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SUCCESS STORY

How The Ford Store San Leandro Minimized Disruption During a Facility Move

Founded in 1991 and in San Leandro since 2008, The Ford Store San Leandro runs sales, service, and parts while modernizing the customer experience through mobile service and at-home vehicle delivery. When the dealership needed to relocate nearby, President, Dealer Principal, and General Manager Gus Knezevich needed to move the dealership’s technology with minimal downtime. With ITS supporting the transition, the dealership was back in business the next morning.

  • Automotive Industry
  • Managed IT and Project Services Type of service
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At a Glance

Managed IT
~ 100
Computers relocated and reconnected
~ 20 years
At the previous facility
14.5 Hours
From network shutdown to next-morning business resumption
43 Hours
From network shutdown to all phones, computers, and network systems operational

“Anytime you're moving, it's disruptive to your current business… We're just so routine with our normal way we do things in our business that when you change or tweak anything, it just throws you off.” 

GK Gus Knezevich President, Dealer Principal, and General Manager, The Ford Store San Leandro See all case studies ↗

The Business Challenge: A Full Dealership, a Tight Deadline, and Minimal Room for Disruption

 

After nearly two decades in the same building, The Ford Store San Leandro needed to relocate its people, equipment, and technology infrastructure while keeping the business running.

The new site had to support a service operation handling around 20 vehicles a day, along with sales and parts. The move involved roughly 100 computers, phones, and network equipment, plus a new server room, new wiring, and a working connection to Reynolds and Reynolds, the dealer management system that supports day-to-day operations.

The transition also required supporting two locations at once. At the time of the interview, about 70 to 75% of staff were working from the new facility, while 25 to 30% remained at the previous site. ITS supported both locations during the transition.

Adding to the complexity, the old facility had nearly 20 years of aging network equipment and wiring, with a mix of 100-megabit and gigabit connections. The new building was also about an acre smaller, adding another layer of complexity to the move.

 

“Anytime you're moving, it's disruptive to your current business… We're just so routine with our normal way we do things in our business that when you change or tweak anything, it just throws you off.” 

 

Preparing for the Move: Building the Network Ahead of Cutover

The dealership had partnered with ITS earlier that year after its previous IT vendor was not keeping pace with its needs. Weeks before the move, ITS built a partial network at the new facility and established a temporary VPN back to the old site. That gave employees Wi-Fi and allowed some work to begin at the new location before move day. 

ITS also coordinated with the dealership's cabling contractor so the new building had the wiring needed for the network. 

On moving day, Wednesday, shortly after 5:00 p.m., the old network was shut down. The ITS team dismantled and transported the firewall and networking equipment, brought the new network online, and worked directly with a Reynolds and Reynolds representative to restore the DMS at the new location. 

Gus credited ITS's communication and preparation: "There was a plan, there were conversations, there were meetings … Credit to ITS. They were always sending out emails, calling me, making sure we were staying on target." 

The Transition: Back in Operation by Morning

 

By 9:00 p.m. that night, the new network was live, allowing the dealership to partially operate on its own systems. By 7:30 Thursday morning, roughly 14.5 hours after shutdown, the dealership was back in business, well ahead of the original Saturday readiness deadline.

Thursday and Friday were spent bringing the remaining phones and computers online and upgrading the network to gigabit connections throughout. By Friday midday, about 43 hours after shutdown, all phones, computers, and network systems were fully operational.

Phone service was the most notable issue and was largely outside ITS's responsibility, but the team still worked alongside Reynolds and Reynolds to troubleshoot it.

Gus recalled that the ITS team was on-site for about two days, helping resolve issues as they surfaced.

 

"When there was an issue, they would know that there was an issue. And when they got done with one issue, they addressed another and another after that … until we all felt that we were set for success to go back to normal business conditions." 

 

The Results: Minimal Disruption and a Stronger Network

For Gus, communication was the biggest factor in the move going smoothly. Reflecting on a previous move, he drew a sharp contrast: "I've moved once before and that was a disaster… There's going to be some bumps along the way, but again, those were very, very minimal. And I credit ITS for making it that way." 

The move limited business interruption to a single night while leaving the dealership with a stronger, more consistent network.

The change is especially visible in the server room: nearly 20 years of accumulated equipment and old wiring gave way to a compact, organized setup planned with the next 10-plus years in mind.

THE SERVER ROOM

Where the Change Is Easiest to See

  • SLF-Old-Server-Room3
    Before the move
    Nearly 20 years of accumulated equipment and old wiring, with a mix of 100-megabit and gigabit connections.
  • SLF-New-Server-Room3
    After the move
    A compact, organized setup planned with the next 10-plus years in mind, running gigabit throughout.

For Gus, the experience reinforced what he'd tell any business preparing for a similar transition:

 

"The more conversations you can have with your vendors that are going to be helping you, like ITS, the more successful I think you can be when you're moving a location like this… You can never over communicate." 

