Office IT Infrastructure Setup

The Problem / Why This Matters

New office buildouts fall apart when IT is an afterthought. The GC finishes the space, the furniture arrives, and someone realizes there are no network drops where the desks are, the internet circuit hasn’t been ordered, and the server closet has no cooling.

We’ve been called in to rescue these situations. It costs more to fix than it would have to plan correctly.

The other common failure mode: businesses piece the project together with five different vendors. One company runs cable, another installs the network, the owner’s nephew sets up the computers, and nobody talks to each other. By move-in day, something doesn’t work and nobody owns the problem.

What We Do

We’re the single point of contact for the full IT buildout. Our scope typically includes:

Structured Cabling

• Cat6/Cat6A horizontal runs, patch panels, cable management
• Certified testing and as-built documentation

Network Infrastructure

• UniFi switching, wireless access points, and firewall/gateway
• VLAN segmentation for staff, guest, VoIP, and IoT
• Coverage mapped and verified throughout the space

Internet Service Coordination

• ISP selection guidance and circuit ordering
• Failover/secondary ISP configuration where needed

Server and Cloud Setup

• On-premise server rack and configuration (if applicable)
• Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace setup and migration
• Cloud backup configuration

Workstation Deployment

• Mac and Windows workstation imaging and configuration
• Domain join or Azure AD enrollment
• Peripheral setup (monitors, docking stations, printers)

Phone Systems

• VoIP phone system configuration (RingCentral, Microsoft Teams Phone, or similar)
• Number porting coordination

AV and Conference Rooms

• Display mounting, HDMI/USB-C connectivity, conference room AV setup
• Wireless presentation systems

Documentation and Handoff

• Network diagram, IP scheme, VLAN table
• Workstation inventory with serial numbers and assigned users
• Admin credentials and IT runbook

Our Process

Step 1: Planning Consultation Before you sign a lease or finalize your layout, bring us in. We review the floor plan, identify IT requirements, flag any issues with the space (power locations, telecom room placement, cooling needs), and give you a scope and budget range. Early involvement saves money.

Step 2: Proposal and Timeline You receive a detailed written proposal covering every service in scope, a project timeline, and a single project lead who manages everything. We coordinate with your GC, furniture vendor, and ISP so you don’t have to.

Step 3: Buildout Our team installs in phases aligned with construction. Cabling goes in while walls are open. Network gear goes in once the IT closet is complete. Workstations deploy the week before move-in. We track against the timeline and communicate status.

Step 4: Move-In Readiness Check The day before your team arrives, we walk the space. Every drop is live, every workstation is configured, Wi-Fi covers every room, printers work, phones work, and internet is up. You don’t find out something is broken on day one.

Why Gladiator IT

We’ve done this for vet clinics moving into new facilities, investment companies opening satellite offices, and law firms relocating across town. The industries are different, but the challenge is the same: coordinate everything, hit the move-in date, and leave nothing broken.

Our sister company, Unique Compliance Services, handles PCI and HIPAA compliance. If your industry has compliance requirements, we build the infrastructure to support that from day one, not as an afterthought retrofit.

Fourteen years in business means we’ve seen what works and what doesn’t. We don’t over-specify equipment to inflate the invoice. We don’t under-spec to win the bid and disappoint you later.

What You Can Expect

Timeline: Planning typically starts 8–12 weeks before move-in. Cabling rough-in happens during construction. Final configuration and deployment is the 1–2 weeks before you move in. We work backward from your date and tell you if the timeline is realistic.

What you need to provide: A floor plan with furniture layout, headcount by department, move-in date, and your current IT environment if this is a relocation (existing equipment list, active subscriptions, phone numbers to port).

Communication: Weekly project status updates during the buildout. You have a direct line to your project lead, not a ticketing system.

Q: Can we use some of our existing equipment in the new office?

A: Yes, if it’s worth keeping. We assess your current hardware and tell you what’s worth moving, what should be replaced, and what can be repurposed. We don’t recommend new equipment for its own sake.

Q: Do you coordinate with our GC, or do we need to manage that ourselves?

A: We work directly with your GC. We provide the low-voltage specs and coordinate installation timing with the construction schedule. You don’t need to be the relay between us.

Q: What if we don’t know exactly how many people will be in the new office?

A: We plan for your expected headcount plus 20–25% growth capacity. That means extra wall drops, switch port headroom, and wireless capacity designed for where you’re going, not just where you are today.

Q: We’re in a regulated industry (healthcare, finance, legal). Do you know what that requires?

A: Yes. HIPAA requires specific controls around access to electronic PHI, including physical and network security. PCI has its own requirements for cardholder data environments. Through our work with Unique Compliance Services, we’re familiar with both frameworks. We build the infrastructure to support your compliance posture, not just to get the lights on.

Q: What happens if something goes wrong after move-in?

A: We stand behind our work. If something we installed or configured isn’t working, we come back and fix it. Most of our buildout clients transition to a managed services relationship after move-in, which means we’re already on the hook for keeping things running.