Initial hardware needed

[Sparx]

Hello all,

So I am getting involved with helping a business start-up. There will probably be around 20 staff to begin with. I will be working in a non-IT related department of the business, however because the office to start with will be in a shared office - I believe they plan on using the IT support on-site.

I'm not sure to what extent they will be able to assist, so I am being tasked to try plan (what I can) in terms of equipment needed e.g. VoIP system, phone hardware, desktop PCs, servers/switches, etc.

I may well find the IT on-site are happy to help implement most of the setup, but but I'm quite enjoying creating the spec and planning the costs right now, so for now I just need to get my head round a few things!

1. I'm looking at Cisco SPA504G IP phones - what are the pros and cons if I buy a 24-port switch with PoE ports and network the phones with the PoE injector method, as opposed to buying PSUs adding more cables etc?
   
   
2. Which version of Office 2013 should we purchase and who are best cost-wise? We will only need Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint and Word. I am unsure whether to look at the Office 365 edition or Home & Business etc... EDIT: We will need Visio for 2-3 staff as well.
   
   
3. Servers - I figure we will need to purchase a server with WS2012 to house the AD domain controller and storage drives so all of the staff can share network drives - plus any other server-based services the business needs to run.
   
   
4. Outlook Exchange - do we go hosted or buy a server (or utilise the same storage server from #3) to host it on-site? The business will no doubt expand in terms of staffing numbers, quite rapidly if I'm honest.

I'm sure I had a few more questions but I will add them later as and when I remember.

P.S. Don't get me wrong, I have made the point that this will not last long until we employ a dedicated IT infrastructure manager to maintain all of this! I doubt the shared office IT support will be able to handle every element the business requires to run.

Cheers

 

[adamcooke]

I can certainly provide feedback with the VoIP things.

PoE is useful if you find that your desks have limited power outlets and you would need some sort of adaptor or extension lead to provide the appropriate number of power sockets. The PoE option will certainly be more expensive, though.

You will need a PoE switch which has enough ports (one per phone) and potentially additional ports for other network devices - perhaps two switches - one for phones and one for everything else? You'll need to make sure you label any sockets as PoE/Non-PoE for ease of use later on.

The SPA504G has an additional network port on the back which you can connect a PC to so you may not need to run two cables to every desk. Having said that, in my experience, the built-in port won't provide as good performance as you'd get from connecting straight to the switch.

If you need any help with the PBX side of the VoIP system, do get in touch. We'd be happy to help. If needed, we can supply the phones (almost certainly able to beat any prices you get elsewhere) pre-provisioned with your extensions so you just need to plug them in and they'll automatically be connected to the PBX service. I would try to avoid using any VoIP services offered by the serviced office company - they are notoriously expensive and can tie you into contracts.

 

[adamcooke]

Re: Exchange

Unless you have experience running your own Windows domain controllers & Exchange servers, I would recommend that you either use Office 365 or another hosted Exchange solution. It's probably best to start with something simple like 365 and then migrate to an premises solution when you have staff who are suitable qualified to maintain it. Using 365 will also solve your Office licensing question

Re: Servers

Again, if you're going to be storing lots of data and don't have lots of experience and want something quite self-sustaining, you may get some milage looking at something like a Synology device which have a pretty good web interface for managing everything. They can also authenticate to a Windows domain if needed.

Do shout if you've got any other questions though.

 

[KM-Tiger]

- I figure we will need to purchase a server with WS2012 to house the AD domain controller and storage drives so all of the staff can share network drives

Actually you don't need to, we can do a Windows domain controller in Open Source software now. Probably all business requirements can be met with Open Source.

You might want to consider that. You will save licence fees now, and forever.

 

[Sparx]

Thanks Adam, very helpful. I have a few questions in response!

Re: PoE

The cost comparison I see is either £6 per PSU or a 24-port Netgear PoE switch for circa £160. For the sake of tidiness and using less power outlets, I would've thought PoE would be the way forward? The additional cost seems minimal or am I missing something?

Re: Servers / Storage

Not a bad idea using a NAS drive to begin with. Would we still not need a server though to home AD so the PCs can be situated on the same domain? Otherwise group policy management, updates, general maintenance etc would be a nightmare - surely!?

Re: Exchange

OK great, so going with Office 365 Business seems the logical approach at the minute to begin with. However unless I misunderstand what is included, would we not also need a Hosted Exchange to home the email platform?

 

[adamcooke]

Re: PoE

Do you have a model number of the switch in question? PoE switches are usually more expensive than that for anything reliable and reputable. £6 per PSU is also a little high IME. The ones we sell for our Yealink devices are usually around £2/3 each I believe.

Re: Servers/Storage

Yes - you would need something to handle group policy, authentication so an AD server may be needed. I don't have any direct experience with group policies though so someone else may be better placed to help you with that.

Re: Exchange

Even if you do run your own local AD, you may still be better off using 365 for Exchange. If you host the server locally, your email delivery may be affected by the uptime of your local network connection which may be inconvenient. You'll also have additional costs to handle SPAM filtering & anti-virus - there aren't any tools built into Exchange which handle it well IMO and third party tools are often needed.

 

[Sparx]

Re: PoE

I was looking at this Netgear switch in particular. So is it down to preference really, if power is not an issue, then just buy PSUs and power them via the mains? To keep things tidy and if the additional cost isn't a big deal, go with PoE?

Re: Servers / Storage

We will likely need to purchase an AD server then and use it for storage as well - hopefully the serviced IT support staff can help us install / setup!

