Technology & Infrastructure

THE MARIS METHODOLOGY:

THE DIGITAL BACKBONE

At Maris, we refuse to treat IT as a “Day 2” deliverable. Our methodology integrates technology into the refurbishment programme from the very first site survey.

1. The “Comms Room” Strategy (The Heart Transplant):
In many refurbishments, the server room is the only room that cannot move.

• The Audit: We assess the cooling capacity. Servers run hot; if we increase the density of your tech, we must upgrade the dedicated cooling (often called CRAC or Computer Room Air Conditioning units) to prevent meltdown.
• The Protection: During the build, we build a “positive pressure” airlock around the live server room to ensure construction dust does not enter the intake fans.

2. Video Equity (The Hybrid Handshake):
A modern meeting room must serve the remote participant as well as the person in the room.

• Universal Tech: We standardise the user interface. Whether it’s a huddle room or the boardroom, the AV (Audio Visual) setup must be identical. Complexity kills adoption.
• Acoustics First: We upgrade the acoustic baffles in existing rooms. The best 4K camera in the world cannot fix an echoey room.

3. The Smart Sensor Layer:
We overlay the physical floorplan with an IoT (Internet of Things) mesh. This refers to a network of physical objects (“things”) embedded with sensors that connect and exchange data with other devices over the internet.

• Occupancy Analytics: As highlighted in the guide, we use “occupancy analytics to inform space optimisation.” These sensors tell you if a meeting room is actually being used or just booked and left empty (Ghost Booking).
• Environmental Monitoring: Sensors that track CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) levels and temperature, adjusting the air conditioning automatically to keep staff alert.

THE CFO’S CORNER:

TECH DEBT VS. CAPEX

Upgrading infrastructure in an existing building is often viewed as a “grudge purchase.” However, ignoring it creates Technical Debt – the accumulating cost of maintaining legacy systems that are no longer fit for purpose.

The Cost of “Slow”: If your current cabling (often Cat 5e, an older standard) limits data speeds, your highly paid staff are wasting minutes every day waiting for files to upload. Over a year, this latency costs more in lost productivity than the price of re-cabling to Cat 6A (the modern standard for high-speed data).

Capital Allowances (The Tax Shield): Refurbishment offers a massive tax advantage here. Under UK tax law, expenditure on “integral features” – which includes electrical systems, lighting, and air cooling – often qualifies for 100% tax relief via the AIA (Annual Investment Allowance) or Full Expensing.

The Strategy: Don’t patch the old air conditioning in the server room. Replace it. The tax relief subsidises the upgrade, and you reduce your energy bill immediately.

Maris Tools:

The “Digital Due Diligence” Checklist

Before finalising your refurbishment design, ask your IT Director to sign off on these critical points.

• Cabling Standard: Are we ripping out old Cat 5e and installing Cat 6A throughout? (Essential for Wi-Fi 6 bandwidth).
• The “Dead Zone” Map: Have we conducted a wireless heat map to identify areas where the signal is blocked by the building’s core?
• Diverse Routing: Does the fibre internet enter the building from two different points? (If a road drill cuts one line, the other takes over).
• Room Booking: Are we installing panels outside meeting rooms that synchronise with Outlook/ MS Teams to stop “room squatting”?
• BYOD Ready: Can a guest walk in and “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD) to cast to a screen in 30 seconds without downloading an app?