Request a quote
Survey Before We Take Over: How We Onboard a Network and Phone System

Survey Before We Take Over: How We Onboard a Network and Phone System

·

by

dtrainum
in

Briefing

Telecom work has always started with a site survey. You do not promise uptime on wiring you have not traced or a phone system you have not tested. Managed IT should start the same way, yet many providers install an agent, take over the help desk and inherit whatever is already broken.

A survey finds the common problems before they become ours or yours: exposed management interfaces, reused administrator passwords, flat networks with no separation between guest Wi-Fi, phones and servers, unsupported firewalls, and forgotten devices.

Phones get a specific check. Kari's Law, named for Kari Hunt, who was killed in a motel room in Marshall, Texas in 2013, requires multi-line telephone systems installed after February 16, 2020 to dial 911 directly without a prefix and to notify a central point when 911 is called. RAY BAUM'S Act Section 506 requires dispatchable location, such as street address plus floor or suite, to be sent with 911 calls.

What to do

  1. Scan the network and test exposed services before signing a management agreement.
  2. Separate voice, guest, and business traffic with VLANs and firewall rules.
  3. Change every default and shared admin credential on firewalls, switches and the phone system.
  4. Verify 911 at each site using your carrier's test procedure or in coordination with the local 911 authority: direct dial without a prefix, notification to the front desk or admin, and correct location for each extension.
  5. Fix the critical findings first, then start ongoing management from that baseline.

How to verify

  • Ask any provider when they last tested the network they manage for you and ask to see the findings.
  • Ask whether they earn margin on hardware they recommend.
  • Ask which of their management tools can reach your systems and how those tools are secured.
  • Ask when a restore from your offline backup was last tested.
  • Ask for the record of the last coordinated 911 test per site and the notification it produced.

Sources

Questions about your phones, network or IT? Contact Texwan.