Technology is at the core of your business. It is essential that your IT move is done right the first time minimizing the disruption to the ongoing operation of your business. Your IT staff or VoIP service provider needs to be an integral part of your relocation team to ensure there is little to no downtime for your business.
Moving to a new office is the perfect time to upgrade your communications systems or refresh old technology. While your new location is being built out or renovated it is the ideal time to install a new technology infrastructure. All the necessary cabling, electrical and wireless foundations can be laid to ensure your technology investment functions at it’s best.
Don’t forget what you’re leaving behind. Planning for a move also requires consideration about the condition you leave your former office, or rightly called ‘office decommissioning’. Without a thoughtful process this could be an unintended major expense. Shawn O’Neil of Argosy Management Group, a leader in office relocation, warns not to overlook your old office space. “Neglecting to properly decommission the old office space leaves you exposed to unnecessary costs. The majority of commercial leases contain very specific requirements as to how the old space needs to be turned back over to the landlord. If not, it’s your deposit that hangs in the balance. The removal of unwanted furniture can be an expensive undertaking.”
So how do you dispose of old office furniture, equipment and technology when you move? Thankfully, finding a good way to dispose of old furniture, phones and computers doesn’t have to be such a headache. In fact, there are some pretty good ways to make disposal easy and sometimes work to the advantage of others.
The first step prior to a commercial move is making a comprehensive inventory of what you’ve got and what you don’t want to take with you. Secondly, assess the condition of the furniture and equipment. Is the furniture is able to be broken down and assembled again without issue? Is the equipment in good working order? If yes, then it could be re-sold. Be sure to notate in your inventory list the condition of the items. The more accurate your inventory, the easier the disposal process will be.
Here are a few suggestions for furniture disposal:
• Offer the option to your employees to buy the furniture
• Re-sell to a used furniture store
• Contact the vendor you purchased from, they might buy it back
• Donate to a charity (Habitat for Humanity, Goodwill, Salvation Army, your local church may need furniture for their offices, etc)
• 1-800-Junk is an option but you will have to pay a fee for removal
If you take advantage of moving as an optimal time for a technology upgrade, utilizing modern technologies will give you a competitive edge and empower business growth. So what can you do with the electronic waste left behind?
Every computer dumped into a landfill represents a missed opportunity to provide technology and tools to individuals and organizations across the digital divide. Ancero partners with The Trenton Digital Initiative – a nonprofit program working to help economically challenged Trenton families gain affordable access to the internet. TDI reconditions, repurposes, and then distributes donated computers to these families for free, as well as providing low-cost, high-speed Comcast Internet service. Ancero serves as an equipment drop off location at 1001 Briggs Road, Suite 220, Mount Laurel, NJ between the hours of 9:00am and 4:00pm.
Very old or broken hardware should go to end-of-life recycling, meaning responsible destruction that’s safe for the environment. A computer recycler is a business or organization that salvages useful computer parts before breaking down what’s left, safely removing hazardous materials in the process. Always remember to wipe any sensitive information from any hardware before you turn it over for recycling.
For listings of recycle drop off locations in your area visit these resources:
• Earth911
• NJ State eWaste recycle centers
• PA State Electronics Collection programs
Of course, if you donate furniture or technology you’re eligible for a tax write-off so you can still end up with some financial gain in the end along with the knowledge that you are helpings others!
Don’t pay to move an aging phone system or outdated technology when Ancero has helped hundreds of clients to cost effectively modernize their business phone systems and IT infrastructure with options that don’t require an initial capital outlay for the hardware! Moving is complicated and stressful. Entrusting Ancero, a full service IT company, with your IT infrastructure and communication needs gives you one less thing to worry about. Getting you back to business faster, with minimal downtime.