Empowering IT Support to Deliver Efficiency, Reliability, and Satisfaction Across Every Interaction
Whether your company is large or small, at some point, as your meetings evolve, you’ll need to set up some sort of conference room (be it onsite or remotely). Implementing some sort of A/V solution to allow your employees to be able to easily connect with each other & the outside world. Here are some tips to help you craft the perfect conference room.
Conference rooms are only as good as the audio/video solution you implement. One that’s too advanced or cumbersome to use can cause issues for simple meetings while ones that are too simple can be obstacles to your meetings. The ideal conference room allows you to connect easily & seamlessly all while being functional & feature-rich without being overbearing.
Now the best solution depends on a few factors:
Take a moment to consider what you need out of the A/V system. Do you need it to integrate with Google calendar, be able to call out to landlines, be compatible with Macs & PCs, and so on? Once you’ve developed a set of features you need to shop around with some of the top services out there & compare pricing based on your budget. It’s worth investing both in the hardware & service you go with as it’ll go a long way & help assure your employees are happy when it comes to their meeting experiences. Lastly, consider your ecosystem are your users primarily mac based? Is there a need to present mobile devices, and so on? There’s not necessarily a silver bullet for this as many factors come into play, but here are some of the top solutions currently in the market to give you an idea of what’s out there.
Network Right recommended A/V solutions
It goes a long way to ensure your conference rooms are tidied & efficiently set up so that cables are accessible when needed & out of sight when not. Cable management such as zip ties, cable runners, and so on are great ways to tuck away cables from your A/V system while also making the room cleanlier & safer for anyone coming in. Having simple hardware such as laptop & phone chargers also go a long way when it comes to conference rooms since people can be in said rooms for some time. It’s about providing convenience in a neatly packaged way. Ideally, it’s simple enough for anyone to come in start their meeting, connect their laptop if needed, and carry on with their day/presentation.
Tips:
A great complement to your actual conference room system is room booking tools. These can be achieved, for instance, by using tablets such as iPads mounted outside the rooms to showcase when conference rooms are opened or booked. While some A/V systems offer this, there are plenty of 3rd party tools that integrate with Google Calendar, for example, to display your meeting times outside the room so there’s no confusion around the room availability. This simple but effective investment goes a long way in assuring the flow of meetings goes well & organized.
Some we recommend looking into:
A great A/V system is only as good as the network it relies on to take the high-def video & calls. If the network connection feeding the A/V system—be it wi-fi or hardwired—isn’t great, to begin with, you’ll experience lag or, worse yet, dropped calls. Technical difficulties are no fun during a presentation so assuring your source connection is decent is always a good start. Even for local or in-house meetings where an A/V system may not be used it is ideal to ensure the participants have decent wi-fi in said conference rooms & so on to conduct their in-person meetings.
(See why your office wi-fi sucks)
Network Right Tip:
When possible, hardwire your A/V hardware. Wired connections tend to provide a more reliable network connection
The best part about conference rooms is you get to customize them to match the theme of your office. Whether you’re going for minimal & professional vibes or something more on theme with your company. Getting the right furniture, decor, and even optimizing the A/V setup to match your space is key. Having fun & creative space for meetings goes a long way & showcases some personality for the business. Every conference room is different just as is every company so build your rooms to reflect that.
Now you’re five tips closer to building out a great conference room!
Need a consult & recommendations toward building out your conference rooms? Feel free to reach out to the Network Right team to have us come out & help implement the perfect conference room for your business!
There’s nothing worse than slow or dodgy wi-fi when it comes to an office. The seemingly invisible technology that allows your employees to get their work done effectively & efficiently. No one likes a slow connection or one that drops constantly or having to fight over the magic corner in your office that gets a good signal versus everywhere else.
