Moving into new commercial real estate often means inheriting random cables lying on the floor, with no one knowing where they lead or if they are even connected to anything. If you’re lucky, you might even find leftover security cameras, though you won't know if they work, let alone what condition they are in.
All of these hidden issues can delay your move-in, which in turn can hit your bottom line, especially if you needed the facility up and running yesterday. So, where do you begin? Use this 8-point IT infrastructure takeover checklist to audit your new space so that you can avoid unexpected move-in delays and additional costs.
Wired Communications streamlines your building relocation with a comprehensive site assessment. Schedule your free consultation today and let our infrastructure team handle the audit, mapping, and documentation for you.
1. Do a Structured Cabling Assessment
A detailed structured cabling assessment gives you a complete understanding of the physical foundation of the network you are inheriting. When you know the kind of wiring you currently have and its condition, you can evaluate whether this architecture will be enough to support your operational needs. Therefore, we advise you to assess the cabling following this checklist:
- Identify the exact cable category installed (e.g., Cat5e, Cat6, Cat6a, Cat7, or older legacy wiring).
- Check for mixed cable generations on the same runs or patch panels, which can degrade performance.
- Look for physically damaged, kinked, improperly terminated, or messy DIY cable runs.
- Verify full compliance with ANSI/TIA-568 standards (the current standard is ANSI/TIA-568.2-E).
- Test and demand cable certification of performance.
- Note the cable routing paths: Are they resting above ceiling tiles, running through proper conduit, or left exposed?
- Determine if any cable runs exceed the 90-meter (295-foot) permanent link limit or the 100-meter (328-foot) total channel limit, including patch cords.
2. Inspect Primary Server Room & Floor Closets
Because the server room houses expensive processing hardware, it’s crucial to inspect whether the room is properly grounded and built on reliable infrastructure. Likewise, to maintain a stable connection between that central room and local desks, Wi-Fi access points, and cameras, you need properly functioning floor closets, making them another essential item to audit.
Primary Server Room (MDF) Checklist:
- Verify physical space, lockable access, and proper climate control (cooling & humidity).
- Check for proper grounding and bonding per ANSI/TIA-607 standards.
- Inspect rack organization and watch out for proprietary hardware lock-in.
3. Audit Fiber Optic Connections
If the building has fiber cabling installed, it’s important to evaluate whether it’s been terminated, spliced, and maintained correctly. Poor terminations or splices can increase optical loss and contribute to performance issues. Therefore, it’s imperative to test the fiber architecture with specialized diagnostic tools.
Fiber Optic Checklist:
- Identify the fiber type: is it single mode (OS2) or multimode fiber (OM3, OM4, OM5)?
- Verify connector types, such as LC, SC, or MPO/MTP, and ensure they are compatible with your equipment.
- Inspect all splice trays, cassettes, and patch panels for signs of physical damage.
- Use an optical loss test set (OLTS) to measure total link loss and an OTDR, when needed, to locate individual faults, bends, or splice issues.
- Check all fiber routes to ensure there are no bends tighter than the minimum bend radius.
- Validate that the main fiber links meet your modern bandwidth demands (are they 10G, 40G, or 100G capable?).
- Document every fiber segment, port, and termination point.
4. Verify Network Labeling & Documentation
Inheriting a properly labeled cabling infrastructure dramatically reduces your onboarding timeline. Plus, easy cable tracing makes troubleshooting faster and lowers the risk of outages, because nobody can confidently trace a run without unplugging it and seeing what breaks. Ideally, you want complete access to all cabling documentation the moment you step into your new facility.
Labeling Checklist:
- Verify that every single cable run is labeled at both ends using a consistent identifier.
- Check whether existing labeling complies with ANSI/TIA-606 standards.
- Confirm there is a physical or digital port map showing exactly where each cable connects.
- Request existing cabling schematics from the landlord or previous tenant, or commission a new audit to map the layout.
- Document all patch panels to wall port mappings comprehensively.
- Verify that all rack equipment is clearly labeled (switches, routers, UPS units, patch panels).
- Identify unlabeled or unknown-termination cables that should be physically traced or entirely removed.
Pro Tip: Detailed documentation protects you contractually as much as operationally. If lease or infrastructure disputes arise with the landlord, an accurate move-in audit proves exactly what existed before you took over the space.
