I've moved most of our infrastructure to the cloud, and the VPN is the last major piece before we can shut down our current headquarters. I didn't get Intune implemented in time, so I'm hoping the cloud migration will reduce the risk while we transition between locations. I've never managed an office move before and would appreciate practical advice about planning, equipment, networking, documentation, and common mistakes. We'll have access to both sites for roughly two months, so we have some overlap for testing and migration.
5 Answers
Use the two-month overlap to build and test the new site before moving anything. Get the internet circuits, firewall configuration, VPN, switching, wireless, and failover working independently first. Don’t leave circuit installation until the last minute—delivery times often slip. Label every cable and device with both its destination and what it connects to, and document the configuration as you go.
Since the headquarters is going away, consider whether the VPN should remain tied to a physical office at all. A cloud-based access solution may be simpler than moving or rebuilding a VPN concentrator, especially once all your services are hosted remotely. Compare pricing based on users rather than devices, and make sure the replacement supports your authentication and access requirements before changing anything.
We currently use redundant firewalls with OpenVPN and have prepared a virtual firewall in our cloud environment. We’re migrating the certificates and configuration there, but I’ll also compare cloud access options since we have more devices than users.
Plan the move in detail and assume the most important work happens before moving day. Inventory everything, record current connections, back up critical data and configurations, and create a rollback plan. Schedule a maintenance window where you can temporarily shut down the old site or disable the connection between locations. That often exposes forgotten DNS records, routes, static addresses, or equipment that someone installed in an overlooked room.
If you’re relocating physical servers or racks, avoid moving them casually. Shut them down cleanly, document and photograph the cabling, protect the equipment against vibration, and use proper moving gear and enough people. If possible, build the new network from scratch and move only what truly needs to move. For large data sets, make sure you have a verified backup before transport.
Painter’s tape and colored labels are surprisingly useful. Mark equipment, cables, desks, and boxes with their destination and use different colors for departments or rooms. Keep a master inventory and check items off as they leave the old site and arrive at the new one. Also remember that without device management in place, laptops may require hands-on support if something fails during the transition.
That’s helpful. I’m especially concerned about static IPs and other network details that may be easy to overlook, so I’m planning a controlled test soon.