Planning a Bank Move? Don't Forget to Keep Your IT Equipment Safe

by Stephanie Faris on Monday, April 27 6:00

For any business, moving IT equipment can be treacherous. Day-to-day operations rely on technology working without disruption and few things can be as disruptive as physically moving a piece of equipment from one location to another. For banks, the transition can be even more complicated, since most of a financial institution s equipment contains sensitive customer financial data.

Because of the nature of its data, many financial institutions choose to work with professional server movers to get equipment from one site to another. Whether a bank is moving its servers, office equipment and peripherals, or a combination of both, professional IT movers have the expertise necessary to ensure data is safely transitioned from one place to another. Below are some tips banks can take from data center relocation specialists that can ease the transition and keep information safe.

Plan Carefully

A successful IT relocation project is generally the result of months of planning. Businesses that see minimal downtime and no data loss during a move have likely had a move planning team in place for months. That team met on a regular basis, outlined detailed plans, and worked with a project manager who oversaw each step of the move process.

Well in advance of your move, you should have conducted testing to make sure your equipment will work without fail at the new location. You should also have put plans in place for professional server movers to handle the equipment relocation process. Specialized data center movers will have the equipment necessary to get equipment from one location to another without damage.

Know the Dangers

There are many dangers your equipment faces once it leaves its current location. Exposure to humidity, static, or shock can cause permanent damage to sensitive electronic components. If your equipment is being moved in a truck, all of those elements can easily come into play. It s important to have the materials necessary to shield each piece of equipment from those dangers.

If you aren t using professional server movers who have this material already, you should purchase it well in advance of your move date. Items like anti-static packaging and stabilizing cartons should be purchased and ready for use on move day.

Monitor Equipment Carefully

In addition to being vulnerable to damage, your equipment is also at risk to being intercepted along the way. It s important that banks have someone assigned to watch equipment at each step of the process. This includes while it s still on site, while it s in transport to the new location, and once it arrives at its destination.

Professional server movers will often provide this monitoring as part of its services. For extra protection, though, you should have an IT professional or trusted member of your staff available both at the origin and destination location to make sure only authorized personnel have access to your server rooms and your office equipment. Only a staff member will be able to recognize an unfamiliar person on site, so these trusted employees are a great asset to have on hand on move day.