ACCORDING to a recent survey from BT Business, more than a third of businesses (37 per cent) worry about losing their computer or telephone connection when they move premises.

The fear of being offline even beats the cost of the move (27 per cent) as being the main concern associated with relocating and is second only to the amount of employee down time involved (57 per cent).

One in five (19 per cent) say they are anxious about losing business when they move. The survey also reveals that more than half of businesses would move for larger premises, with 16 per cent desiring a better location but just seven per cent would seek smaller premises.

The findings were released as BT Business announced a new partnership with the British Association of Removers (BAR), which aims to support moving businesses and minimise the disruption caused when changing premises.

Bill Murphy, managing director of BT Business, said: “Moving into a new office can be exciting and represent a new phase for your company but it’s important to plan your move carefully and understand the full picture of what will be required to achieve a successful move and avoid any pitfalls.

“Relocating businesses need to be up and running as soon as possible, with seamless communication systems. BT Business helps more than 700 SMEs move premises every week and we’re excited to be partnering with BAR to help businesses minimise the hassle and maximise the opportunities when moving their premises.”

Stephen Vickers, director general of the BAR, said: “We are delighted to be entering this partnership with BT Business.”

As part of the partnership, BT Business, in association with the BAR, has launched a new free guide, Understanding…moving your business, including top tips on how to protect valuable office equipment.

Top Tips

Using a reputable office mover is advisable but if you are moving everything, it is worth ensuring that you follow the guidelines below:

1. Back up the system properly before you move it, just in case you have problems during the move.

2. Make sure everything works properly before you move it so that if problems occur they can be isolated to the move.

3. Don’t change your network during or immediately after the move. Move your network as is, and only make changes when you are confident that it is working properly.

4. Label all computer parts, ideally the monitor, hard-disk (box) and keyboard with removable stickers. These will help identify which parts belong to who when putting things back together.

5. Disconnect the computer from the mains and detach all leads. Keep these together and bind with a masking tape to the computer hard disk drive so that they don’t get lost.

6. Transport like-for-like equipment together, for example, keep all the keyboards together and all the hard disk drives in a separate box. This is to avoid damage to delicate parts of the computer such as the monitor, by other more robust parts such as the hard disk drive.

7. Monitors should be wrapped with a protective covering, such as bubble wrap, before being placed in a box

8. Hard disk drives should be placed in one box together, with bubble wrap in between.

For further information or to download a copy of the Understanding…moving your business guide, go to: http://www.insight.bt.com/guides/moving-your-business/