 

Partnering With ITS

 

For The Ford Store San Leandro, the move reinforced the value of having a technology partner engaged throughout the transition and ready to work through challenges as they arose.

That same relationship extends beyond the relocation, with ITS continuing to support the dealership through Secure Essentials, reactive support, and project services for both day-to-day technology needs and larger initiatives.

Planning a Facility Move?

If your business is preparing for a facility move or technology transition, the right planning can help reduce downtime and keep operations moving.

 

Contact Intelligent Technical Solutions to see how a planned, well-communicated IT transition can help you get back to business quickly and minimize disruption.

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Automotive service work at a dealership
THE CLIENT

Selling and Servicing Fords Since 1991

Founded in 1991 and in San Leandro since 2008, The Ford Store San Leandro runs sales, service, and parts while modernizing the customer experience through mobile service and at-home vehicle delivery. Its service operation alone handles around 20 vehicles a day.

At a Glance

  • Founded in 1991, in San Leandro since 2008
  • Sales, service, and parts under one roof
  • Around 20 vehicles serviced every day
  • Partnered with ITS since 2026

When the dealership needed to relocate nearby, President, Dealer Principal, and General Manager Gus Knezevich needed to move the dealership's technology with minimal downtime. He turned to ITS, the dealership's managed IT partner.

THE CHALLENGE

A Full Dealership, a Tight Deadline, and Minimal Room for Disruption

The new site had to support a service operation handling around 20 vehicles a day, along with sales and parts, and the dealership needed to keep running through the move.

“Anytime you're moving, it's disruptive to your current business… We're just so routine with our normal way we do things in our business that when you change or tweak anything, it just throws you off,” Knezevich shared.

What the move involved
Roughly 100 endpoints
Computers, phones, and network equipment all had to be relocated and reconnected.
A new server room and wiring
The new building needed a working network built from scratch, coordinated with the dealership's cabling contractor.
The dealer management system
Reynolds and Reynolds, which supports day-to-day operations, had to come back online at the new site.
Two locations at once
During the transition, staff worked from both facilities, and ITS supported both.
Nearly 20 years of aging equipment
Old wiring with a mix of 100-megabit and gigabit connections, moving into a building about an acre smaller.
THE MOVE

Move Night, Hour by Hour

Weeks before the move, ITS built a partial network at the new facility and set up a temporary VPN back to the old site, so employees had Wi-Fi and some work could begin early. ITS also coordinated with the dealership's cabling contractor so the new building was wired and ready for cutover.

  • 5:00 p.m. Wednesday
    The old network was shut down. ITS dismantled and transported the firewall and networking equipment to the new building.
  • 9:00 p.m. Wednesday
    The new network was live, and ITS worked directly with a Reynolds and Reynolds representative to restore the dealer management system.
  • 7:30 a.m. Thursday
    Roughly 14.5 hours after shutdown, the dealership was back in business, well ahead of the original Saturday readiness deadline.
  • Friday midday
    About 43 hours after shutdown, all phones, computers, and network systems were fully operational, upgraded to gigabit throughout.
WHAT ITS DID

‘You can never over communicate’

For Gus, communication was the biggest factor in the move going smoothly. The ITS team stayed on-site for about two days, working through issues as they surfaced until the dealership was back to normal business conditions.

  • A plan everyone could follow
    “There was a plan, there were conversations, there were meetings … Credit to ITS. They were always sending out emails, calling me, making sure we were staying on target,” Knezevich shared.
  • Issue-by-issue follow-through
    “When there was an issue, they would know that there was an issue. And when they got done with one issue, they addressed another and another after that … until we all felt that we were set for success to go back to normal business conditions.”
  • A stronger network than before
    Nearly 20 years of accumulated equipment and old wiring gave way to a compact, organized server room planned with the next 10-plus years in mind, with gigabit connections throughout.
  • A partnership beyond the move
    ITS continues to support the dealership through Secure Essentials, reactive support, and project services for both day-to-day technology needs and larger initiatives.
THE RESULTS

‘I Credit ITS for Making It That Way’

Facility Move and Managed IT
14.5
Hours From Shutdown toNext-Morning Business

By 7:30 Thursday morning the dealership was back in business, well ahead of the original Saturday readiness deadline.

~100
Computers relocated and reconnected
Along with phones and network equipment, plus a new server room and new wiring.
43 Hours
To fully operational
By Friday midday, all phones, computers, and network systems were running on a network upgraded to gigabit throughout.
20+ Years
Of aging equipment replaced
Two decades of accumulated gear and old wiring became a compact, organized setup planned for the next 10-plus years.

“I've moved once before and that was a disaster… There's going to be some bumps along the way, but again, those were very, very minimal. And I credit ITS for making it that way.”

GK Gus Knezevich President, Dealer Principal, and General Manager, The Ford Store San Leandro See all case studies ↗