How to Plan your IT Infrastructure at Your New Office Space

When moving offices, setting up IT infrastructure is often the last thing on your mind. And after the monumental transformation of our working environments in the last two years, getting this done right is more important than ever. So, in today's climate, what should businesses consider when setting up the IT infrastructure at their new office space? And how can they save money on their office fitouts by setting it up right? To get some answers, we spoke to Haydn Corbett, CEO of Technicalities Group Consulting Pty Ltd, who offer IT solutions to businesses around Melbourne. From migrating your operations to the cloud, to planning cable layouts, we've put together a list to help.   

The best place to start is conducting an audit of the equipment at the existing office. Apart from giving you an idea of the IT Infrastructure you have and will need, an equipment audit can form a great foundation on the timeline. From there, you'll be able to plan when and how the equipment will be moved, and how it will be incorporated into your new office fitout floorplan – everything from network hardware, printers, phone systems to staff desktops.  

Pro tip: check whether any of your hardware is on lease before organising its move; some hardware leasing companies consider third-party transportation a breach of its warranty clause.   

Another consideration that often gets overlooked is planning your internet connection. The lead time for installing a new fibre internet service can take up to 90 days, so we recommend chatting with a service like ISP Fibervision during your relocation, who can provide you with a temporary 4G service while you wait for your connection to be installed. Their 4G service is configured with a fixed IP address. This allows you to move in whenever you need to, regardless of what is happening with your fibre internet installation and guarantees no impact to your network and connectivity – a seamless changeover. 

Now that you've planned the move, what's next for your new office fitout? It's no secret that our working environment has changed drastically in the last two years. With many businesses adopting a hybrid WFH model, we're seeing the role of physical offices move towards collaboration, and therefore a greater need for office fitouts to contain hot desks, quiet rooms and more meeting rooms. It's relatively straightforward for an office fitout company to design and build these physical spaces, but what should you consider from an IT perspective?   

The greater mobility of staff (and their computers) means that 1. more companies are migrating to cloud-based infrastructure, and 2. they need to be able to connect to the internet wherever they are. With this in mind, smart planning of WiFi cabling in the office is paramount to the successful operation of your business. We often recommend our clients work with an IT company like Haydn's to conduct a WiFi survey and design prior to planning their new office fitout, to ensure our floorplans are designed with internet connectivity in mind.   

WiFi survey and design: a two-dimensional map set over a floorplan, which takes into account a space's physical structures and planned usage, to accurately plan where you should locate your WiFi access points to achieve WiFi coverage everywhere you need it.    

Physical servers/hardware and cabling can be expensive, so by planning these carefully, you reduce your costs and allow more space in your office fitout for the important things, like staff collaboration and serving your customer base well.  From equipment audits to network planning, there is a lot to consider when planning the IT infrastructure for your new office fitout. To keep it short, the top three considerations we recommend are: 

1. Auditing your equipment before the move 
2. Plan your new internet and WiFi connection carefully 
3. Opt for cloud-based infrastructure where possible 

And if you're still not sure where to start, speak to the Canopy team or Technicalities Group Consulting Pty Ltd, and we'd be more than happy to help with your office fitout and IT infrastructure needs!