Thinking About Moving Your Business to Texas? Don’t Let IT Be an Afterthought

Texas continues to attract businesses from California, New York, Illinois, Washington, New Jersey, Colorado, and beyond. It’s not hard to see why — lower taxes, business-friendly regulations, sensible cost of living, and access to major markets.

But after 25+ years running an MSP in Texas, I can tell you this with absolute confidence:

IT becomes one of the highest-impact parts of a relocation — and almost always the most underestimated.

You can have the perfect office, a great lease, and a smooth HR plan, but if your IT isn’t ready on day one, the whole company feels it.
Immediately.

I’ve seen entire teams unable to log in.
I’ve seen beautiful new offices without usable internet.
I’ve seen Microsoft 365 block an entire company because the system didn’t recognize the new Texas location.

All of it avoidable — if IT is involved early enough.

1. Why IT Breaks More Often Than Anything Else During a Move

People assume that because they’re using the cloud, everything will magically work. I wish it were that simple.

A relocation exposes every weakness in your IT foundation.

Here are real examples from clients we’ve helped:

A financial firm moved to Houston from New York. The brochure said “Fiber ready.”
The fiber wasn’t installed.
The conduit existed.
Not the fiber.

A Chicago office had pristine network closets — color-matched cables and all.
Half weren’t terminated correctly.
The other half were mislabeled.

Conditional Access sees the new office and says, “This looks suspicious.”
Users think Microsoft is down.
It’s not. It’s the move.

Some companies don’t even know they still have hybrid dependencies.
They find out the hard way.

File conflicts.
Access issues.
Random sync failures.

Everything above is preventable — if IT is part of the planning early.

2. The #1 Recommendation: Bring a Texas-Based MSP Into the Process 60–90 Days Before Move-In

When I say early involvement, I don’t mean “a few days before the movers arrive.”

I mean:

Engage a Texas MSP 60–90 days before move-in — ideally before you sign the lease.

Here’s why that timing matters:

• ISPs in Texas often take 30–60 days (sometimes longer) to install
• Cabling issues can take weeks to fix correctly
• Microsoft 365 changes must be designed, tested, and verified
• Network design takes time, especially in new layouts
• Redundancy planning (ISP, power, routing) cannot be rushed

Relocation should feel controlled — not like a weekend-long fire drill.

3. Why a Local Texas MSP Makes All the Difference

Your current MSP may be excellent.
But they can’t walk a building in Texas from another state.

And walking the building is everything.

A. We Can Physically Walk the Space (30 minutes to 1 hour)

When my team or I walk a facility, we look for things that no leasing agent will mention and no remote MSP can detect:

• Is the fiber actually installed? (Not just “ready.”)
• Is the cabling real Cat6 or ancient Cat5 re-terminated?
• Does the network closet have proper ventilation?
• Are there Wi-Fi dead zones behind thick walls?
• What’s the real flood risk for this exact address?
• Does the building have sufficient power for modern IT loads?
• Are there ISP alternatives in case the primary one delays installation?

A 30- to 60-minute walk can prevent thousands of dollars in downtime.

B. Texas Infrastructure Has Its Own Personality

If you’re moving from the coasts, some of this may surprise you:

• Neighborhood-to-neighborhood ISP reliability varies dramatically
• Severe weather can delay installations
• Flood zones matter more than maps suggest
• Power quality ranges widely by building
• Some “new” buildings hide very old wiring

We’ve dealt with these quirks for decades — and we design around them.

C. A Second Set of Eyes Finds What Your Current MSP Can’t See

Moves reveal issues that didn’t matter before:

• Dormant AD Sync processes
• Legacy VPN dependencies
• Users not enrolled in MDM
• Backup jobs running only on local storage
• Firewalls tied to old public IPs
• Conditional Access rules blocking Texas logins
• Orphaned M365 groups and old permissions

Your current MSP might not even know these issues exist.

We know where to look because we’ve watched these exact problems break companies during moves.

Working With Two MSPs at Once Is the Smart Way to Do It

This model eliminates drama:

Your current MSP:

Keeps everything running at your existing location.

Xvand (Texas MSP):

Builds and prepares the Texas environment, coordinates ISPs, deploys the network, and handles onsite work.

We’re not replacing them — not yet.
We’re making sure the move succeeds.

After the move, you can decide whether you want to continue with them, switch fully to us, or phase over slowly.

