What do I need to consider when moving offices?

Overview

If you are considering moving to another office location, even if it's within the same building or the same floor, please alert CTD as soon as possible so we can help you plan out the IT logistics of the move and update our site documentation. We'll want to ensure you have an appropriate network setup ready for staff when they enter the new office.

Below we've included several logistical considerations for the move to help you plan, as well as what information we'll need from you. 

IT Logistical Considerations

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

We can absolutely assist you in selecting ISPs to ensure your office needs are met. In addition to the below items, there are some specifications that we'll need to clarify with the ISP as well. 

• For offices with 1-5 staff: A business cable modem line is sufficient as long as the minimum upload speed is 25MB.
• For offices with 6-15 staff: A business fiber line with minimum 50MB synchronous download/upload speed is recommended.
• For offices with 15+ staff: A business fiber line with minimum 100MB synchronous download/upload speed is recommended as well as a business cable modem line as secondary for failover.

Please note: Fiber ISP installations can take anywhere from 3-6 months to get installed.

Network Ports

Internal wiring depends heavily on the building and landlord. We're happy to help you determine the requirements, but please note that we need notice far in advance of the move to coordinate vendor scheduling.

• All desks should have two ethernet ports
• All offices should have minimum two ethernet ports
• Areas for printers and wireless access points will need an ethernet port
• Conference rooms should have a minimum of two ethernet ports

Server Room

A dedicated server/network room or closet with proper ventilation and server rack is highly recommended. The server room will house all the network infrastructure equipment. At least two standard 15 amp circuits are recommended.

Wi-Fi

We would need to see a floor plan to determine the number of wireless access points (WAPs) needed. Note that each WAP will require an ethernet port to plug into.

Firewall

A Meraki security appliance is needed for enterprise security, file server tunneling, and to route traffic between the primary and secondary ISPs. Cost for a firewall with 5-year maintenance is roughly between $800 (small office) to $3000 (large office) depending on staff size and simultaneous usage.

Network Switch

A managed network switch is needed to connect the network equipment to the patch panels. The type of switch depends on the size of the office and other requirements that we can discuss with you. 

Information to send to CTD

Here are some additional items we will need from you:

1. A floor plan marking the following:
   1. where conference rooms and staff will be located.
   2. where all the Ethernet ports will be located. These ports should be labeled properly physically and on the floorplan. Either your building or a networking contractor should be able to provide this information to you. 
2. The number of staff and guests you expect to work in the office.
3. If you can provide us the account number for your ISP, that can be extremely helpful for us if we need to talk with their support team down the line.