If your inherited facility's cabling records are incomplete or non-existent, we can audit, label, and document your entire network per ANSI/TIA-606 standards. Schedule a free building assessment today to get a verified infrastructure report.
5. Evaluate Network Capacity
Even if an inherited infrastructure is in good health and properly documented, it may still lack the capacity to support your daily operations. Every business has unique workload demands, making it critical to verify that the on-site architecture can operate at peak performance once all equipment is connected.
Capacity Checklist:
- Count available ports on every patch panel and switch.
- Document existing switch models, port speeds (1G vs. 10G), and PoE capabilities for devices like Wi-Fi 6 access points, IP phones, and security cameras.
- Check the WAN/ISP circuit: identify the type, speed, and current contract status.
- Assess wireless access point placement and coverage to determine if the existing Wi-Fi infrastructure is adequate.
- Identify capacity for phones, cameras, and access points and assess whether there is enough power budget per switch.
- Review any existing network diagrams and compare them to what is physically installed in the building.
- Determine if the network can successfully support your projected user and device count plus a 20% to 30% growth buffer.
6. Inspect Video Surveillance & Camera Systems
The fact that the building you are moving into has cameras does not mean they work properly or align with your specific security needs. To ensure your facility, hardware, and personnel are properly protected, auditing the camera system is essential.
Camera Checklist:
- Count and map all existing camera locations and blind spots.
- Identify camera age, model, and resolution.
- Determine the cameras' compatibility with modern security systems.
- Check the network video recorder (NVR) or DVR for storage capacity, age, and vendor reliability.
- Coordinate with IT to determine whether IP cameras should operate on a dedicated VLAN or segmented network.
- Confirm that current camera placement meets your organization's internal security policy and compliance requirements.
- Check the capacity of network switches supporting the video surveillance system.
- Assess cable runs leading to cameras (Cat5e/Cat6 vs. legacy coax) to confirm support for modern IP cameras.
- Audit default credentials and device firmware: Verify that factory-default admin passwords have been changed and that camera firmware is patched against known CVE vulnerabilities.
- Determine whether NDAA Section 889 compliance is required and identify any covered or unsupported equipment.
7. Audit Access Control Systems
Outdated panels and unrevoked credentials create immediate security risks, making access control one of the most critical systems to inspect during a building relocation.
Access Control Checklist:
- Identify all controlled access points, including exterior doors, gates, elevators, and server rooms.
- Document the existing access control platform, vendor, and current software version.
- Assess the credential type being used (proximity cards, smart cards, mobile credentials, or key fobs).
- Check for aging door panels and hardware nearing end-of-life status.
- Verify integration with your company's identity provider or user directory.
- Review system audit logs to confirm the platform can successfully generate access reports.
- Inspect low-voltage cabling, power supplies, and battery backups at each door panel.
- Coordinate with IT to determine the appropriate network segmentation and security requirements for the access control system.
- Confirm that previous tenant credentials and administrator accounts have been removed or deactivated with proper authorization.
8. Evaluate for Future Demands
Your cabling infrastructure must be able to keep up as your business grows and you connect more devices. That makes it equally important to evaluate whether the building's current architecture can support anticipated growth as your operational demands increase.
Scalability Checklist:
- Ensure cabling supports power and bandwidth needs for modern and upcoming Wi-Fi access points.
- Confirm server room layouts have available rack space and power headroom for additional equipment.
- Inspect conduit and ceiling pathways to ensure new cabling can be added without requiring major construction.
- Confirm that infrastructure supports 10G, 25G, or higher uplinks for future bandwidth requirements over the next two to three years.
- Review lease agreements to identify landlord restrictions regarding structural cabling modifications and wall penetrations.
- Develop a phased improvement plan that clearly separates immediate baseline fixes from deferred future upgrades.
Auditing a building’s infrastructure across cabling, server rooms, fiber networks, labeling, capacity, security cameras, and access control is a massive undertaking. Beyond the time required, testing these systems properly demands specialized equipment that represents a significant expense if you do not already own it. Wired Communications has been auditing and deploying structured cabling, fiber, and low-voltage systems for over 20 years. We have the know-how and the necessary tools to not only audit and test your current architecture but also help you make it a reliable one that will work at peak speeds for years and scale easily as your business grows. Request your free building assessment today and let us turn that inherited cabling system into an asset that increases your bottom line.