The Challenges of Navigating IT Transition in a Shared Workspace

Recently, my company underwent a significant change that has left me grappling with a predicament I never anticipated. A couple of months ago, our organization moved into a new office space—a building that is currently undergoing renovations. This shift was initiated by our parent investment firm, which also owns a few other companies similar to ours that will eventually occupy the same building. Due to our status as a smaller startup with fewer than a dozen employees, we were the first to relocate, with the investment firm’s employees already settling in and the other businesses expected to follow suit in the coming months.

As we prepared for the move, I admit I may have foolishly volunteered to help establish a basic network infrastructure. In my enthusiasm, I offered to assist an engineer in setting up four consumer-grade routers to serve as access points for our shared Wi-Fi. This resulted in our company and the investment firm sharing one network, largely configured with default settings. While it was a quick solution for temporary connectivity, I now realize the limitations and potential dangers of this setup.

To my astonishment, it has become apparent that there are no plans to incorporate professional IT staff into our operations. Recently, I overheard discussions among management that suggested the network would require modifications soon. This raises an alarming concern for me, as my expertise lies in mechanical engineering, not IT. My background consists mainly of building personal computers and some casual interactions with software engineers, making my technical familiarity hobbyist at best.

The reality is that the current network architecture is significantly inadequate—not only is it poorly secured, but it also lacks the necessary bandwidth to accommodate multiple companies engaging in potentially bandwidth-heavy activities. With the impending arrival of several other firms, I anticipate that I will soon be expected to handle network configurations and changes, a task for which I am ill-prepared.

Given this precarious situation, it’s crucial for me to advocate strongly for the hiring of a qualified IT professional. However, I find myself unsure of how to effectively make this case. I need to express the risks associated with operating multiple companies over a single, consumer-grade network while highlighting the shortcomings of our current setup—all without overselling my limited IT knowledge or framing it as a plea for personal help.

Moving forward, I aim to bring compelling arguments to the table in forthcoming meetings. I need to articulate to non-technical management why relying on an amateur network can jeopardize operational integrity. I want to emphasize potential issues such as security