Guide · 8 min
Opening an office in Tirana: the technical checklist
What to do, in what order and how far ahead, so that day one arrives with a working office instead of a pile of boxes.
In short
A checklist for the technical fit-out of an office in Tirana: property assessment, connectivity, cabling and Wi-Fi, workstation selection and configuration, accounts and permissions, printing, backup and security measures, with indicative timing for each stage.
The technical side of a new office has an awkward property: almost everything depends on something else. You cannot configure workstations without knowing which accounts you will use, you cannot size the network without knowing the headcount, and you cannot do any of it if the building's internet line is not live yet. That is why order matters more than speed.
What follows is the sequence we use, with the indicative timings we see in Tirana. It holds whether you do it yourself or bring someone in: either way the list shows what is missing before it becomes a problem.
The six stages, in order
- 01
1. Assess the property before signing
Which operators reach the building and with what technology, whether network provisions exist, how many power points there are and where, how the walls are built. A beautiful space with poor connectivity is a problem you carry for years. Useful lead time: before signing.
- 02
2. Order the connectivity
Almost always the slowest constraint in the whole sequence, because it depends on the operator rather than you. Request it as soon as the address is certain, not when the computers arrive. Useful lead time: 3-6 weeks.
- 03
3. Cabling and network
Sockets at the desks, cabinet, switches, access points placed against the real floor plan. Do it with the office empty: after the furniture arrives it costs double in time and nuisance. Useful lead time: 2-3 weeks.
- 04
4. Decide accounts before hardware
Which business suite, who the administrators are, how email addresses are formed, who can reach what. It looks like paperwork, but it is the step that determines how every machine gets configured. Useful lead time: 2 weeks.
- 05
5. Order and prepare workstations
Model availability drives this one. Standard configurations run in days, specific requests in weeks. Machines are configured before delivery, not on site. Useful lead time: 2-4 weeks.
- 06
6. Delivery, backup and verification
Installation, load testing the network, switching on backups, checking access and handing over documentation. Useful lead time: a few days before opening, not on the day.
The checklist to tick off
Connectivity
Line live and tested under load, with at least a minimal fallback such as a data SIM for emergencies.
Network
Labelled sockets, tidy cabinet, Wi-Fi verified in every room, guest network separated from the company one.
Workstations
Configured, updated, with encrypted disks and a non-administrator account for daily use.
Accounts
One account per person, multi-factor authentication on, at least two administrators and no shared mailbox with a plaintext password.
Files
A decision on where company documents live, with permissions by group. Before anyone starts saving to the desktop.
Backup
Running from day one, with one copy off site and a restore tested at least once.
Printing and peripherals
Networked multifunction with scan-to-folder or scan-to-mail already configured.
Documentation
A file with administrative credentials, network diagram and inventory, stored securely and not only in one person's head.
The mistake we see most
Buying the computers first. They are the most visible part and the easiest to order, so that is where people start. But without accounts decided and the network ready, those machines sit in boxes or get configured twice.
Frequently asked questions
With everything running in parallel and no surprises, a small office is fitted out in three to four weeks from signing the lease. The dominant constraint is almost always internet activation.
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