Friday, January 17, 2014

Server or Data Center Move? Hiring The Wrong Moving Company Can Cost You Millions of Dollars!

Did you know that hiring the wrong company to move your server room can cost you millions of dollars? We have talked about this before, but not really in depth like our customers deserve. So that is what prompted me to write this blog post today.



Server rooms are an intricate part of every company. It’s that room that only the IT people ever have the guts to venture into and most people don’t know exists unless their computer is slow or stopped working altogether.

IT people have enough to deal with on an everyday level. From the smallest question about where that file went that you swear you saved in your documents, to even the tougher questions like “My PC is smoking, was it something that I did?”

The last thing that your IT people want to deal with is moving the equipment. They already have to deal with reconnecting it and making sure that everything is operational and functioning on move day.

The reality is that you have to move server equipment when you move an office.

It may seem easy for everyone else involved in the move because they have desks and files on their mind whereas; IT people have a lot more things to consider like backing up the data, ensuring a secure connection at the new location. Making sure that the data cables are run to all the cubicles correctly and operational.
All of this is the key to success when moving a data center or a server room.

It’s easy for the top level executives to pick the cheapest moving company because they want to save some money on the move. We all understand that the bottom line to your company is at stake here, but what if the moving company that you choose to do the move isn't experienced?

Don’t run the risk of using a moving company that can potentially cause damage to your most expensive assets. Servers are imperative to running your company and without them, you are out of business. That’s a huge risk to take to save a little money on your move.

How do you know the right company to choose when you need to move your servers? Here are some questions and answers that can potentially save you millions of dollars in server equipment.


What you need to ask your moving company before you allow them to move your sensitive equipment:

Q. Do you hire 3rd party companies to disconnect and reconnect electrical equipment?

A. If a Moving Company says “Yes” to this, then they are out sourcing the work and may not be the best choice and this demonstrates that they may not have experience in handling this type of product.

Q. Do you have an insurance policy that you can provide on the value of my servers?

A. This is a really good question because some Moving Companies may have insurance, but they don’t always have a policy that can exceed a certain value. Always request that the moving company take out an individual policy for extraordinary value and provide proof of that policy.

Q. Is your Moving Company experienced at taking down various types of racking and re-installing that racking at destination?

A. If the moving company cannot disassemble and reassemble the racking for the servers, then you really shouldn't let them handle the actual servers. The racking is the simple part.

Q. Do you have security sealed trucks?

A. This is very important. When moving servers, you are handling a load that could exceed over a million dollars in assets. Trucks should be sealed with a security seal at origin and confirmed the seal is in tact at destination. Security should be a number one priority when it comes to moving such valuable items.

Q. Does your Moving Company have anti- static bubble wrap?

A. There is a big difference between regular bubble wrap and anti-static bubble wrap. It is always recommended that if you are moving servers that anti-static is used.

Q. What is the current state of your moving equipment?

A. The last thing that you want to have on a move like this is a moving company with faulty equipment. Machine carts should be in good order to prevent damages during the move.

These are just some of the questions that you should ask your moving company prior to selecting them to do a server or data center move. It’s important to feel comfortable with the moving company that you choose to handle these valuable items.

Hopefully this information will help you to select the right company for your next data center or server move.

Feel free to contact us if you have any questions at all regarding this incident.

Buehler Companies (Denver Office)
(Google Plus Page)
3899 Jackson Street
Denver, CO 80205
303-388-4000
Denver Office Moving Website

Buehler Transfer and Storage (Fort Worth Office)
(Google Plus Page)
633 Mony Street
Fort Worth, TX 76102
817-624-8466
FortWorth Texas Moving Office

Manitou Express – Mountain View Moving (Colorado Springs Office)
(Google Plus Page)
2545 Carmel Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80910
ColoradoSprings Moving Company

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