Solution
Opening a new site
Have cabling, network, Wi-Fi and devices proven before the doors open, with a punch list to finish.
Quick answer
What is the answer?
Open a new site by treating IT as a dated project with a written scope. Survey the space, install and certify cabling, design and validate Wi-Fi, stage the network and devices off site, and install to a checklist. Close the opening with a punch list, test results and a report, so day one runs on a proven setup.
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE
The situation.
You have signed for a new site and the opening date is public. Construction is behind, the ISP circuit is not confirmed, and the IT work is waiting for walls, ceilings and power. Your central team cannot be in every new location, and each opening runs in a new building with new rules.
If you open many sites, the second problem is repetition. Each opening done from scratch means different cabling, different equipment choices and different results. A site that nobody can describe in the same way as the last one is hard to support afterward.
A repeatable opening uses the same scope, the same equipment list and the same checks every time. The local engineer works from a brief, and the result is proven before staff and customers arrive.
What goes wrong when it is handled badly
- IT is scheduled after the fit-out ends, so there is no time to correct what is wrong.
- Cabling goes in without certification, and faults appear when the site is busy.
- Wi-Fi coverage is assumed instead of validated, and scanners, tills or laptops drop off the network.
- Equipment arrives late or incomplete and is configured on site under pressure.
- The circuit, firewall or SD-WAN device is not ready, so the site opens offline.
- Open items from the last day are not tracked, and problems remain long after opening.
HOW WE HANDLE IT
How we approach it.
STEP 01
Survey and write the scope
We review plans, visit where possible and list the cabling, network, Wi-Fi and device work. The written scope sets dates, dependencies and exclusions.
STEP 02
Install and certify structured cabling
Cabling is installed to the agreed design, labeled and tested. Test results are kept for every run.
STEP 03
Design Wi-Fi and stage the network off site
Wi-Fi is designed from the plans and validated with a survey after install. Network equipment is configured and tested before it ships.
STEP 04
Deploy devices and connect the site
Engineers mount equipment, connect devices and test each area to a checklist. Your team confirms circuits and services from its own tools.
STEP 05
Run the punch list and close out
Open items are listed, assigned and closed. You receive photos, test results, asset records and a closeout report for the site.
What you receive
- A written scope and dated plan for the opening
- Cabling certification results and a labeling record
- A Wi-Fi design and a post-install validation report
- Configured network equipment installed and tested
- A punch list with owners and closing dates
- A closeout report with photos and asset records
Services that apply
Related case studies
Case studies are representative scenarios, not client projects.
QUESTIONS
Common questions.
What IT work does a new site need before opening?
When should IT start on a new site?
Can we use the same setup at every new site?
Do you supply the equipment?
How do we know the site is ready?
Get started
Need engineers on site? Tell us where.
Tell us the sites, the scope and the timeline. We reply with a written plan.