Your ISP or internet service provider is essentially the source of your internet in the office. No matter the equipment you get or tweaks made, if the ISP plan you have isn’t great then you won’t see many improvements. If you’re moving into a new office or really looking to improve your connection then start by examining your ISP plan ensuring you’re on a business level tier getting a connection relative to your office size. When ISP’s offer you a plan it typically is broken down into two numbers: your download & upload speed which is referenced as 100 down & up (Meaning 100 download & upload). While these numbers aren’t always 100% accurate you want to first ensure you’re getting a plan that suits the needs of your business. For example, being on a residential plan of 50/50 when there’s potentially 1Gb (1,000 Mbs) up & down available. Yes, this means higher costs but trust me when we say it’s worth the investment.
Use a site like Speedtest to see the upload/download your pulling & ensure your getting relative to what you pay for!
Similar to point 1: garbage in, garbage out. When you have a decent plan in place, you want to then ensure the hardware pushing out the actual wi-fi supports it. A mistake growing startups may make is sticking to consumer hardware or even routers provided by the ISP themselves. While consumer brands make mid-tier enterprise equipment (Linksys, ASUS, etc.) it’s worth looking to upgrade to actual enterprise hardware that allows for mesh networking. This means multiple AP’s to get more coverage in your office & all come together under one network. So no matter where you are in the office you stay connected to the wi-fi.
Now pricing here varies on the setup at hand & there are multiple brands from Cisco Meraki to Unifi to invest in for your enterprise but not only does enterprise hardware help get the most efficient wi-fi speeds but it also gives your IT team better infrastructure to manage your company’s network & securely lock down your network from intrusions or outside attacks.
Enterprise hardware Network Right recommends:
Maybe you already have a decent system in place but a simple re-locating could help tremendously improve the signal. There are certain factors that are unavoidable such as steel walls & other materials which can be harder for AP’s to penetrate. Another factor could be other networks & businesses around you can cause what’s called “interference” that affects the signal. Think of an office building with 20+ companies in it, meaning you’re competing with 20 other signals. Now certain hardware allows you to adjust these “Channels” to ensure you are always on the most effective/fastest signal. However, physical location also matters. Properly placing your AP’s in a central location so that employees get the most effective coverage. At times, adding in even another AP/wireless access point can make all the difference.
This tends to fall more on the admin or provider who manages your network but there are plenty of configurations that’ll help effectively improve your wifi based on your needs. Things like bandwidth shaping, QOS (prioritizing devices for improved performance such as conference rooms), channels, and much more. Properly configuring the network ensures your network is locked down from outside guests getting on the corporate network & slowing down or even compromising the network. Having someone to manage your network (in-house or remotely) is important in ensuring your wifi is always performing optimally. This includes firmware updates, occasional surveys to ensure your hardware doesn’t need expansion or replacing, and so on.
When planning out a network, a couple of factors have to be considered. If your AP’s, for example, support 50 devices on average considering each employee nowadays probably has two devices (a laptop & mobile phone), BYOD or bring your own device policy, guests, and so on are all to be factored so a 25 person office is truly 50+ devices. As a company scales, more bandwidth is used & in turn, more monitoring, advanced hardware, and so on needs to be factored in. Preventing users from, for instance, using P2P or torrent technology & ensuring nothing bandwidth-intensive is taking over the network. Accounting for such growth at the start is the best-case scenario but sometimes that isn’t the reality. Any company, especially a startup, can quickly grow & at a certain point a complete overhaul should be considered. As your company scales so should your network.
There is a multitude of factors, some technical & some obvious, as to why a network & specific wi-fi can slow down & cause issues for your users. However, surveyed & managed properly there many options that can be done to provide the best experience for your employees. Considering the source of the connection to start such as your ISP’s plan & the hardware are always a good place to start as everything trickles from there. After those are in place, it’s best to look into the more technical end or ensuring your IT team/vendor optimizes the network so that wi-fi is set up as efficiently as possible based on your office. No office or setup is the same. Multiple networks around you can affect the signal, the building itself, alongside many other factors so doing your best to not skimp on the source equipment & service is a great start.
Network Right offers network support from small offices to corporate offices. Whether you have 20 employees or 200 we can survey your office to ensure your setup is configured efficiently or that your new space is equipped with the most budget-conscious & feature-rich hardware. Built to scale & support whenever & where ever. Contact us today at hello@networkright.io if you have slow office wi-fi or network issues in general & want to save time & get everything running smoothly!
