Question Is Hands On IT Support Needed to Moving Server & Switches to New Office Space

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works_arc

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Hello everyone - thanks in advance for your thoughts.

Am I crazy or can I transport a server and network switches across town to a new office? I am likely over-simplifying but this seems like a straightforward process.

We are preparing to move into a new office and we are taking our hardware with us. My boss has PTSD from a move that happened 15 years ago, on which did not go well from a server/network standpoint and so I asked our third party IT group if they would be able to provide on site / hands on support for this project. I knew that there would be a cost associated, but I was floored by the number, and then they told me (after I agreed to the fee) that the number they quoted was low and the price increased. As a result, we are tempted to self perform this task. The IT team will provide remote support should anything go wrong, and they will configure the firewall and the like from their offices.
 
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bill001g

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How much do you actually know about the equipment. If all you know is it some magic box you plug in you are not going to do real well.

In general IF they use the same network IP ranges it should be possible to just move it but that is only if your network is extremely simple. If you have stuff like multiple subnets etc then it is likely the switches may need to be reconfigured depending on how the switches are connected to the different users.
 
kanewolf

kanewolf

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works_arc said:
Hello everyone - thanks in advance for your thoughts.

Am I crazy or can I transport a server and network switches across town to a new office? I am likely over-simplifying but this seems like a straightforward process.

We are preparing to move into a new office and we are taking our hardware with us. My boss has PTSD from a move that happened 15 years ago, on which did not go well from a server/network standpoint and so I asked our third party IT group if they would be able to provide on site / hands on support for this project. I knew that there would be a cost associated, but I was floored by the number, and then they told me (after I agreed to the fee) that the number they quoted was low and the price increased. As a result, we are tempted to self perform this task. The IT team will provide remote support should anything go wrong, and they will configure the firewall and the like from their offices.
Click to expand...
The question is "what is the cost of downtime?" Is the cost of bringing in an expert worthwhile as an insurance policy? Are you an owner of this business? You are treating this cost like it is coming out of your pocket, rather than a business expense.
 
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works_arc

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bill001g said:
How much do you actually know about the equipment. If all you know is it some magic box you plug in you are not going to do real well.

In general IF they use the same network IP ranges it should be possible to just move it but that is only if your network is extremely simple. If you have stuff like multiple subnets etc then it is likely the switches may need to be reconfigured depending on how the switches are connected to the different users.
Click to expand...
Our IT team has assured me that the Meraki switches will not need to be configured although I do have concerns about the IP address relative to the server.
 
USAFRet

USAFRet

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works_arc said:
Am I crazy or can I transport a server and network switches across town to a new office? I am likely over-simplifying but this seems like a straightforward process.
Click to expand...
I could do it.
This depends on you. What is your actual role in this company?

But if you're asking the question, probably not.

Similar question:
"We're getting new employees. Boss wants to expand the bathroom. Can I do it?"
 
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works_arc

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kanewolf said:
The question is "what is the cost of downtime?" Is the cost of bringing in an expert worthwhile as an insurance policy? Are you an owner of this business? You are treating this cost like it is coming out of your pocket, rather than a business expense.
Click to expand...
I am responsible for the financial viability of this business. Prior to soliciting the quote, I spoke at length about the IT budget for this FY and there was an in-depth discussion with regard to the replacement cycles for our hardware assets. The original quote fell within bracket of our budget for this project, relative to other IT related expenditures that would need to be financed for the continued functionality of our business. It was then that I learned that the quote was no good, and the price was increasing, which I found frustrating. I hope that this answers your question, if you have anything of value to add, I welcome those thoughts.
 
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works_arc

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USAFRet said:
I could do it.
This depends on you. What is your actual role in this company?

But if you're asking the question, probably not.

Similar question:
"We're getting new employees. Boss wants to expand the bathroom. Can I do it?"
Click to expand...
I am hoping that this reply will foster some constructive feedback. I often act as the go-between, facilitating solutions to issues that are urgent and the IT team is not as responsive as needed. This includes software and hardware troubleshooting, network mapping, new user set up, resolving remote desktop and VPN issues. etc. I have built every computer that we have in the office, and I pulled all of the drops and connected to patch panels in the new office space.
 
