an nts site survey walkthrough
As part of traditional MSP services, we provide complete site surveys, so you know what you have and what you need to have
Enhancing Fi Network at
An NTS Site Survey Walkthrough
Munds Park RV Resor
June 17, 2024
by Richard Marquart
We are often tasked with helping our clients evaluate and upgrade the IT infrastructure at their properties. It’s not uncommon for the existing equipment to be non-standard across properties, underserving the IT needs, and be installed improperly. This is generally due to a piecemeal approach where equipment is purchased by on-site staff or through a local supplier, with no overall game plan in place from a corporate perspective to standardize the IT infrastructure across properties. Also, we run into scenarios where newly acquired properties simply do not conform to company standards, and there is a need to bring the newly onboarded property up to corporate standards.
The first step in the process is doing a thorough walkthrough and survey of the property to determine the current state of the equipment and assess what can be retained and what needs to be replaced/upgraded, along with providing a detailed statement of work required to complete the enhancements. This survey is critical in planning, designing, and implementing new IT systems or upgrading existing ones. In a typical site survey, we collect information about the equipment noted below to ensure a complete inventory is taken of all on-premise devices:
General Network Area
We collect information about the general network area at the property. While it is preferable that the equipment is already rack-mounted and readily accessible, it is often sitting on a desk or lying on the floor, with no regard to organization, safety, and protection, as shown below. Obviously, it takes much longer and more care to inventory equipment in the latter state, but it’s necessary to examine each device and get all the required information needed to make a thorough assessment, as noted below:
Firewalls
For firewalls, collect the make and model, location, status, and serial numbers:
Switches
For switches, collect the make and model, location, status, service provider, MAC and IP address, and serial numbers:
Wireless Access Points
For wireless access points, collect the model, location, status, Wi-Fi SSID and passwords:
Wireless Bridges
For wireless bridges, collect the make and model, location, status, as well as what the bridge connects to (for example, as noted below, the bridge connects a tennis court security camera to the main office network):
Workstations
For workstations, collect the make and model, location, service tag and serial numbers:
Phone System
For the phone system, collect the make and model, location, status, service provider, MAC and IP addresses:
Camera System
For the camera system, collect the NVR/DVR information and camera models, locations, status, access, and MAC and IP addresses.
Included with this, we take pictures of the surveillance area, how the cameras are mounted, close-ups of the camera itself, as well as the camera’s viewing angle.
Access Control
For the system(s) controlling access to the property, we collect the make and model of the system, location(s), status, and access points:
ISP Information
For the ISP provider, obtain the ISP invoice (if not available then document the account information) service location, and type:
Video Documentation
We do a complete video walkthrough of each building on the property. While recording the walkthrough, we include verbal comments on the details observed and recommendations for improvements. When recording the main network rack and location, we also highlight the WAN ethernet cables, what they are connected to, as well as other key configurations noted.
Summary
The survey should convey a clear understanding of the property’s IT network and infrastructure, identify areas for improvements, and ensure that any future changes or recommendations are effectively tailored to the business requirements of that property, as well as conform to corporate standards.