Hello, my name is Chris Adams. My business partners and I recently opened a
coworking space in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and I'm looking for some advice
on network setup. Any suggested companies or people that have an
understanding of coworking and/or are recommended by space owners are
welcome as well. A little bio: We've been open since July 2017, and I have
tried multiple solutions found online without finding the solution that I
believe is right for me. I'm hoping to get advice or information from other
owners and space managers to help determine our space's precise needs, and
we are looking to hire for services and/or professional advice. However, we
are a young company, and I'm trying to waste as little money as possible
and avoid paying for things I do not need.
*Our Current Setup:*
- Nexudus Software to manage users, billing, etc.
- Mikrotik router with hotspot for Nexudus wifi checkin
- 1 Managed Ubiquiti Unifi 24-port Switch
- 1 Managed Ubiquiti Unifi PoE Switch
- 4 SIP VoIP Polycom Desktop Phones
- 1 SIP VoIP Polycom Soundstation 5000 Phone
- Xerox WorkCentre 6515 DN MFP connected via LAN
- One on-site Ubuntu server
- Ezeep for printer management w/ Nexudus integration
- Five VLANs (all w/ dedicated subnet & DHCP):
- Our admin VLAN w/ dedicated SSID
- Hotspot VLAN w/ dedicated SSID
- Client1 Admin VLAN w/ dedicated SSID
- Client1 Staff VLAN w/ dedicated SSID
- Client 2 VLAN w/ wired ethernet access only
*Current Setup Notes:*
- I hired an IT engineering firm based in Austin to help remotely
because I was having problems with the MikroTik/Ubiquiti combo (i.e. Unifi
software completely stopped working after a couple of weeks, MikroTik
hotspot was buggy) and they fixed those issues at a pretty hefty price.
They hinted that they though my network setup was unusual, but I wanted to
be sure of exactly what needs to change before hiring them (or someone
else) to assist with the process.
- I have a Unifi Security Gateway which was replaced by the MikroTik.
USG was purchased before I chose Nexudus as my management system.
- All users are running either Windows 10 (desktop & mobile), Mac OSX,
and have various mobile devices.
- I chose VLAN setup because my clients brought their own
printers/copiers and wanted to be able to share the printers and files with
each other without the risk of unauthorized access.
- The MikroTik/Nexudus Hotspot is set up to block traffic between
clients connected to that subnet. I could program everything EXCEPT the
Polycom SoundStation to bypass hotspot authentication and connect to the
internet on the hotspot network. I did this to prevent users from
connecting their devices directly to outgoing ethernet ports in the phones
to bypass hotspot authentication.
- I have no ability to track and charge for copies or received faxes on
the WorkCentre. I mistakenly thought the model I purchased supported
document codes and accounting features. It does have user management with
very limited permission options, a very disorganized event log, and support
for common authentication protocols such as LDAP.
*Plans and Goals:*
- We're switching from Nexudus to Proximity Space soon, which will
eliminate the eZeep integration and various other features built into
Nexudus. I have two old Microsoft Server boxes with decent storage, ram,
and processors that I would like to use for file and print servers (with
central user authentication, group policies (shared folder size limits,
print limits and policies, etc.), and a CRM.
- I think the server should be Linux based due to the required
compatibility with Windows, Mac OSX, Linux, and mobile device clients. I
don't want anyone to lose their current local user accounts on their
systems. I'm hoping there's a possibility for my server user to match their
local user and work together.
- I tested JumpCloud's Directory as a Service on my machine, and it took
over my local user account which worked out great except for the fact I can
no longer manage the local user account from my PC. I'm not sure members
would like that. JC also offers Radius as a Service, which I thought may be
beneficial to me in some way.
- Is there an option other than VLANs and/or separate subnets to
segregate network sharing? Do VLANs require a dedicated subnet? My server
will not ping a client in another VLAN/subnet, but the client can ping my
server from VLANS outside of the hotspot. I haven't tried to ping my server
from clients in the hotspot.
- I would like to have a dedicated VoIP network that only allows either
voice only traffic or mac address authentication.
- Security is a major concern for me. I do not understand linux's
command line firewall configuration or MikroTik firewall configuration. QoS
setup is a priority for me in the future as well.
- It's not a must, but I would like to be able to control the public PC
in our conference room. I do not want users to have access to any settings
or be able to install programs, etc. on the machine. Automatic deletion of
downloaded files would be nice, too.
*Short version - *I would like to control which clients can access certain
directories and printers, have a central user management system for
file/printer access control policies, have users use the same login on the
printer as they would on the network and wifi, account for all pages
printed, copied, and received via fax based on color or black and white ink
usage, VoIP network that blocks everything but the phone/voice traffic,
central control of the public PC in our conference room, and user-friendly
QoS & internal and external security configuration.
Please let me know if I am misunderstanding something or left out
something. We're growing faster than I thought we would, and I want to
ensure my members are happy and my network runs smoothly. I can't begin to
tell you how much I would appreciate any type of feedback, advice, or help.
Thank you so much.
Sorry if I used any incorrect terminology and my lack of expertise on this
subject. Also, sorry for the long post.
My email address is [email protected] if anyone would like to reach out.
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