Network Design Services in Los Angeles

BTI's network design consultants help Los Angeles organizations decide exactly what their network should be before anyone pulls a cable or orders a switch. We design architectures that are secure, scalable and supportable, covering wired, wireless, WAN and security, and we document them so clearly that any qualified installer could build them. Most clients then have BTI build the design too, and when we handle procurement and installation, design fees are often waived.

We have designed and supported business networks for 40 years. BTI is a Cisco Select Partner and SMB Black Belt with more than 500 Meraki deployments.

Network design vs. network installation

Design and installation are different jobs, and keeping them separate protects your budget.

• Network design (this page) answers what and why: requirements, architecture, segmentation, hardware selection, wireless coverage, WAN strategy, security policy and a bill of materials.
• Network installation answers how: cabling, mounting, configuration, testing and cutover. See network installation services in Los Angeles.

You can engage BTI for design only, or for design and build. Either way, the design deliverables belong to you.

When to bring in a network design consultant

• You are moving, expanding or opening new Southern California locations.
• Your network grew one switch at a time and no one has a current diagram.
• Wi-Fi complaints, outages or slow applications keep coming back.
• An audit, cyber-insurer or customer is asking about segmentation and access control.
• You are moving to cloud applications, SD-WAN or Wi-Fi 6E/7, or adding cameras, IoT and building systems to the network.
• You want competitive installation bids and need a vendor-neutral design to bid against.

What a BTI network design includes

Discovery and requirements

We interview stakeholders, inventory current equipment and circuits and review applications, growth plans, security requirements and budget. The output is a requirements document everyone signs off on.

Site surveys

Physical surveys of MDF and IDF rooms, pathways, power and cooling, plus predictive and on-site wireless surveys that model coverage, capacity and interference for every floor.

Architecture and segmentation

A logical design covering core, distribution and access layers, VLAN and IP addressing plans, routing, redundancy and segmentation that separates corporate, guest, voice, cameras, IoT and payment systems. We align it with zero-trust principles and the compliance frameworks you answer to.

WAN and SD-WAN design for multi-site Los Angeles organizations

Carrier diversity, primary and backup circuits, SD-WAN policies, site-to-site and remote-access VPN, and cloud on-ramps for Microsoft 365, Azure and AWS. See Los Angeles WAN services.

Wireless design

Access point placement, channel and power plans, SSID strategy and capacity planning for conference rooms, warehouses, clinics and outdoor areas.

Security design

Firewall placement and policy, network access control, secure remote access and logging that feeds your SOC. BTI is ISO 27001 compliant and our NOC and SOC are SOC 2 certified, so designs are built to be monitored.

Deliverables

• Physical and logical network diagrams
• Rack elevations and MDF/IDF layouts
• Wireless heat maps
• IP, VLAN and port plans
• Bill of materials with options (for example, Cisco Catalyst vs. Meraki)
• Phased implementation plan and budget ranges
• Risk register and recommendations

Our network design consultation process

1. Consultation call. We discuss goals, constraints and timeline and confirm whether design-only or design-build is the better fit.
2. Discovery and survey. Stakeholder interviews and on-site physical and wireless surveys.
3. Draft design review. We walk your team through the architecture, options and trade-offs.
4. Final design package. Diagrams, BOM, plans and a phased roadmap.
5. Build (optional). BTI procures and installs to the design, with design fees often waived when we handle procurement and installation.

Design-only vs. design-build

Design-only suits organizations with in-house staff or a preferred installer, or that are required to bid the build competitively. You get a complete, vendor-neutral package.

Design-build suits organizations that want one accountable partner from whiteboard to go-live. Design fees are often waived when BTI handles procurement and installation, and 100% financing is available on qualifying projects.

Cisco and Meraki design expertise

As a Cisco Select Partner and SMB Black Belt with more than 500 Meraki deployments, we know when cloud-managed Meraki is the simplest path and when Catalyst or a hybrid design is the better fit. Templates, tagging and dashboard design are part of the work, so multi-site Meraki networks stay consistent. See our Los Angeles Cisco Meraki partner services.

Designing for compliance and audits

Segmentation, logging and access control are what auditors look for. We map design decisions to HIPAA, PCI DSS, NIST and ISO 27001 controls and document them. For audit readiness, see IT compliance in Los Angeles.

After the design: support and monitoring

Once your network is built, our SOC 2 certified NOC can monitor it. It has handled more than 10,000 alerts with zero missed. We also offer a one-business-day engineer response for on-site needs. Most of our design clients stay with us; overall client retention is 98%.

Network design for common Los Angeles scenarios

New office or tenant improvement

We design the MDF/IDF layout, drop schedule, wireless plan and equipment list early enough to coordinate with architects and contractors, so the installation fits the construction schedule.