Re: Exchange

Yes, happy with the logic. So what I need to clarify, does Office 365 Business also incorporate a hosted Exchange platform from the seller? i.e. So the desktop PCs can have Outlook installed (from 365) and connect to an Exchange server - this would be ideal if the case.

From what I have been reading, we would be able to access emails via the web, but we would need a Hosted Exchange still for it to be viewed via the Outlook desktop application? This is where I am getting confused whether true or not!

 

[adamcooke]

Re: PoE

Sorry - I usually only search for gigabit switches. A 10/100 switch is fine if you only plan to use it for phones but if you plan to share with computers with any sort of file sharing, I'd recommend getting a gigabit switch to significantly improve performance accessing your shared storage.

Re: Exchange

You don't need locally hosted Exchange to use Outlook with the Office 365 Exchange. In fact, I believe the 365 exchange services include an Outlook licence.

 

[TPTele]

On the VoIP front you will need to check the broadband first, especially if you are in a serviced office. You need to check what type of broadband they provide: ADSL2+, FTTC, EFM or Leased Line. You then need to know what speeds it gets (Ping, Download and Upload) and do they offer Quality of Service (QoS). This ensures that VoIP traffic is given priority.
Once you know this PM me.

With 20 staff you may need 2 broadband connections but it will depend on the type and speed available.

On the hardware front you need to consider how many network sockets are in the offices and where they are. Ideally each user would have at least 2 sockets (1 for IT and 1 for VoIP). This will allow you to easily separate traffic and use 2 broadband connections.
As Adam stated PoE would be the way to go since it frees up power sockets and 20 power supply units for the phones is like to cost a similar amount to a PoE switch.

With regards to phones you need to know what you are doing with the broadband and network arrangement. If you don't have enough network sockets and can run everything over the one broadband connection you will need phones that allow for "pass through". Most desk phones have this feature but you will need the higher spec models that allow for a Gigabit pass through. The standard is 100Mbps which will limit your network speed.
Make and model will depend on what you need them to do and how much you want to spend. Cisco are good but everything is an optional extra, Yealink and Polycom are popular and can be used on a large number of systems. Snom are also good value and work with some hosted VoIP systems but can be a nightmare to configure with a PBX.

You then need to decide if you want to go for a local PBX with SIP trunks or hosted VoIP.

If you would like to discuss any of this PM me.

Regards,

Stuart

 

[Sparx]

Hi Adam / Stuart, thanks for your advice.

Re: PoE

Yes I was planning on using this switch purely for VoIP. I would get another Gigabit 24-port for networking the desktops etc... PoE it is then!

Re: Exchange

So after further research, I am now confident in my requirements. As I now understand it, I will need Office 365 Business Premium which will provide me with the web versions of Office, the desktop versions to install on PCs and Office 365 Exchange.

Re: Servers

It seems like I will need to purchase a server to house AD / domain and storage drives. I'll stick with a Hosted Exchange to begin with however.

Re: Broadband

If I recall we have a 100Mb line. I'm waiting to meet up with the IT staff to confirm the network setup and capabilities i.e. up/down speeds, ping times, QoS availability, if shared or dedicated etc. I most definitely will be separating the VoIP and company network.

Re: VoIP

I was tempted to go with a hosted solution here as well. Again, less IT hassle on-site to handle.

 

[adamcooke]

I was tempted to go with a hosted solution here as well. Again, less IT hassle on-site to handle.

If you've got the internet connection to handle it, that sounds wise. We could certainly help you on that front. If you wanted to have a play with our system and see exactly what it has to offer, do signup on our site and you'll get a free trial so you can explore yourself

 

[Squantrill]

You say 20 people

But you have only allowed a 24 port switch, what about printers and servers if you decide to do that?

I generally allow 3 ports per person and that generally gives enough port density.

Most VoIP system have a shared 100mb connection on the back so at a push 2 ports per person, minimum switch in your case would be 40 so would recommend 48 port switch.

If your in a shared environment and you intend coupling your infrastructure to another companies earn you trust with th per local it team BEFORE you spec hardware, they may have hardware in place that will for example not allow simple connectivity to another layer of hardware.

Make sure their infrastructure supports qos and what type and get hardware that complies otherwise your headed for major headaches with voip.

I generally don't install Microsoft exchange so can't help you there but if you intend installing it make sure you can use it in the other companies DMz otherwise you will not get any mail in or out do to firewall restrictions.

Simon


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[Sparx]

@adamcooke I have signed up and had a play, although I ran out of the initial free credit through just toying with the config options.

@Squantrill I wasn't planning on using a single 24-port switch for the office. I have budgeted for a 48-port rackmount Gigabit switch for the main office network, PCs, printers, router, switches etc. Then an additional 2x 24-port PoE switches - one for the sales team and another for the operations teams to begin with which will allow expansion.

And of course, before I commit and purchase anything, I'll be meeting the office's IT to fully understand the infrastructure, look at the network being supplied, what's possible and have a review of my proposed hardware and specs.

I've also started looking into a managed Unified Comms i.e. to include Avaya, Shoretel or Cisco contact centre software etc. I've come across www.solar.co.uk who I have had experience with in the past. I'm unsure as to what platform to go down though at the moment or how much we should expect to pay.

 

[adamcooke]

If you drop me an email to [email protected] with your account number I can add some more free credit for you

 

[Squantrill]

Shortel works great and I use solar for support the guys are very helpful when needed as the shortel system tends to just work

Good luck with you infrastructure sounds like you have it under contrl