A4IT
Services / Hardware & network
08 / 08
Hardware & network · Planning, installation and upkeep

Infrastructure that just works. And still does when you grow.

Hardware services for SMEs: server setup, workstation configuration and IT infrastructure planning tailored for growing businesses. Practical, vendor-neutral and designed to last. Network services for SMEs: UniFi deployments, security configuration and network optimisation. Reliable, segmented and monitored, ready for whatever you grow into.

Plan an infrastructure intake → What we deliver How an engagement runs

What you get, what stays yours, where it stops

Said before the first meeting
You get
  • A plan for servers, workstations and network that covers the next years, not only this month
  • Equipment installed, configured and tested on site, with the cabling labelled
  • A network split into zones, so a guest or a printer cannot reach your accounts
  • Documentation: a network diagram, an inventory and where the passwords are kept
Stays yours
  • The hardware, the licences and the warranties, all registered in your name
  • Administrator access to every device and management account
  • The choice of supplier: we specify what is needed, you decide where to buy
  • Your data and your backups, including the copy outside the building
Boundaries
  • On-site work is done in Belgium; outside Belgium we advise and manage remotely
  • No promise that a network cannot be breached: we reduce risk, we do not remove it
  • No round-the-clock helpdesk; support hours are agreed in writing beforehand
  • No vendor certification or partner status claimed, for UniFi or anyone else

What we deliver

Seven building blocks · take one or all
01 · Start here

Infrastructure planning

A walk through the building and a look at what is plugged in, followed by a plan you can budget against.

Inventory
Every server, workstation, switch, access point and printer: age, role, condition and who depends on it. Often the first complete list a company has.
Growth scenarios
More staff, a second site, working from home, a new application. The plan shows what each scenario asks of network and hardware.
Replacement roadmap
What must be replaced now, what can wait and what can stay. Spread over time so the cost does not arrive in one year.
On site or cloud
Some things are better hosted elsewhere. Where that is the case we say so and refer to cloud & PaaS.
02 · Install

Servers and storage

Server setup sized for the work it has to do, with room to grow and without paying for capacity you will never use.

Sizing and selection
Processor, memory and disks chosen from the real workload. Vendor-neutral: the specification comes first, the brand follows.
Installation
Linux or Windows Server installed, updated, hardened and joined to your network, with services set up and documented.
Storage and file shares
Disks set up so that one failing drive does not stop the company, and shares with rights per team instead of one folder for everyone.
Virtualisation
Several servers on one machine where that makes sense, which keeps hardware, power and maintenance down.
03 · Install

Workstations

Workstation configuration that makes a new computer ready for work on day one, and the same as the one next to it.

Standard setup
One agreed configuration per role: operating system, applications, printers and settings. A replacement machine is a repeat, not a puzzle.
Accounts and rights
Personal accounts, no shared passwords, and administrator rights only where a task needs them.
Updates and protection
Automatic updates, disk encryption on laptops and protection against malware, checked centrally instead of per desk.
Arrivals and departures
A checklist for a new colleague and one for someone who leaves: accounts, devices, data and access closed on the last day.
04 · Connect

UniFi networks and Wi-Fi

UniFi deployments for offices, shops and workshops: switches, gateways and access points managed from one console.

Coverage design
Access points placed on the basis of the floor plan, the walls and where people actually sit, then measured after installation.
Switching and cabling
Switches sized for the number of devices and for power over Ethernet, with patching that is labelled and matches the diagram.
Central management
All network devices in one controller in your name. Configuration, firmware and status are visible in one place.
Network optimisation
Slow Wi-Fi and dropped calls traced to their cause: channel overlap, a weak uplink, an overloaded switch or the internet line itself.
05 · Secure

Network security and segmentation

Security configuration that limits how far a problem can spread once it is inside.

