Moving into a new office building is a huge undertaking. Beyond the logistics of packing boxes and arranging furniture, a successful move hinges on one critical factor: a seamless IT transition. For most businesses, even a few hours of IT downtime can mean lost productivity, missed opportunities and significant stress.

That’s why when Bay Food Brokerage, a long-time client of Atlas Professional Services, prepared to move into its new office building in early 2025, we knew we had to get it right. By combining meticulous planning, proactive problem-solving and a strong partnership, we were able to manage a complex migration that resulted in zero IT downtime for their team.

Keep reading to learn how Atlas supported Bay Food Brokerage during its office move, as well as what all businesses should consider when establishing an IT infrastructure in a new office space.

About Bay Food Brokerage

Bay Food Brokerage is an industry-leading retail food brokerage company based in Tampa, Fla. Working as the sales and marketing partner for hundreds of food manufacturers worldwide, Bay Food Brokerage partners with the largest grocers in the Southeast U.S. to create and enhance opportunities for their clients.

The company was founded by CEO Cammie Chatterton in 1993 and has grown from a two-person team to have more than 75 employees across eight states. To accommodate this growth, Cammie Chatterton and President Chris Chatterton began looking for office space in late 2023 to expand the company’s headquarters in Tampa.

The Challenge: Establishing a New IT Infrastructure  

In August 2024, Bay Food Brokerage purchased an 12,000-square-foot, two-story property in Tampa to serve as the company’s headquarters. The building required an extensive renovation, including establishing an entirely new IT infrastructure.

Atlas Professional Services has worked with Bay Food Brokerage since 2015 and has a strong relationship with the team. Going into the renovation, Chris met with our team to discuss IT needs and establish a solid plan before starting construction.

“When you’re moving offices, it’s not just about unplugging and re-plugging a few computers,” said Jeremy Billie, project manager at Atlas. “You’re dealing with an entirely new network infrastructure, power and cooling needs, and setting up new systems like conference room technology and door access controls. This takes time and careful planning.”

For Bay Food Brokerage, it was also important that the IT network be simple and easy to use. This was particularly true in the Teams rooms, where employees regularly connect with clients and partners via Zoom and Microsoft Teams video-conferencing software.

The Solution: A Strategic IT Partnership and Move

Bay Food Brokerage first met with Atlas to discuss their IT needs in the new office space in July 2024, a month before closing on the purchase of the building. Based on these early discussions, the Atlas team created a framework for the move. We also identified equipment that would need to be purchased or upgraded, including an on-premises server that was near end-of-life.

“The move was multifaceted because we had an old server and needed to decide whether we were going to replace it when we moved to the new location or move to a cloud-based server instead,” said Chris Chatterton. “We met with Jeremy and decided to move to the cloud. From there, he put together a timeline with important milestones and all the steps we needed to take to make that transition happen—before we moved into the new office.”

By February 2025, Atlas had transitioned Bay Food Brokerage’s server to the cloud and decommissioned the on-premise server. The timing of this was important, as the Bay Food team wanted to have this completed well in advance of the move.

Prior to the move, Bay Food Brokerage also relied heavily on the Atlas team to identify which devices they would need to outfit multiple conference rooms where employees dial into audio and video calls.

“Because we do so many Zoom and Teams calls, it was important that our team could connect to these calls easily,” said Chris. “Atlas helped us pick out cameras and audio, and secure the Teams licenses we needed for each room. They also made sure everything was functioning properly before our team ever used it.”

Throughout the process, Atlas met with the Bay Food Brokerage team regularly. The Atlas team also worked with SGD Communications to ensure the cable wiring was set up correctly to establish the network access points.

“Austin at Atlas came in and made sure that once we moved into the office, all our networks were solid and running like they did in our old office,” said Chris. “He was great to work with and kept us in the loop the whole time. It was a very smooth transition.”

The Solution: An Office Move with Zero IT Downtime

As a result of the careful planning and execution of the Atlas team, Bay Food Brokerage was able to move into its new headquarters in April 2025 without any IT downtime. Employees were also aware of any updates or changes to their IT access, so they could get to work on day one.

“Overall, I was very satisfied,” said Chris. “The Atlas team knew what we were asking for and were able to provide us with a timeline and accomplished things in a timely manner. Austin was also there on move-in day to ensure that the few issues that came up were addressed right away.”

Top IT Considerations for a New Office

For companies moving into a new office, there are several things that must be considered to ensure the IT infrastructure is set up correctly and there is no IT downtime.

• Basic IT infrastructure: This includes things like cabling, fiber connections, power supply for servers and workstations, network capacity and network gear. Wi-Fi coverage and access is also important.
• Internet and phone setup: Establishing basic internet and phone connection is paramount. Lead times for installing new internet cabling can sometimes take 30-60 days. And, transferring VoIP and phone systems without downtime requires careful coordination.
• Server and equipment relocation: Moving sensitive hardware like servers and switches can put migrating businesses at risk of damage or data loss. You must also ensure that the new space has proper cooling, rack space and power redundancy before moving equipment.
• Data security risks: New network environments can introduce vulnerabilities if firewalls, VPNs and access controls are not configured property. The physical security of the server room or network closet is also important.
• Third-party vendor coordination: Managing multiple vendors such as cabling contractors, VoIP providers, security installers, etc. adds complexity to a move. Delays from one vendor can impact the entire transition timeline. Having a point-person responsible for managing vendors and timelines is extremely helpful.
• Downtime and business continuity: During a move, IT systems may be down for a time, thus impacting productivity. Have a clear timeline and plan for the move in order to avoid outages that halt business operations.
• User device readiness: Before employees move to the new office, it’s important that all PCs, printers, phones and other devices are configured and tested. Ensuring employees have immediate access to the tools they need can be complex and requires careful planning.

Working with a managed IT service provider like Atlas Professional Services will ensure that each of these considerations are properly addressed.

For nearly 20 years, our team has been providing managed IT services to businesses in the Tampa Bay area. Whether you are looking to upgrade your existing office IT or moving to a new location and need a full IT installation – we can help. Contact us today to learn more.