Ask a small business owner to draw their office network and you will usually get a shrug. That is not a criticism. Many small networks were never designed. Someone plugged in the router the internet company left behind, added a second Wi-Fi box when the back office had a weak signal, and everything has worked well enough ever since.
“Well enough” is fine until it is not. Here are the network basics I would check in any small office, none of which requires being an engineer.
Start with what you have
Before changing anything, find out what is plugged in. Look for the box your internet provider installed, any additional routers or Wi-Fi access points, and any switch that splits one cable into several. Write down where each one is, what it is called and who set it up. That one-page list is more valuable than it sounds; it is the first thing an IT provider will ask for when something stops working.
While you are there, note whether the equipment is old. Devices that no longer receive updates from their maker can be a weak point. If a box is many years old, ask the manufacturer or your IT provider whether it is still supported.
Change the default passwords
Every router and access point has an administrator login, and many are still set to the factory default or a password that was shared on a sticky note years ago. Change it to something long and unique, and store it in your password manager. This is the login that controls your whole network, so treat it like a key to the building.
Give visitors their own Wi-Fi
This is a change worth making early. Customers, vendors and a teenager’s phone all want your Wi-Fi password, and every device on your main network can potentially see other devices on it. A guest network is a separate Wi-Fi name that gets internet access but cannot reach your computers, printers, phones or shared files.
Many business routers can do this in a few clicks. Name it something clear, such as your company name followed by “Guest,” and give it its own password. Post that password where visitors can see it, and change it from time to time. Staff and business equipment stay on the private network.
It also keeps your own devices tidy. Smart TVs, personal phones and anything that is not part of your work have no reason to share a network with your accounting files. Put them on the guest side.
Use a real firewall
A firewall controls what is allowed to move between the internet and your network. The basic router your provider supplied includes a simple one. A business-grade firewall adds stronger controls, better reporting and the ability to apply updates and rules centrally. How much you need depends on your size and the kind of data you handle. If you take payments, store customer records or work with regulated information, step up from the basic box and ask your IT provider what fits.
Whatever you use, make sure it receives updates and that someone is responsible for applying them. A firewall that has not been updated in years is an open door with a nice label.
Protect the Wi-Fi your staff use
Use the strongest security setting your equipment offers, currently WPA2 or WPA3, and avoid older settings that are no longer considered safe. Use a long passphrase and change it when someone with access leaves. If you have many people, ask about options that give each person their own sign-in rather than one shared password for everyone.
Also check the signal. A dead spot in the warehouse or conference room leads people to improvise with personal hotspots or extension cords of questionable origin. One well-placed access point connected by cable usually beats adding gadgets at random.
Think about what happens when it fails
Your network is the path for your phones, your payment machines and your cloud software. If it goes down, so does much of your day. I wrote about preparing for that in Five Questions to Answer Before Your Business Internet Goes Down, and the short version is to know who to call, have a backup connection if the business depends on being online, and keep your provider’s account number handy.
Keep it supported
Networks are the quiet part of an office. Nobody notices them until a Monday morning when nothing loads. That is much of the reason businesses hire a managed provider; I explained how that arrangement works in What Managed IT Services Actually Means. Monitoring, updates and a documented setup mean the first sign of trouble is a ticket, not a crisis.
A one-evening checklist
- Draw or list every network device and where it lives.
- Change default administrator passwords and store them in a password manager.
- Create a separate guest Wi-Fi.
- Confirm the main Wi-Fi uses current security and a strong passphrase.
- Check that your firewall and router are still receiving updates.
- Write down your internet provider’s contact information and account number.
None of these takes long, and together they close off many of the problems I see in small offices. My book, The Small Business Technology Guide, covers more of the basics. If you would like a second set of eyes on your setup, the team at DirecTech Connect can review it with you.
Danielle Lemons is Vice President of Operations at DirecTech Connect, a Nashville provider of business phone systems, managed IT services, websites and digital marketing. More about Danielle.
Read more of Danielle’s writing, or see her profile at DirecTech Connect.
