Moving Office Checklist: What BC Clinics Should Book First

A move that goes well looks boring on the first morning. The front desk logs in, the phones ring, the X-ray captures, and nobody has to call IT. Getting there mostly comes down to booking three things early: the internet, the network cabling and your phone number. Each one takes weeks, and any of them can hold up the opening.

Most moving office checklists start with the movers. For a dental office, medical clinic or law firm that runs on practice software, the movers are the easy part. This is the list we work from when we set up a new office: what to book first, how far ahead, and what to test before patients or clients walk in. It works the same way if you're opening a new clinic from scratch.

Moving or opening soon? Call us at (604) 613-0150 and we'll map out your dates.

What should you book first when moving an office?

Start with the business internet, the week you sign the lease. The network cabling comes next, because it needs to go in before the walls are closed. Then move your phone number, about three weeks before the move. The table covers the rest. Its timings are what we plan around in the Lower Mainland, not promises from the providers.

Book	When	Why it takes time
Business internet	The week you sign the lease	Installs often take several weeks, and longer if a new line has to run into your suite. The landlord may need to approve that work
Network cabling	Before the walls are closed	Cable runs easily through open walls. After drywall, it has to come down from the ceiling or run along the wall in a cover strip
Your phone number	3 weeks before the move	Moving a number to a new provider usually takes 1 to 3 weeks. A cloud phone system moves with you as it is
Computers and network equipment	2 to 3 weeks before, earlier if you can	Everything should arrive, get set up and get tested before it goes on site. Parts sometimes go out of stock, which adds time
Practice software and imaging vendors	As soon as you have a date	Vendors book their technicians for moves and new installs weeks out
Outside signage	A month or more before, earlier if you can	Most cities want a permit before a sign goes up, and many strata buildings need their own approval too. Either can add weeks before the sign is even made
Your address online	The week of the move	Google may ask you to verify the new address on your Business Profile, and that can take a while

The one date we can't plan for you is the landlord's. Some buildings approve a new line into a suite within days. Others take weeks and won't say how long. Ask the property manager in your first week, and get the answer in writing.

When does the network cabling need to be done?

Before the drywall goes up, if you can. Count two network outlets for every desk and exam room, plus one each for the printers, the ceiling Wi-Fi units, the reception TV and a few spares. For a 13-desk office, that comes to about 36 outlets.

If a spot comes up short later, a small network switch at the desk or a longer cable can cover it. That works, but each switch is one more box that can fail or get unplugged, so plan the outlets you need up front.

Plan the network cabinet at the same time. It needs a lockable space, its own power circuit and some airflow. For a clinic on cloud software, a closet with a door that locks is often enough.

If the walls are already closed, cabling still works. It just costs more and looks less tidy, so ask your contractor whether data cabling is in their scope before they finish.

When we set up a new orthodontic clinic in Vancouver, we planned the cable runs with the remodel contractor before the drywall went up. The clinical computers, the patient Wi-Fi and the waiting-room TVs each ended up on their own network, so a guest's phone never shares a network with the X-ray.

How do you keep your phone number when you move?

Find out how your phones work today. A cloud phone service moves with you: plug the phones in at the new office and they ring. If your phones depend on equipment in your current office, the number has to move to a new service. That usually takes 1 to 3 weeks, so order it at least three weeks before the move, and keep the old lines running until the new ones work.

What about computers, X-ray sensors and imaging equipment?

Decide early what moves and what gets replaced. Older computers can move with you, as long as the operating system and your software are still supported and the security updates are current. Age matters less than support. Microsoft stopped free security updates for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025, so a move is a good time to replace or upgrade any computer still running it.

Check before you upgrade anything connected to an X-ray sensor, an intraoral camera or an OCT. Imaging software often supports only certain Windows versions, and the vendor decides what's safe. Book the imaging vendor for the move itself, too. Vendors like Carestream usually handle it themselves: they disconnect the equipment and set it up again at the new office.

For a new clinic, set up the domain and email in the practice's own name before anything else depends on them. They're much harder to move later. If you're changing IT providers at the same time, our switching checklist covers the handover.

How do you protect patient records during the move?

BC's privacy law expects private practices to protect personal information with reasonable security arrangements, and that doesn't pause for a move. In practice:

1. Run a backup before the move, and test it by restoring a file.
2. Keep computers with patient data in your own car, or with someone you trust, not in the general move.
3. Turn on disk encryption, so a lost laptop or drive can't be read.
4. Wipe or destroy the drives in anything you throw out.
5. Lock the network cabinet at the new office.

At the orthodontic clinic we set up, encrypted backups were running, with a test restore done, before the first patient arrived.

What should work on the first morning?

Test these the day before you open, with someone from the front desk:

• The internet, plus a backup connection (a 5G unit is enough) so a cut line doesn't close the front desk
• Staff Wi-Fi, with patient or guest Wi-Fi kept separate
• Every computer logs in, and the practice software opens
• Imaging captures and saves: take a test scan
• Printers and scanners
• The phones: call the main number from a mobile
• The payment terminal
• Email, and last night's backup

What needs updating outside the office?

Patients find you by your sign, your Google listing and your website, so update all three together. Order the outside sign early. Change the address on your Google Business Profile, your website and the directories you're listed in on the same day, so they all match. Then reprint anything with the old address on it, like business cards, referral pads and appointment cards.

Opening a new clinic? Create its Google Business Profile a few weeks before you open, because Google has to verify it before it shows up.

Our sister studio, Nexanova Designs, handles signage and print and websites, so the IT and the outside of a new office can be planned together.

Frequently asked questions

How far ahead should I order business internet for a new office?

As soon as you sign the lease. Installs often take several weeks, and longer if the provider has to run a new line into your suite. If it's going to be late, a 5G connection can carry a small office for the first few days.

How do I choose the right internet speed for my office size?

Look at upload speed as well as download. Cloud practice software, video calls and imaging uploads all send data out. For a clinic or office of about 10 people on cloud software, a business fibre plan with matching upload and download speeds of a few hundred Mbps is usually plenty. Add a 5G backup either way.

Can network cabling be added after the walls are closed?

Yes. It comes down from the ceiling or runs along the wall in a cover strip. It costs more and looks less tidy than cable run through open walls, so ask your contractor early.

How long does it take to move a business phone number?

Usually 1 to 3 weeks, if it has to move to a new provider. A cloud phone system moves with you, so check which kind you have first.

Do we need a server room?

Most clinics on cloud software don't. A small locked cabinet with its own power and airflow holds the firewall, the network switch and the backup unit. You only need more space if your software runs on a server in the office.

Should we move our old computers or buy new ones?

Move them, as long as the operating system and your software are still supported and the security updates are current. Replace or upgrade anything that has reached end of support, like Windows 10, after checking that your imaging software supports the newer version.