Network Right is a modern IT MSP or managed service provider for modern business. An MSP’s role is to manage their client’s IT infrastructure & systems. This can be anything from implementing a corporate network (wi-fi, switches, cabling) to supporting employees via the help desk. Network Right’s job is to cater to businesses of all sizes be it up & coming startups or established businesses with a focus on flexibility. Whether your company has an established IT team that needs additional support or no IT team in place, the aim is to help implement & scale companies’ IT needs when & where they need them. The ability to use Network Right’s services on an ad-hoc/project basis or subscription model matches your needs. IT should be easily accessible & available when your team needs it, that’s where Network Right comes in.
We believe IT should be a tool that allows you & your teams to do their best work. Not over the top or complicated. Our job is to offer the best solution for your needs while being as transparent as possible. Offering businesses of all sizes the option to have the IT infrastructure they deserve without the need for a full IT team or rather support the existing team they have. We do our best work so you can do yours.
While IT in itself is a wide-ranging field Network Right focuses on offering straightforward & flexible solutions for your companies needs. Our services include but are not limited to the following:
Implementing help desk solutions such as ticketing systems to get your team’s requests in order. We can staff onsite or remote technicians to help support your team’s needs, and as they scale, so does your IT support. With a focus on flexibility of staffing, you get the support you need, when you need it.
Networking is at the core of many businesses, it’s what allows your team to do their best work. We offer a wide range of network support from full-scale implementation to ongoing management & support. We survey, plan, and implement systems that fit your space, budget, and needs. Slow wi-fi? New office space? Cabling needs? We offer it all. Networking should just work so let us do the work for you.
Be it O365, G-Suite, or a variety of other cloud apps we have you supported. We can implement & manage such systems for company-wide email, user directories, and apps. Offering administration to ensure you have the setup that best supports your infrastructure & help manage your onboard/offboarding workflow.
Audio & Video is becoming more & more essential for businesses at scale. Whether it’s for meetings with external parties or a way to collaborate between teams & remote offices. Network Right specializes in setups from partners such as Zoom, Google Meet, and more. Setting up hardware for conference rooms such as TV mounting, speakers & mics, and cable management to ensure your meetings are seamless & efficient. Have an all-hands area you want to build out or series of conference rooms in your office that need AV systems? Leave it to us!
And much more! For a full look at our services offered check out networkright.com/solutions
Why go with Network Right or for that matter any MSP? There’s no shortage of services out there but where we specialize is an all-in-one IT solution. Networking, A/V, Helpdesk, we offer a series of services all under one roof, so no need to interact with multiple vendors. At the end of the day, the biggest benefit MSPs offer is flexibility. While a full 40 hour a week IT member may not be required for your current companies needs we can staff when & where you need us, offering a budget-friendly solution for your company. IT shouldn’t be just be pawned off on other departments. The role of an MSP is to be available on a schedule/frequency that fits your organization’s needs so you are getting expert help at the rate you need it. Our goal is to help scale your IT department for whatever the future may bring whether it’s a transition to a full-time hire or scaling the company across multiple offices. Furthermore, we also collaborate with existing IT teams. An MSP can offer teams that need more or temporary onsite or remote support, expertise in certain areas of IT such as A/V setups or Networking, & handle projects when 3rd parties are required. Again, the overall focus being flexibility no matter your company size, IT needs, or team, & what have you.
At the end of the day Network Right is here to help your business find, build, and support the IT infrastructure it deserves. Allowing your employees to work efficiently & flexibility to scale with the needs of your business. Feel free to reach out to us today with any questions at hello@networkright.com!
Why is disposing of old hardware important?
Simply deleting files is not enough to fully protect against data breaches – specialized techniques are required to permanently wipe hard drives and memory chips. Handing off your e-waste to us will give you a peace of mind. Your personal and confidential data will be securely erased and a certificate will be provided upon request.
Improperly disposing of e-waste can allow valuable and scarce materials like precious metals, as well as toxic substances like lead and mercury to leach into the environment, contaminating soil and water supplies.
