Having poor IT infrastructure undoubtedly puts your business at risk in many ways, from having a negative impact on productivity through to increasing your risk of cyber-attacks.
When you move into new business premises, you should never assume that the existing infrastructure is up to scratch just because it is a smart, seemingly state-of-the-art contemporary building. Even the most modern of offices may be poorly set up from the point of view of optimising IT infrastructure. So, regardless of the age of your building, it may be necessary to retrofit equipment in order to gain the full benefits of modern technology.
You might want to upgrade your connectivity, integrate smart technology or just ensure you have reliable high-speed WiFi throughout, 24/7. Of course, the challenges of retrofitting are enormously exacerbated if the building you are operating out of is older, or even truly historic, in nature.
In many ways, we are very lucky to live in a country where there are hundreds of thousands of historic buildings. Many of them are enormously important from a cultural point of view, not to mention their economic significance when it comes to attracting tourists in their millions every year. To preserve that architectural integrity, which forms so much of their appeal, it is vital than any work undertaken to install or update IT is not only sensitive to the historic environment but avoids any risk of causing it harm.
Installing IT in a historic setting
Taking this kind of care is even more essential when it comes to working within a listed building. Listed buildings have many regulations regarding what work can or cannot be carried out and it is very important to establish what you are allowed to do before any installation commences, as consent must be sought first from your local planning authority office. Don’t assume you won’t be allowed to make improvements though.
The kind of challenges that are commonly experienced when it comes to bringing updated technological solutions to older buildings are potentially having limited access, working around fragile structures, and being restricted by specific regulations.
Something as seemingly simple as fitting a screen for video conferencing may become fraught with difficulty in a listed building, where screwing into the walls may be totally forbidden and different solutions and cunning workarounds may be called for.
Careful planning and collaboration
Nevertheless, so long as you comply with potentially strict design and aesthetic requirements, with careful planning and close collaboration with the right people, whether that is an architect or an estate manager, it is perfectly possible to adapt your IT to integrate seamlessly, while maintaining the historical integrity of the building.
Given the nature of many of these historic buildings, which may be open to the public for a large proportion of the working day, it is of course essential to be very flexible in terms of carrying out this kind of work. This means that working outside normal business hours is often essential to avoid disruption to the day-to-day operation of the business.
At Highstream, we pride ourselves on providing simple solutions to complex problems. Contact us to find out how we can help your business run smoothly.