New Office IT Setup Checklist
If your company is launching its very first office or opening at a new location, chances are you will want to plan what IT infrastructure will be necessary.
That entails understanding the floor plan so you can determine what cabling will be needed, where workstations and conference rooms will be located, where you might keep a server room, where the power supplies are, etc.
Frequently, it also entails deciding what suppliers to use across a range of products. It’s likely that you’ll need to choose an internet service provider, a supplier of network and Wi-Fi equipment, as well as decide what workstation equipment and printers to use.
It can be hard to keep track of everything you need, which is why we’ve created a New Office IT Setup Checklist document that you can refer to while planning.
We’ve broken it down section by section in the article below. The template is available for download in Word format at the bottom of this page. Enjoy!
IT Checklist – Office Floor Plan
When looking at an office floor plan, here’s what you need to consider from an IT perspective:
- Where will each department be located? How many workstations and in what disposition?
- Where will the server room be located?
- Will there be dedicated conference rooms? If so, where and how many?
- Where will any printers, copiers and scanners be located?
- What do network and Wi-Fi connections look like?
Not all office plans will require all of the above but it gives you a baseline to get started.
You should obtain a copy of the floor plan and make sure all areas are planned for.
Should your office have multiple conference rooms, multiple printers, etc., the Word document template at the bottom of this page includes a table for you to note down each separate location.
Choosing an ISP (Internet Service Provider)
In most cases, you’ll want to reach out to two or three major Internet Service Providers and get a quote from each to compare pricing, availability, speed and connection type.[1] You might also want to pick a backup internet service provider should your business be heavily dependent on being connected at all times.
We have shortlisted a few different internet service providers in the UK, USA, Australia and India below. We have also created a checklist in the Word template below for you to note down and rank each quote you receive.
United Kingdom: Top Business Internet Service Providers
- BT Group
- Virgin Media
- Vodafone UK
United States of America: Top Business Internet Service Providers
- AT&T
- Comcast
- Verizon
Australia: Top Business Internet Service Providers
- Telstra
- Optus
- TPG
India: Top Business Internet Service Providers
- Reliance Jio Infocomm
- Airtel
- Vodafone
Power Supply, Wiring and Outlets
While you are unlikely to do any of the electrical installations yourself, there are a few things you want to keep on your radar as they will likely affect how equipment around the office is powered up.
Here are some of the questions you should ask when considering the power supply of your new office:
- Power Backup: does your office require some form of power backup to ensure continuity should the main power supply fail?
- Air Circulation: will equipment such as laptops, PCs, etc have enough room for proper air circulation (in order to prevent overheating)? Does your server room have adequate ventilation?
- Lighting: what type of lighting will the office require (which may vary from industry to industry)?
- Safety Switches: are safety switches in place to avoid potential damage to equipment (in the event of a surge or similar issue)?
- Under-desk power outlets: are these available throughout the office or will you need to consider additional cabling?
- Capacity: will the office be supplied with enough power to handle all the different equipment/machinery your company operates?
New office set-up: what to prioritise first?
The order by which each office section needs to be set up will vary greatly from case to case.
The majority of the time, several parts will be tackled simultaneously; in many cases, there will be dependencies that prevent other parts from being addressed. It will also depend greatly on the number of IT staff involved, the size and configuration of the office, and the nature of the business (among other factors).
Generally speaking though, for a small to medium office space (up to 100 workstations, no complex machinery involved, service industry), you’ll likely want to prioritise as follows:
- Server Room
- Network Infrastructure
- Access Points + Routers
- Uninterruptible Power Source
- Workstations
- Conference Room
- Printers/Scanners/Copiers
Workstation Equipment IT Checklist
For each workstation, you’ll want to document in advance what type of equipment the staff will need. We have created a handy table in the Word template below, but here are the main components you’ll want to consider:
- Laptop/PC
- Monitor
- Keyboard
- Mouse
- Headset / Microphone
- Camera (if not included in laptop)
- Desk
- Chair
New Office IT Setup Checklist
To access your checklist, please enter your email below. You’ll be presented with a link to download your document in Word format. We hope you enjoy it!
Sources
- [1] For additional information on how to choose an internet service provider, highspeedinternet.com has a wonderful guide.
Ricardo Oliveira
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