4. Texas Cybersecurity Safe Harbor: A Huge Advantage Most Businesses Don’t Know About

Here’s something most out-of-state companies are pleasantly surprised by:

Texas has a Cybersecurity Safe Harbor law that gives legal protection to companies aligned with frameworks like CIS IG1.

If you follow CIS IG1 (and maintain it), your company may receive protection from certain lawsuits after a cyber incident.

Coming from states like California or New York, this is very different from the regulatory environments you’re used to.

One of the reasons companies choose Xvand is because:

We align clients to CIS IG1 by default,
which helps them qualify for Safe Harbor protection faster.

5. The IT Decisions That Will Make or Break Your Texas Relocation

A move is one of the best opportunities you’ll ever have to modernize your IT.

Here’s where to focus:

✔ Internet & Fiber

Verify real availability.
Confirm real install dates.
Don’t trust building brochures.

✔ Network Architecture

New office = different floor plan, walls, interference patterns.
Your network design should reflect the new space — not the old one.

✔ Microsoft 365 Cleanup

Moves are the perfect time to address:

• MFA issues
• stale users
• oversharing
• hybrid AD leftovers
• guest access everywhere
• unmanaged devices
• forgotten admin privileges

This ties directly into our Microsoft 365 services.

✔ Backup & Disaster Recovery

Texas requires planning around:

• hurricanes
• flooding
• severe storms
• power issues

Your DR plan should not be “hope.”

✔ Cloud vs On-Prem Servers

Moves are a great time to retire aging equipment and consider
private cloud desktops.

✔ Standardize Devices

I’ve seen more relocation issues caused by mismatched laptops than anything else.
Standardizing endpoints smooths everything.

6. A Realistic 90-Day Timeline for a Smooth Move

Based on dozens of relocations we’ve run:

Days 1–14

• Walk the facility (30–60 minutes)
• Order ISP lines
• Audit Microsoft 365
• Inspect cabling
• Begin network design

Days 15–30

• Fix identity/IAM issues
• Update Conditional Access
• Refresh DR planning
• Prepare firewall and switching plans
• Design Wi-Fi coverage

Days 30–60

• Install switching, Wi-Fi, firewalls
• Prep devices
• Test routing/VPN/cloud access
• Validate backups

Days 60–90

• UAT testing
• Authentication testing
• Cutover planning
• Move-weekend support

This is why rushing IT in the final week is a recipe for trouble.

7. Why Companies Choose Xvand for Their Texas Relocation

Here’s what makes us different:

• Real-time helpdesk — your team gets people, not a ticket bot
• Texas engineers with Texas experience
• 25+ years running IT in this state
• Security-first MSP aligned to CIS IG1
• In-house development team (rare in MSPs)
• Private cloud desktops that simplify relocations
• Strong partner network statewide (realtors, cablers, AV, vendors)
• Zero-pressure engagement — start with relocation-only support if you want

We’ve helped companies move from across the street… and across the country.
Our job is to make sure your move to Texas goes right the first time.

8. IT Relocation Checklist

Before Signing the Lease

• Confirm real fiber
• Inspect cabling
• Check flood zone
• Verify closet power/cooling

60–90 Days Before Move

• Audit Microsoft 365
• Standardize devices
• Order ISP lines
• Update DR plan
• Begin design

During the Move

• Install network gear
• Configure private cloud/secure desktops
• Test authentication
• Validate backups

After Move

• Final security audit
• Enforce CIS IG1
• Train staff

9. Frequently Asked Questions

Not at all. Many companies keep their current MSP during the move and bring in Xvand to handle Texas preparation, onsite work, and new-office design. After the move, you can decide if you want to transition fully.

Because Microsoft 365 treats new geolocations as suspicious. Conditional Access, firewall IP restrictions, hybrid AD, routing changes, and device compliance can all cause login failures. With proper planning, these issues can be eliminated.

Texas offers liability protection to companies aligned with frameworks like CIS IG1. If you implement and maintain these controls, you may qualify for Safe Harbor protections after a cyber incident.

We’re headquartered in Houston, but we support clients across Texas and partner with trusted teams in Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio.

Bringing IT into the process too late. The 60–90 day window matters more than most people realize.

If you’re exploring a move to Texas — or already planning one — let us walk the facility.

It takes 30 minutes to 1 hour, and it has saved our clients from:

• 6-week ISP delays
• bad cabling
• no cooling in network closets
• flood-zone surprises
• power issues
• unreliable ISP neighborhoods

It’s free.
There’s no pressure.
And it gives you real clarity about what you’re walking into.

If Texas is on your radar, talk to us early.
One hour now prevents weeks of downtime later.