Urban development practice: IT modernisation in several stages

The practice’s IT had come together piece by piece over many years: an old server, a network with no separate zones, VPN access without central management and a phone system that had reached its limits. Everything worked, but dependencies were not documented and every extension took more effort.

The IT modernisation began with an inventory, because an environment that has grown over years has to be understood before it is rebuilt. I then renewed it in three phases: new servers on a virtualisation platform with their own backup server, a firewall with separate network zones and centrally managed remote access, a new network and Wi-Fi, and central user management that works with Microsoft 365. The servers moved to the new platform in a prepared window of around 13 hours at the weekend. A cloud phone system, email protection, single sign-on for all services and monitoring followed, and finally the fibre connection.

All three phases were delivered while the office kept working. Network and servers are split into zones, monitored, backed up and documented. New staff get their account, extension and remote access through a single process. Support continues, and the next steps build on this setup.