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Ask Slashdot: How Should I Furnish (And Secure) My Work-From-Home Office?
"If someone gave you a big chunk of change to build a small one- or two-room office, what would you do?" asks long-time Slashdot reader darkpixel2k, as he plans to build a small office out in his backyard.
My plan is to trench CAT6 from our ISP fiber DMARC over to the ~12x20 building, wire the structure up for network and power, and furnish it with a small rack, UPS, switch, router, a desk, whiteboard walls, a wireless access point, and an air conditioner for the summer heat... While I have the "big picture" idea in my head, I don't really have a grasp of the fine details that would make it a comfortable work environment... Should I put down carpet and one of those plastic mats for chairs? A friend suggested I wire up speakers so I don't have to listen to my terrible laptop speakers, and a large flat-screen TV so I can display dashboards and statistics.
Lastly, physical security is somewhat of an issue. While everything is insured, downtime of a few days or weeks due to meth heads would be a huge impact to the company and also on my paycheck. I was talking with the local company that builds small office-like structures, sheds, and barns, and they said they can "double up" the 2x4s to strengthen the walls and make a stronger door, but I need to supply my own lock. Should I use some off-the-shelf lock from a big-box hardware store? Should I install a digital lock?
There's more details in the original submission -- but it's also a lot of fun to speculate about what you'd do with a big chunk of change to build your own work-from-home office. So leave your best answers for darkpixel2k in the comments. How should he furnish (and secure) his work-from-home office?
Lastly, physical security is somewhat of an issue. While everything is insured, downtime of a few days or weeks due to meth heads would be a huge impact to the company and also on my paycheck. I was talking with the local company that builds small office-like structures, sheds, and barns, and they said they can "double up" the 2x4s to strengthen the walls and make a stronger door, but I need to supply my own lock. Should I use some off-the-shelf lock from a big-box hardware store? Should I install a digital lock?
There's more details in the original submission -- but it's also a lot of fun to speculate about what you'd do with a big chunk of change to build your own work-from-home office. So leave your best answers for darkpixel2k in the comments. How should he furnish (and secure) his work-from-home office?
I suggest a table and chair, and a bookcase. Situate the table and chair such that you can gaze out a window.
If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
Make sure you orient the building appropriately. Nothing like having to get up and close the drapes because the light from a window shines right on your screen between 11 and 11:45.
I'd also cover power. Outlets at too low or too high a height are a bother, and so is a paucity of them.
Before you do anything - dig a big hole and put one of those giant concrete septic tanks in it. For extra special paranoia, punch a hole in one side, put a metal door in it and then fill out a trench filled with sand so you have an escape tunnel. Put a sump pump (with appropriate battery backup), a ladder and stock it with whatever you need to survive the next four years.
The 21st Century approach to the 1960's bomb shelter.
Can't be too careful these days.
Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
Just buy a container and convert it. Steel floor, walls, roof, doors. Paint it distinctive colors, (maybe a rainbow) and should someone try to swipe it, it will stick out like a sore thumb.
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If you're setting up a full-sized home office in its own building, why are you limiting yourself to a laptop? Set yourself up with a proper desktop computer with a nice, big monitor, good speakers and as much RAM and disk space as you want. If you need to take things into your company's offices, you can always either use a flash drive or transfer what you need to your laptop, but if you're going to this much expense, there's no reason to pinch pennies here. And, while I'm thinking of it, put in a good floor safe; not just for added security, but to protect your records in case of fire or flood.
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made of skulls. I recommend lava and/or pools of sharks or piranha (whichever's in season). For security nothing beats savage panthers, but you can use tigers in a pinch. You'll probably want to invest in a pool of acid and winch/pulley system to lower intruders into. There's a pretty good guide over here.
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Bear in mind that a smaller outdoor structure will not be as secure as a larger dwelling (and property insurance may not cover anything valuable in it, you should check). You will also need to keep it heated in winter, if you are anywhere it gets cold, or the equipment will suffer (from condensation, if nothing else).
I would not recommend working next to a rack of gear, it's noisy. There's a reason we have machine rooms and offices and they're not the same space.
So, what I suggest doing is to install insulation, heating, cooling, network cable, power, etc, as you have described. Then install whatever seating, desking, etc, that you might like. Then install basic networking gear (that you aren't going to be too upset with losing in case of a burglary). Then install a suitable display screen (when a 27" 4K display costs ~$600, perhaps you could cope with losing one to a burglary - depends how well off or how well insured you are, and what your local crime rate is). Use a laptop to compute with and take it indoors when you're not using it. Leave the rack of compute gear inside too, in a room you are not in most of the time. Don't leave any data storage out there, put that in your house also.
