a wrench into your productivity

or create a panic you don’t have time for. Even a misplaced

remote control or unlabeled boxes can disrupt your routine, but

ramifications can be ongoing if you discover your old technology

isn’t right for your new spaces.

Whether you’re renovating, expanding your spaces, or moving to

a new location completely, a technology move can be stressful,

time-consuming, and chaotic.

Fortunately, there are steps you can take to make a move easier

while still meeting your goals. These start with:

• Outlining team and organizational goals.

• Taking inventory of all your current technologies.

• Budgeting for all aspects of the move.

• Gathering employee and executive input.

No matter what kind of change your organization is going

through, this guide can help you prevent disruption and outfit

your spaces with the most useful technologies. Keep reading for

tips that will help you through every step of the moving process.


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How to Budget Your Audio and Visual Needs

Start budget planning as soon as you know there will be a move because much of what you decide to ultimately replace, upgrade, etc. may depend on your budget.

If you don’t have an unlimited budget—and few do—you can find ways to take care of crucial technology needs, while paving the way for later improvements.

1. Start by categorizing which technology improvements are needs and which ones are wants.

2. Create a technology roadmap with different phases. First decide what you want your technologies to look like 3 to 5 years from now. Then determine what the backbone of your technology solutions will be. From there, you can decide what you can easily add or scale later. Such an approach to meeting your technology goals delays some improvements but ensures you lay the groundwork for successful future implementations.

3. Ask your technology integrator the following questions to ensure they are experienced at maximizing your budget:

• What are realistic expectations for my budget?

• Do the solutions we’re considering scale?

• Can you help us develop our technology roadmap?

Your technology decisions will depend on your budget and plans for growth. If you move to a bigger space because the company is growing and will hire more people, you may make different technology decisions than if your team will remain the same size. Even a small price difference can become significant when multiplied by dozens, hundreds, or thousands of employees.


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Involve Executives Early for Best Results

Employees from all areas of business can provide important insight that will influence your technology purchasing decisions. However, the C-Suite has a lot of influence on the decision as they are both users and business strategists. They also have their own expectations about their company’s technology.

Considering that CEOs and Presidents are involved in 38 percent of purchases, according to Spiceworks’ 2019 State of IT© report, CEOs and other C-level executives should be involved in the buying conversation early in the decision-making process1 because if you don’t know what those expectations are, you may find yourself changing the plan late in the game. These changes can cause your project or move to run long and be over budget.

The best way to find out executive considerations and expectations is to ask—ideally in writing. Here are some starter questions you can ask executives about your organization’s audio, video, communication, and collaboration needs:

• What is our designated budget for technology?

• Who should be involved in the technology decisions?

• We are trying to solve problem x—do you agree this fits in the company’s roadmap?

• What new technology features would you like to see, and which are must-haves?

• What is your vision for growth for the company?


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How Technology Integrators Can Help in the Early Planning Stages

If you’re moving into new construction, an audiovisual systems integrator is limited in how they can set up a room once it is finished. However, if they are part of the planning process from the outset, they can help design rooms with the best placement of conduits, connections, and other details before floors, ceilings, and walls are built. This level of involvement simplifies technology integration and ensures that each space supports user goals—whether it be for collaboration, training, huddling, presentations, or something else.

Early involvement also allows systems integrators to refine the space for the best user experience, from optimizing room acoustics to planning display and control placement.

In the early planning stages, integrators can help you make decisions that impact both functionality and aesthetics. For example, it is difficult—or impossible—to hide cables, lights, or other necessary features that are added after a room is complete. They will also consider room acoustics in the design, ensuring optimal audio quality for collaboration—which is important because problem acoustics cannot be resolved with a technological solution.

The planning phase is also the best time to ensure your spaces are ADA compliant. This allows you to design spaces to accommodate wheelchairs, allowing all room users access to technologies—like light switches and control panels—while also letting them maintain mobility and avoid obstacles like cables running across the floor.

AV technology professionals can help ensure your AV solutions are ADA compliant and can recommend solutions like assistive listening technologies to help you meet accommodation requirements. Enhanced or assistive listening technologies are available for all kinds of spaces.

Moving is the ideal time to build spaces the way you want them and the way they should be.

https://www.ada.gov/regs2010/2010ADAStandards/2010ADAstandards.htm

https://www.ada.gov/regs2010/2010ADAStandards/2010ADAstandards.htm

pages.gencomminc.com/assistive-listening-listen-technologies

pages.gencomminc.com/assistive-listening-listen-technologies


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Which Technologies to Keep and Which to Upgrade

Will your existing solutions work for the new spaces? Chances are good that your new spaces won’t be replicas of your old ones. You’ll likely encounter issues like displays not sized for the room dimensions or your old mics not working for the new conference rooms’ ceiling height.

Could your technologies use a refresh? It’s also a good time to evaluate which technologies aren’t performing optimally or that are outdated. For example, microphones that don’t comply with new FCC regulations should be replaced.

Are you getting the most bang for your buck? If the company is growing and planning to add employees, consider technologies that are more universally compatible, particularly with BYOD. You may also want to look at cost-efficient technologies, since a price difference of only one to two hundred dollars per headset or monitor can add up to tens of thousands or more as your team grows. The good news is that systems integrators know how to create value. For example, they know where a lower-cost product will work just fine, and they know where you should invest more.