Our process is very simple.
Step 1: Submit an inquiry and let us know what you would like to e-waste.
Step 2: Sign proposal. (Pick-up fee, large item fee, *certificate of destruction COD, etc.)
Step 3: Schedule a time for us to pick-up the items at your convenience.
Step 4: Sit back and let us take care of the rest.
*Certificate of destruction: a document serves as proof that all your sensitive and confidential data stored on physical hard drives, has been effectively and securely destroyed. You may want this in the event of an internal audit requiring proof of destruction. If your company handles confidential and/or sensitive information, you may be obligated by law or company policy. i.e: personal identifiable information (PII), information protected by privacy laws, corporate trade secrets, financial details, etc.
Founded in 2018 by a trio of passionate technology enthusiasts and former colleagues, Network Right has established itself as a leading IT company dedicated to providing cutting-edge IT solutions to organizations. With a firm belief in the power of technology and the value of human connections, we have worked to become a one-stop shop for all your technology needs.
At Network Right, our primary goal is to simplify the way companies collaborate with us and foster mutual growth. As our clients thrive and grow, so do we. With this in mind, we are excited to announce our rebranding initiative, which aims to communicate our transformation, partnerships, and offerings to the market.
We are thrilled to reveal our revitalized visual identity, meticulously crafted to capture the essence of our brand.
The rebranding extends beyond graphical aesthetics. We aimed to embody our company’s mission, vision, and values, which serve as the company’s foundation. We asked ourselves important questions: How can we elevate our logo to reflect our identity clearly? How can we convey a solution-oriented approach? How can we align our brand messaging with our visual representation?
With these questions in mind, we sought out a partner who would help us find the answers and give our brand the voice it needed. We found a perfect match in the creative team over at BrandZap. Like many of the companies we cater to, the need for efficiency and agility was at the forefront of our branding journey. Thanks to our collaboration with BrandZap, we were able to revitalize our graphic identity from the ground up, achieving this transformation in just a few weeks.
Throughout the rebranding journey and exercises, we considered several directions: bold and action-oriented, calm and reliable, or relaxed and emotive. We ultimately chose to emphasize calmness and reliability. At Network Right, we pride ourselves on being a resource for one another, and one of our core values “People first, IT as a conduit” reflects this commitment.
When something goes wrong with your computer or application, it is instinctual to reach out to IT. This is when Network Right steps in to help understand and address the problems at hand. Our approach to IT is to instill a sense of calmness and be that breath of fresh air for clients seeking solutions. Our new visual identity elicits this tranquil feeling and in parallel, our communication style remains dependable, empathetic, and reassuring. We position ourselves as a source of stability amidst challenges, aiming to instill confidence in our clients and make them feel understood and supported, even in the most demanding circumstances.
Introducing Network Right’s refreshed graphic identity, meticulously designed to resonate with the essence of our brand and the values we uphold. At the heart of our new look is our innovative logo, which elegantly combines two universally recognized symbols: network strength bars and a right-alignment UI icon. The resulting design is as intuitive as it is aesthetically pleasing. A full network bar symbolizes our strong connection and dedication to supporting our clients.
Our refreshed color palette, featuring serene shades of light blues and greens, is intended to foster trust and guide our customers. Likewise, our newly adopted font family, IBM Plex Sans, pays homage to the bedrock of enterprise computing, offering a subtle nod to our developer and IT community.
More than just a flat design, our new brand identity is conceived as a spatial environment. It’s a canvas made up of a foreground, background, and crucially, the space that bridges the two. Floating between the content and background, you’ll find our brand’s signature color blooms. These are a graphic embodiment of our service offerings and client interface: active, innovative, intelligent, actionable, and efficient. These blooms signify our willingness to adapt to our client’s environment. While similar in nature, each bloom is unique; a reflection of the custom nature of our clients needs and the intricate solutions we provide.
Most critically however, these blooms never occupy the foreground. Like the tools we use to enable our clients productivity, connectivity, and security, these graphic representations exist behind the humans of Network Right, the core bedrock of our brand.