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works_arc

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USAFRet said:
I could do it.
This depends on you. What is your actual role in this company?

But if you're asking the question, probably not.

Similar question:
"We're getting new employees. Boss wants to expand the bathroom. Can I do it?"
Click to expand...
Funny but I can answer the bathroom question pretty easily! If you need help there, I am your guy. lol.
 
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works_arc

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USAFRet said:
Why isn't the "IT Team" doing this?
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I would say primarily it is because we outlined a meticulous budget for our IT needs for the fiscal year, and I spent many hours revising my widespread budgetary allocations to absorb the cost of this new project, only to learn that the proposal amount was changing dramatically. I feel as though this was a poor choice and a bad business practice on their part.
 
kanewolf

kanewolf

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works_arc said:
I am responsible for the financial viability of this business. Prior to soliciting the quote, I spoke at length about the IT budget for this FY and there was an in-depth discussion with regard to the replacement cycles for our hardware assets. The original quote fell within bracket of our budget for this project, relative to other IT related expenditures that would need to be financed for the continued functionality of our business. It was then that I learned that the quote was no good, and the price was increasing, which I found frustrating. I hope that this answers your question, if you have anything of value to add, I welcome those thoughts.
Click to expand...
The CFO should not be dealing with server installs, IMO. Do you have liability insurance? That is a business expense. Having an expert on-site when moving is insurance. And it has to be compared to the cost of downtime. That is why I asked the question. As CFO you should have an estimate on the cost of downtime. If you don't have a cost of downtime you should calculate one, since this "server" sounds like a single point of failure.
I worked for a LARGE company. We did a campus move. We paid an elevator tech to be on-site during the move because we couldn't tolerate an inoperative freight elevator. It is insurance. You weigh the cost vs the risk.
 
USAFRet

USAFRet

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works_arc said:
I am hoping that this reply will foster some constructive feedback. I often act as the go-between, facilitating solutions to issues that are urgent and the IT team is not as responsive as needed. This includes software and hardware troubleshooting, network mapping, new user set up, resolving remote desktop and VPN issues. etc. I have built every computer that we have in the office, and I pulled all of the drops and connected to patch panels in the new office space.
Click to expand...
Well, obviously, you know far more about the infrastructure and complexity of the enterprise than we out here do.

Your situation may be really easy, or far far more complex than what is depicted here.
 
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works_arc

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kanewolf said:
The CFO should not be dealing with server installs, IMO. Do you have liability insurance? That is a business expense. Having an expert on-site when moving is insurance. And it has to be compared to the cost of downtime. That is why I asked the question. As CFO you should have an estimate on the cost of downtime. If you don't have a cost of downtime you should calculate one, since this "server" sounds like a single point of failure.
I worked for a LARGE company. We did a campus move. We paid an elevator tech to be on-site during the move because we couldn't tolerate an inoperative freight elevator. It is insurance. You weigh the cost vs the risk.
Click to expand...
Our business has several locations, each with spare workstations. The insurance policy and the answer to the downtime question is: this office has seven staff members, and they could easily remote into workstations at other locations if this office has any downtime. Because of the nature of our business, users are using remote desktops to access machines many miles away while working natively or remotely.
 
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works_arc

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USAFRet said:
Well, obviously, you know far more about the infrastructure and complexity of the enterprise than we out here do.

Your situation may be really easy, or far far more complex than what is depicted here.
Click to expand...
This is very well said. FWIW, the IT group had initially said that its involvement was not necessary and that they felt that I could easily handle the transition. It wasn't until the business owner directed me to solicit a quote, and that's when things unraveled.
 
kanewolf

kanewolf

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works_arc said:
Our business has several locations, each with spare workstations. The insurance policy and the answer to the downtime question is: this office has seven staff members, and they could easily remote into workstations at other locations if this office has any downtime. Because of the nature of our business, users are using remote desktops to access machines many miles away while working natively or remotely.
Click to expand...
Then it sounds like there is no "cost" of downtime. Then you can DIY and pay to get it fixed if it goes south.
 
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works_arc

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Well, I appreciated the opportunity to speak with you all, thanks for chiming in. I'm sure that there's a common issues or basic troubleshooting document buried somewhere on the internet.
 
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