Choose the Right Approach for Your Business

Should you move everyone and everything at once? Or should you hire a company to move in phases by department or job role? Part of your decision will depend on the nature of your business, as well as how critical it is to sustain certain roles and functions without interruption.

You will also want to determine what you want to move yourself versus what you outsource to professionals like AV integrators.

Finally, before the move, give key employees an in-person or virtual tour of the new space and its features. Focus on the purposes for each space, explaining uses and technologies. Allow them to ask questions in advance to address some issues even before the move.


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GENCOMM Moving Checklist and Schedule

As Soon as You’ve Decided to Move

Schedule your integrator to visit the new space. Begin calculating your budget.

2 Months Before

Place orders for new solutions and furniture.

Decide what stays plugged in through moving day.

3 Months Before

Finalize your budget. Decide what stays plugged in through moving

6 Weeks Before

Stock up on moving needs including tape, chargers, scratch protection materials, etc.

Create a schedule of who will move when by department, desk, etc.

1 Month Before

Arrange utility and internet service transitions that overlap to cover stragglers.

Begin to discard of unwanted technologies by wiping/donating or recycling equipment.

Start packing non-critical items. Sort and label them according to their location in the new space.

Ask your integrator about the managed services they offer to ensure technologies work optimally in their new spaces with minimal effort from you.

Talk to your integrator about a visit to evaluate solutions that need to move or be installed.

Discuss how best to prepare equipment and what is best left to a professional.

2 Weeks Before

Distribute crates to employees for personal items. Inform customers and contacts of your move. Update website, email signatures, etc.

The Week Before

Communicate technology needs with your insured, bonded moving company.

Check connections and layers of security in the new space.

Days Before

Perform backups and protect data. Begin removing cables and packing equipment.

After the Move

Ask your integrator for help with follow-up issues or questions.

Moving day

Make sure critical technology is the last thing to move and the first thing set up at the new site.

Program keypads.

Enlist your integrator to help test AV systems and train users.

Test smoke detectors and the emergency notification system.


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Simplify Your Move by Working with an Integrator

An AV systems integrator does more than install or service equipment or act as a go-between with vendors. They can do all those things—taking care of every technological detail—but they also see the big picture. In fact, they can help you build your long-term technology roadmap, with a focus on creating better user experiences.

A quality integrator is a true partner that keeps your best interest in mind. They understand your AV technology challenges and will help you address them.

You own the results, so the work should reflect positively on you. In fact, they can ensure you are successful in your role in the move by:

• Recommending solutions that protect your company’s security and privacy.

• Offering a solution when you say “not on my network.”

• Providing you with the answers you need to respond to questions from VIPs and executives.

• Being a resource if you have follow-up questions about your technology map.

• Focusing on the features you need—not bells and whistles employees will never use.

• Understanding the user, as well as your challenges around budget, compliance, and security.


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Leave It to the AV Experts

It may sound easy to leave the technology decisions or support to the architect since you’re already working with them. However, AV integrators can “design to the ideal,” meaning they won’t choose solutions based on budget or features alone. They can help determine the ideal solutions for your organization based on your unique goals and considerations.

Integrators can also provide ongoing support and services, because they’re invested in your long-term success.

Planning a Move?

Schedule a no-obligation review of your technology relocation plans with GENCOMM.

[email protected] or 1-800-453-6304

http://www.gencomminc.com/contact-us/

http://www.gencomminc.com/contact-us/

mailto://[email protected]


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About GENCOMM Inc.

GENCOMM is a passionate group of audio visual technologists providing engineered designs, roadmap planning, professional installation and ongoing managed services by crafting premier user experiences for communication and collaboration since 1957.

GENCOMM’s P.I.E. Philosophy

The GENCOMM philosophy of doing business, known as PIE, has been in place since 1957 and is still working today. As the business has grown and developed over the years and as the technology industry increases rapidly at a daily pace, the PIE philosophy is ever more important to the clients and employees at GENCOMM. PIE stands for:

P – Passion, to be creative, provide security, improve our client’s organizations and offer a variety of products and services for all types of companies.

I – Integrity, in everything that we do for clients, employees and our partners.

E – Excellence, by employing certified and trained engineers, being cost effective, productive, offering the best value to clients and having compassion for employees and clients.

The key objective of PIE is to serve all clients objectives with perfection and provide a destination workplace for all employees.

This philosophy comes directly from Ingolf de Jong, President, GENCOMM, Inc.

1 “2019 State of IT: Budgets.” Spiceworks. Accessed December 07, 2018. https://www.spiceworks.com/marketing/state-of-it/report/.

PASSION | INTEGRITY | EXCELLENCE

Passion for providing

the best possible experience

Integrity in everything

we do

Excellence in our work and

interactions with clients and employees

P I

E

Corporate Headquarters 801-266-5731 [email protected] 12393 S Gateway Park Place, Suite 400Draper, UT 84020

East Coast Office540-322-2145 [email protected] 9357 Mike Garcia DriveManassas, VA 20109

www.gencomminc.com

https://www.spiceworks.com/marketing/state-of-it/report/

https://www.spiceworks.com/marketing/state-of-it/report/

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