Multi-site expansion

For organizations opening locations across Southern California and beyond, we create a reusable site standard covering hardware, VLANs, SSIDs, firewall policy and naming, with a WAN design that connects every site to headquarters and the cloud.

Warehouses and industrial facilities

High-bay wireless for scanners and vehicle terminals, ruggedized switching, and segmentation for building systems and cameras.

Healthcare and regulated environments

Segmentation for clinical devices, guest access and payment systems, with logging and access controls mapped to HIPAA and PCI DSS.

Network refresh

For networks reaching end of life, we assess what to keep, what to replace and how to migrate with minimal downtime.

What makes a network design supportable

A good design is one your team can operate. We favor consistent hardware families, standardized configurations, clear naming and labeling, central management where it fits, and documentation that stays current. We also design for monitoring, so the network reports its own health and problems surface before users feel them.

Questions to ask any network design consultant

• Will the design be vendor-neutral, and will we own the deliverables?
• What surveys are included: physical, wireless or both?
• How will the design address segmentation and compliance?
• What options and trade-offs will you present, beyond a single recommendation?
• Can you also build and support the design if we want you to?

BTI will answer each of these in writing as part of your proposal.

Why Los Angeles organizations choose BTI's network design consultants

• 40 years of network design and support experience.
• Cisco Select Partner and SMB Black Belt, with 500+ Meraki deployments.
• Vendor-neutral, documented designs you own.
• Design fees often waived when BTI handles procurement and installation.
• ISO 27001 compliant, with a SOC 2 certified NOC/SOC.
• GSA contract, ISNetworld registered and 100% financing on qualifying projects.

Related services

• Network installation in Los Angeles
• IT infrastructure consulting in Los Angeles
• IT consulting and strategy in Los Angeles
• Cybersecurity in Los Angeles
• National network design services

Why Designers Who Also Install Get It Right

A network design is only as good as its fit with the building, the budget and the people who will run it. When designers aren't also the people who implement the design, they don't see how it plays out on site, and simple solutions get missed. Designs then tend to be over-engineered, adding cost that never pays off, or under-engineered, leaving gaps that show up as change orders during installation. Either way, the project costs more than it should.

BTI designs what it installs, configures and supports. Our Los Angeles network design consultants work beside the technicians who pull the cable and the engineers who take the support calls, so every recommendation is tested against how it will be built and maintained. The result is a practical, right-sized design and fewer change orders.

A real example: on one project, an outside consultant specified roughly $30,000 in conference-room AV equipment to solve a display-sharing problem. BTI solved the same problem with a $20 splitter. That's the difference hands-on implementation experience makes.

The same logic that makes a bigger bundle cost less per item applies to design. Design fees are often waived when BTI handles procurement and installation. Design-build projects can also include:

• Financing from as low as 4% on all equipment and labor.
• Discounted telecom procurement for your Los Angeles circuits.
• Expert configuration and management after go-live, so monitoring, support and maintenance costs stay controlled, predictable and lower.

One team carries the project from the first survey through commissioning, with fewer vendors and fewer handoffs, so it gets done better, faster and less expensively.

Frequently asked questions

What do network design consultants do?

Network design consultants assess your requirements and current environment, then design the architecture, segmentation, wireless, WAN and security of your network, documented in diagrams, plans and a bill of materials that guide installation.

What is included in a network design consultation?

A BTI consultation covers your goals, sites, users, applications, security and compliance needs, timeline and budget. From there we recommend a design-only or design-build approach and scope the surveys and deliverables.

How much does network design cost?

Cost depends on the number of sites, floors and systems in scope. Design fees are often waived when BTI handles procurement and installation. Contact us for a scoped proposal.

Can I use your network design with a different installer?

Yes. Design-only engagements produce a vendor-neutral package you own and can put out to bid.

How long does network design take?

A single-site design usually takes a few weeks from discovery to final package. Multi-site and campus designs take longer, depending on surveys and stakeholder reviews.

Do you design Cisco Meraki networks?

Yes. BTI is a Cisco Select Partner and SMB Black Belt with more than 500 Meraki deployments, and we design both Meraki and Catalyst environments.

What is the difference between network design and network installation?

Design defines what to build; installation builds it. See our Los Angeles network installation page for cabling, configuration and cutover.

Should we hire a separate network design consultant?

You can, and our design-only packages are vendor-neutral if you need to bid the build. But designers who also install, configure and support networks tend to produce more practical, right-sized designs with fewer change orders. Design fees are often waived when BTI handles procurement and installation.

Is design-build more expensive than design-only?

Usually not. With one team carrying the project from design through installation and support, the price per item tends to drop as the scope grows, and BTI offers financing from as low as 4% on all equipment and labor plus discounted telecom procurement.