A year ago, from an existing customer’s referral, we landed a contract with a London hotel to provide IT support.  We soon discovered that their IT systems were a bit like Topsy’s House – the original system had additions tacked on as the company’s needs had expanded.

Our original IT support contract expanded into other projects as we tried to streamline their systems.

Recently, they asked us to take on the revamping of their whole network in tandem with their Wi-Fi suppliers.  As the hotel is part of a group, it had to fit with group standards.

The project threw up a number of challenges.  Firstly, unlike a normal 9-5 business, hotels function 24/7, so we had to find a way to ensure that disruption was at a minimum.

Secondly, we had a 6-week window in which to complete the project.

Finally, there was a lot of confusion about what the Wi-Fi suppliers were actually going to do.  A good deal of communication and diplomacy was needed before we actually nailed down that we would need to replace some of the equipment; routers, firewalls, network switches, etc.  whilst the Wi-Fi suppliers were only supplying and installing the new Wi-Fi access points and guest access equipment.

Getting started

Having had only 12 months to get to grip with the network and start rectifying some of the problems we’d inherited, we had mixed feelings.  On one hand it was a great opportunity to tidy everything up as new network cabling and connections were installed, suitable for today’s needs.  On the other the stress levels of meeting the deadlines were high.

The key to the project’s success is understanding what needed to happen to make the stakeholders happy.  Sitting down with the management to look at what we needed to do and why – and establishing the budget, so there are no unexpected surprises on either side has been essential.  Discussing the practicalities and ensuring that they understood the process required to deliver their outcomes was a core part of running a successful project.  Communication is critical!

There were separate Wi-Fi networks for guests, the public and the corporate operation.  We added an additional network for staff, that provides a robust connection without impacting on the others.

There were some additional internet circuits that they didn’t need, so these have been streamlined to improve operation.

When the new network is ticking all the boxes, one of our engineering team will take over the ongoing maintenance (and is involved in the installation, so he is familiar with it) and be the go-to person for any queries or problems.

While, during the project, the stress levels are high – it’s also very rewarding to handle a big project and turn a ‘just getting by old-banger’ system into a ‘top-of-the-range luxury vehicle’.