Opening a new office is exciting — until you realize that without a working network, nothing else works. No phones, no email, no Wi-Fi, no badge access. Here is the complete IT infrastructure checklist to make sure your new office is operational on day one.
8-12 Weeks Before Move-In
ISP & Connectivity
- Order internet circuit(s) — business fiber takes 30-90 days to provision
- Order backup circuit from a different provider if uptime is critical
- Confirm demarc location (where the ISP delivers service into the building)
- Coordinate with building management for riser access and conduit rights
Network Design
- Floor plan review — identify IDF/MDF closet locations, cable pathways, AP placement
- VLAN architecture — plan segmentation (corporate, guest, IoT, voice, cameras)
- IP addressing scheme — plan subnets, DHCP scopes, static assignments
- Equipment selection — routers, switches, firewalls, access points, UPS
4-6 Weeks Before
Cabling & Physical Infrastructure
- Structured cabling installation (Cat6A recommended for new builds)
- Cable certification and test reports for every drop
- Patch panel installation and labeling
- Rack/cabinet installation in IDF/MDF closets
- Power and UPS for network closets
Procurement
- Order all networking equipment with sufficient lead time
- Order cameras, badge readers, and access control hardware
- Order phones (if VoIP) or confirm PBX setup
- Order employee workstations/laptops
2-3 Weeks Before
- Pre-configure switches, firewall, and APs (ideally before arriving on site)
- Stage equipment for installation — labeled and ready
- Configure VPN tunnel to HQ or cloud resources
- Set up monitoring for all network devices
Installation Week
- Mount and connect all switches, routers, firewall
- Install and configure wireless access points
- Install cameras and access control
- Test every cable drop, every AP, every camera
- Test VPN connectivity and failover
- Test guest Wi-Fi isolation
- Walkthrough with building management and client
Day One Readiness Checklist
- Internet working — primary and backup
- Wi-Fi working — corporate and guest SSIDs
- Phones working — inbound and outbound
- Badge access working — all doors
- Cameras recording — all coverage areas
- VPN connected — access to corporate resources
- Monitoring active — all devices reporting
If you are opening multiple offices, you need a partner who can replicate the same setup consistently at every location. That is what Imagit does, across 25+ years and thousands of sites.
Get in touch for a new office buildout quote.