The request from a new client's IT person
A new private office client's IT manager asks how their devices will be separated from other members' devices. They want their own network, with their printer visible only to their staff. The community manager forwards the question to the IT contractor, who says it can be done but needs a visit. The client moves in on shared wifi and complains.
Meanwhile, the shared wifi password has been the same for two years, and members who left long ago still have it saved on their phones.
Why network separation is manual
Separating member companies on a shared network is a standard approach, using VLANs and per-member wifi credentials. The difficulty is not the technology but keeping it in step with memberships.
- Each new company needs a network segment, wifi access and sometimes wired ports.
- Setting it up needs the IT contractor, who is not on site.
- Plan changes, such as moving office, need ports reassigned.
- Leavers' access is rarely removed.
- Shared passwords are never changed because it disrupts everyone.
The right network design depends on your equipment and your members' needs. Your IT provider, or we, advise on that. The ongoing admin is what we automate.
Mixed equipment makes it worse. A site that grew floor by floor may have access points from two manufacturers and a switch nobody has logged into for years. Before anything can be automated, someone needs to know what is actually installed and how it is set up.
What manual networking costs
Companies that care about security, often the larger ones on private offices, doubt your space from the first day. IT contractor visits add cost and delay. Leavers with network access are a security risk. Shared passwords mean you cannot tell who is on your network. And every office move involves a support ticket.
It limits who you can sell to as well. A company with strict security requirements may simply rule out a space that cannot explain how it separates members.
Support load grows with every member. The community manager becomes the first line for wifi problems, and without per-member credentials they cannot even see whether the member's device is connected, let alone why it keeps dropping.
The network provisioning we build
- Your network equipment, where it supports it, is set up for per-company segments and per-person or per-company wifi credentials. We check what your current equipment can do before recommending changes.
- When a company joins in your membership platform, its network segment and credentials are created automatically through the network controller's API, and wired ports in its office are assigned.
- Members receive their wifi details in their welcome message, with no shared password.
- When a company moves office, its segment moves with it.
- When a company or member leaves, their network access is removed on the end date.
- Day pass and guest users get time-limited credentials on a separate guest network.
- A view shows which companies have which segments and ports, for your IT provider.
| Membership event | Network change |
|---|---|
| Company joins | Segment, credentials and ports created |
| Member added | Personal credentials issued |
| Office move | Ports reassigned |
| Member or company leaves | Access removed on end date |
| Day pass or guest | Time-limited guest credentials |
What members and the team see
New companies have their own network from day one. Their IT people get a clear answer about separation. Leavers lose access automatically. The IT contractor visits for real problems, not routine changes. And you can finally stop using a shared password.
Sales gains a straightforward answer to one of the questions that larger prospects ask, which helps in exactly the deals that are worth most.
Is your network like this?
- Members share one wifi password.
- Private office clients ask for their own network.
- Network changes need an IT contractor visit.
- Leavers still have network access.
- You do not know who is on your network.