At Network Right, being your go-to IT partner is not just a tagline; it’s our unwavering commitment to our people, our clients, and our partners. Our new brand identity best represents who we are and propel us forward as an organization. We aim to provide a consistent experience for our current and future clients in every interaction.
As we embark on this exciting rebranding journey, we hope you find us to be your go-to IT partner now, and for years to come.
Office IT relocations in the modern era are increasingly complicated. As you try to assemble a new office, you’re also attempting to reorganize an IT infrastructure with zero-sum for downtime. With the pressing concerns inherent in this project, it can be easy to overlook things — potentially creating headaches for you when you relocate. For whatever reasons you are moving, it is important to plan how your business operations will continue uninterrupted. The clear and comprehensive extension of IT services is necessary for business continuity. This is true not only for IT concerns but also for more mundane issues like office supplies.
Companies planning a new office should really consider hiring the help of an IT service firm with a successful track record of office IT relocations. This approach not only saves time in the planning but also reduces significant risks of IT issues after the initial move.
You want a smooth expansion into your new office space. You can almost always execute a move with smooth sailing when you plan for and carefully execute the right solutions with your best interest in mind. How much space will you need? Determine how many power outlets you need and how many you have. These task examples provide you with the ability to plan your office move.
Using a checklist will help you remember what should be done before you move your office. For instance, you should determine whether your current equipment meets your business needs. If new office equipment is needed, prepare a funding plan before relocation. Also, you need to create a communication system that will continue to operate during the transition process and secure your information by backing it up.
Before going to your next location, first, evaluate your situation. It’s best to start preparing for the move early. Some things you’ll need to be doing:
First, determine your cabling requirements for the new location so you can begin to plan the network layout and design. This will involve deciding the best way to configure your network to support the required applications and users.
In addition, you should also work on migrating your applications and data to the new location. This can be a time-consuming process, but it’s important to ensure that all of your data is migrated successfully to avoid any loss or interruption to your business operations.
Finally, you should also plan for the inevitable disruption during any office move. Create contingency plans to ensure that your business can continue to operate as normal, even if there are some disruptions to your IT infrastructure.
When you are ready to visit a site, it is a good idea to assemble your own checklist of things to take note of so you can have them ready for your visit. Items to cover on this list could include:
You will want to take inventory of what you have, assess your needs, and then make decisions accordingly.
Inventory
Start by taking inventory of your IT equipment. This will include everything from the servers and networking equipment in your data center to the computers and printers in your office. Make a list of each piece of equipment and its specs, including the make, model, and age.
Assessment
Once you have an inventory of your IT equipment, you will need to assess your needs. This will include looking at your current and future business needs, as well as your budget. You may need to upgrade some of your equipment to keep up with current technology standards or to handle increased demand.
Decisions
Based on your assessment, you will need to decide what to keep, what to upgrade, and what to replace.
Once you’ve determined the needs of your business, it’s important to assess the communication and telecommunication options available to you. There are a variety of communication and telecommunication options available for office IT relocations, including:
Each option has its benefits and drawbacks, so it’s important to evaluate which option will work best for your business.
Choose a Communication & Telecommunication Solution
After assessing your business needs and the available communication and telecommunication options, it’s time to choose a solution. There are a variety of solutions available, so it’s important to find one that meets your needs and fits within your budget.
The network and data security should be planned to ensure that the new office can be set up securely. The network should be set up with firewalls and other security measures to protect the network from unauthorized access. The data should be backed up and encrypted to protect it from being accessed by unauthorized individuals.
The first step is to map out the network and identify the different types of devices connecting to it. Next, you will need to decide on the level of security you need for your office.
There are a variety of security options available, from basic passwords to more sophisticated methods like biometric authentication. Whichever option you choose, be sure to make sure that all employees are familiar with the security procedures and that they comply with them.
Another important consideration when setting up a new office network is the type of internet connection you will be using. If you are using a wired connection, be sure to plan out the cabling layout and make sure there is enough bandwidth for all of the devices.
Beyond these items, you will want to consider the following to support your move.
