Service
IT and server relocation
Decommission, transport and recommission of racks, network gear and end-user devices with anti-static handling and a signed chain of custody.
Overview
How this scope works
IT is the part of a relocation that decides whether Monday works. We treat it as its own project with its own runbook: a documented decommission, a controlled transport, a recommission to a drawn rack elevation, and a tested cutover before anyone tries to log in.
Data-bearing assets are handled under a signed chain of custody from the moment they leave the rack. Drives, servers and network appliances are logged by asset tag and serial, sealed, and signed for at every transfer. That record is what your auditors will want, and it is much easier to produce on the day than to reconstruct afterwards.
What is included
- Pre-move rack audit with photographs, port maps and a drawn destination elevation
- Labelled and colour-matched patch cabling, removed and re-terminated to the map
- Anti-static bags, ESD wrist straps and foam-lined cases for loose components
- Air-ride transport for racks and appliances, shuttled separately from furniture
- Signed chain-of-custody log for every data-bearing asset, by tag and serial
- Recommission, power-up sequence and a tested handover with your IT team present
How we run it
- 01
Audit and draw
We photograph each rack front and back, map the ports, record U positions and draw the destination elevation with your IT lead's sign-off.
- 02
Decommission
Shutdown follows your sequence. Cables are labelled and pulled, equipment is de-racked, bagged and cased, and every data-bearing asset is logged and sealed.
- 03
Transport
Racks and appliances move in a dedicated air-ride load, separate from furniture, with temperature kept inside operating range and custody signed at each handover.
- 04
Recommission and test
Gear is racked to the elevation, cabled to the map, powered up in sequence, and handed over only after your team has tested connectivity and services.
Why clients pick it
A rack that matches the drawing
The destination elevation is agreed before anything is unplugged, so nothing is rebuilt from memory at 2 am.
Auditable custody
Every drive and appliance is signed for at each transfer. The log goes into your project file.
Cabling that makes sense
Patch leads are labelled at both ends and re-terminated to the port map rather than bundled and hoped for.
Tested before handover
We do not call it done when the lights come on. It is done when your team confirms services respond.
What drives the price
| Factor | What it means |
|---|---|
| Rack count and U density | A full 42U rack with cable management takes a two-person crew about three to five hours to decommission properly. |
| Cabling complexity | Structured cabling with 300-plus terminated ports is a separate scope, usually run with your cabling contractor. |
| Downtime window | Overnight and weekend cutovers cost more but are the only sensible option for anything customer-facing. |
| Chain of custody requirements | Sealed transport, dual signature and photographic logging add time and are priced as a documented process, not an extra. |
| UPS and battery handling | Battery strings are removed, transported and reinstalled separately under their own handling rules. |
Sample planning figure: $850 to $1,600 per populated rack for a local decommission, transport and recommission, excluding structured cabling.
Niche scope: IT relocation
The runbook, step by step
A data room is not difficult to lift. It is difficult to rebuild. Every step below produces a document, and the documents are what make Monday work.
- T-14
Rack audit and elevation drawing
Every rack is photographed front and back, U positions are recorded, port maps are captured and a destination elevation is drawn and signed off by your IT lead before anything is unplugged.
Signed elevation drawing and port map
- T-1
Asset register and seals
Every data-bearing asset is listed by asset tag and serial. Drives, servers and appliances are bagged and closed with numbered tamper-evident seals, and the seal number is written against the asset.
Asset register with seal numbers
- H-0
Controlled shutdown and de-rack
Shutdown follows your sequence, not ours. Patch leads are labelled at both ends and pulled to the map, equipment is de-racked onto anti-static foam, and ESD wrist straps are worn for any handling of exposed boards.
Shutdown sign-off by your engineer
- H+1
Dedicated air-ride transport
Racks and appliances travel in their own air-ride load, separate from furniture, kept inside operating temperature range. Custody is signed at every transfer between origin, vehicle and destination.
Chain-of-custody log, dual signature
- H+4
Recommission to the drawing
Gear goes back to the agreed U positions, cabling is re-terminated to the port map, and power-up follows the documented sequence: core, distribution, access, then hosts.
Seal integrity check recorded on arrival
- H+8
Tested handover
Your team tests connectivity and services. We do not sign off when the lights come on; we sign off when your engineer confirms the services respond and the punch list is empty.
Handover certificate countersigned
UPS battery strings are removed before the unit moves, transported upright and secured, then reinstalled and load-tested at destination. Moving a populated UPS is how people damage the unit and the floor at the same time.
IT relocation runbook
Questions
IT and server relocation: common questions
Not answered here? The full FAQ has twenty-six more.
Read the full FAQWe work alongside them. Your team owns the shutdown sequence, the testing and the go or no-go decision. We own the physical handling, the elevation, the cabling to the map and the custody record.
Each one is logged by asset tag and serial, bagged, sealed with a numbered tamper-evident seal and signed for at every transfer. Seals are checked and recorded at destination before anything is racked.
We do not recommend it and usually do not do it. Racks and appliances travel in a dedicated air-ride load, both for shock protection and so that custody is not mixed with general contents.
Battery strings come out before the UPS moves. They are transported upright and secured, and reinstalled and load-tested at destination. Moving a populated UPS is how people damage both the unit and the floor.
Next step
Book the survey before you book the date
Freight elevator windows in downtown towers are commonly reserved four to six weeks out. The survey is what tells you whether your date is real.