VLANs
Separate networks for office, servers, printers, cameras and other devices. Each zone reaches only what it needs.
Guest network
Visitors get internet and nothing else. No route to your file shares, your printers or your colleagues' laptops.
VPN
Access from home or from a second site through an encrypted connection with personal accounts, not through an open port.
Firewall rules
Closed by default, opened per need, each rule with a note on why it exists. Rules nobody can explain are removed.
06 · Protect

Backup and recovery

For the day a disk fails, a file is deleted or ransomware gets in.

What and how often
Decided per system with the people who use it: how much work may be lost and how long the company can go without it.
Copies in more than one place
A local copy for a quick restore and a copy outside the building, one of them out of reach of an attacker on your network.
Restore tests
A backup counts once it has been restored. We restore files and whole systems on a schedule and record the result.
Recovery plan
One page: which system first, who does what, where the spare hardware and the passwords are.
07 · Run

Monitoring and maintenance

Finding the full disk before it stops the server, and the expired warranty before the part breaks.

Monitoring
Servers, network devices, internet line and backups watched for failures and for values that drift the wrong way.
Updates and firmware
Planned in a maintenance window you agree to, with a check afterwards that everything came back.
Lifecycle tracking
Warranty dates, support end dates and licence renewals in one list, so replacement is a planned purchase.
Periodic review
A short report at an agreed interval: what happened, what was fixed, what we advise next and what it would take.

How an engagement runs

Small steps · a decision after each
  1. Intake
    A call of thirty minutes: your site, your people, what fails most often.
    30 minutes
  2. Site survey
    A visit, an inventory and measurements of network and Wi-Fi.
    Inventory + findings
  3. Design
    Network diagram, zones, hardware list and the order of work.
    Plan + decision
  4. Installation
    Set up and tested on site, planned around your opening hours.
    Working and documented
  5. Upkeep
    Monitoring, updates, restore tests and a periodic review.
    Kept in shape

Technology

Chosen per case · nothing is mandatory
NetworkUniFi gateways, switches and access points, managed from one controller
SegmentationVLANs, guest network, VPN and firewall rules that are documented one by one
ServersLinux and Windows Server, on physical or virtualised hardware
HardwareServers, storage, workstations and laptops, specified vendor-neutral
ProtectionLocal and off-site backups with scheduled restore tests
OperationsMonitoring, planned updates and a lifecycle list per device

Good fit, and not a fit

Saves both of us a meeting
A good fit when
  • The network grew device by device and nobody has a drawing of it
  • Wi-Fi is slow or drops, and restarting the router is the routine
  • You are moving, expanding or opening a second site in Belgium
  • You are not sure the backup could really be restored
Not a fit when
  • You only want the lowest price on a box, without design or setup
  • You need technicians on site outside Belgium
  • You need a helpdesk that answers day and night
  • Everyone must keep sharing one administrator password

Questions about hardware & network

All questions →
01Do you come on site?

Yes, in Belgium. Surveys, installation and cabling checks are done at your premises. Design, configuration, monitoring and most maintenance are done remotely, and that part also works for sites outside Belgium.

02Why UniFi?

Because it covers what most SMEs need, including VLANs, guest access, VPN and central management, in one console that stays readable. Where your situation asks for something else, we say so before anything is ordered.

03Do we have to buy the hardware from you?

No. We write the specification and explain the choice; where you buy is your decision. Hardware, licences and warranties are registered in your name either way.

04Can you work with the equipment we already have?

Usually. The inventory shows what is still fit for its job, what needs reconfiguring and what is a risk. We replace what has to be replaced and keep the rest.

05Will the office be offline during the work?

Some steps need a short interruption. They are planned in advance, outside your busy hours where possible, and you know beforehand what will be unavailable and for how long.

06Who looks after it once it is installed?

Your choice. A4IT can monitor and maintain it under an agreement that states what is covered and during which hours, or we hand it over to your own IT contact with full documentation and access.

Bring one thing that keeps failing. We will tell you what is behind it.

Reply within three business days.Plan an infrastructure intake →How we work