The process of relocating a business looks much different than relocating a standard residence on many levels. However, one major difference between a commercial and a residential move is the level of security risk involved. Business owners face the risk of leaving their valuable business inventory, belongings, building, and even private data at risk amid the chaos of the transition. Therefore, working with an experienced commercial moving service is always recommended. Beyond hiring a commercial moving company to make the transition go quickly and smoothly, there are other things you can do as a business owner to keep your business safe during a move.
Set up security at the new location before moving and arrange in-person presence.
Before you start transporting business items to the new location, make arrangements with a security company to get the proper protective systems in place. A few things to go ahead and get up and running include:
- Surveillance systems inside and outside the building
- Access control systems
- Security alarms
Also, if you know there will be items at both locations temporarily, it can be helpful to arrange to have an in-person presence on-site at both places. For example, make sure you have a few employees scheduled to work at the new location unpacking even if you are not completely done at the old location.
Make sure all forms of data are properly destroyed.
Customer or client and business data are also at risk during a move and should be kept secure. If you are getting rid of old files or equipment, make sure all forms of data are properly destroyed before disposal. A lot of commercial moving companies offer additional services that can help. For example, they may offer paper shredding services or work with a trustworthy third party for hard drive clearing and disposal.
Plan the move well to make the transition a quicker process.
The longer the moving process stretches out, the greater the security concerns can be. For example, if you move only part of the business equipment and inventory to the new location, there is a chance those belongings will be left unattended until everything else is moved. Work with your chosen commercial moving service to create a moving timeline and schedule of objectives. This keeps the actual physical part of the move brief and security concerns at a minimum.
Make sure security systems are the last thing to be dismantled.
Lastly, make sure you do not dismantle the existing security system until the final day of the move. You don't want to leave any property vulnerable to theft while the business equipment and property are still located inside.