Obscure the windows in this outhouse while you are not using it; blinds, curtains, or shutters (locked or interior, so the burglar can't just open them and take a peek). Do not be seen loading the outhouse up with gear either, or someone may make a mental note and come back later, when you are out.
It sounds cool, but bear security in mind.
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled"
For the door, make sure you are not using a hollow core door, and that you reinforce the frame, while also using an aftermarket strike/kickplate that has been developed for security, as that will make it much more difficult to just kick the door in. I would also looking at getting a core from a good company, not just some off the shelf part, because the better locks can be hard to find. Also, something that is more than just your normal pin and tumbler lock, like a dimple lock, can help. ABUS makes really good locks, and I would recommend looking at them. There's a few others too. You might want to look outside the residential core offerings they have into the commercial grade ones. (make sure to look for something as close to bump-proof and rake-proof as possible. Again, things like dimple locks will help here.) Same goes for the protection plates on the doors, so someone can't just card your door open or anything. No solution is going to stop a determined attacker forever, but doing these things will make it significantly harder to breach the door, and makes it more likely that someone maybe tries to kick it in once or twice and then leaves.
Why bother outfitting your home with all that crap? Just being your laptop home from the office, or, better yet -- leave your work at the office.
If you've got a "chunk of change" burning a hole in your pocket and want to spend it on this kind of stuff, renovate or expand the actual house instead of building another building that needs its own climate control, power, and security. Build an addition. Then when you don't need for a home office anymore, you can use it for more regular household space instead of an inconveniently-located additional bedroom.
Be sure to cover all surfaces with aluminum foil!
If you do not think physical security is important then you don't know the least bit about security.
I have been a self employed work for hire software developer/troubleshooter for 27+ years. So have a lot of experience with work areas.
;) I know when I go to the secure data center. I wear a t-shirt and take headphones for ear protection ;) ;)
;) Thankfully marriage forced some great for me ;) changes ;)
Choice 1, for servers would be lease virtual servers, Where ever it works for you.
Choice 2, if want full control of physical servers, rent a half rack secure space in an established data center that has full power backup, fire control and 24/7 access control security.
Choice 3, rent commercial space at least 2 rooms, one office, one servers and storage.
For access control setup full VPN access for work and management. And only open public ports where needed./wanted.
Do your server stuff using option 1, 2 or 3, I use all 3 options and have never had issues, Don't try to duplicate what they do much better than you ever could do. And the comments about not working where your servers are except when needed IS very valid. They are warm and noisy
I also have an office (2 miles from my home), 2 rooms (one for my office, one for some servers) with a door between and I still work in my home office most of the time
Then make a really nice office work space in your home. And it must be isolated. Dump laptops and go with a nice workstation. Multiple monitors, etc. if you do go with a laptop, get one capable of having a nice docking station, that can support multiple monitors real keyboard, mouse etc. I do have several laptops I use for onsite stuff based on the needs.
I know it really does not address your question. But in my experience your option is not one I would entertain. Because in the past I have tried it. I did everything in my home, various rooms, before I got married
Before asking for "how do I figure out what to do?" (spec) you should define what's up (problem) and determine how to handle it (solution) and then come up with the specification.
"Trench CAT6"???? No, you are unclear on the concept of a)trench b)concuit, and c)CAT-6. Before you ask me why I'm dissing your plan see above about Problem/Solution/Spec. In short, copper bad, fiber-optics provide opto-isolation, CAT-6 won't get you anything CAT-5 won't since you stupidly rely on *one* commodity ISP, and you have nothing to trench for. Short answer: inner-duct with multi-mode fiber will carry 1G, 10G with no electrical connection nor ground issues.
UPS? No. LOL. That's good for your kitchen. If you want solid power get a -48VDC battery pack, a rectifier/charger, and an inverter for AC operations.
Whiteboard walls? How is "what I do with my walls" part of any IT strategy? Do whatever you want with your walls. You want IT advice? See above. You want interior decorations advice, see an interior decorator.
Your concepts of physical security (double up the wall beams and which lock should I supply) are absurd.
Let us know when you have your fortress done.
I'd like the opportunity to drive my car through your front door in 15 seconds and see how great your $3.75 works.
I did try to be helpful... but as other posters have pointed out... SERIOUSLY???
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Why are we still talking about physical security?
Because this is a business. Theft will cause downtime, downtime costs a business money.
And don't bother screaming "Buy insurance", sure that'll cover the loss of equipment and damage, but it won't instantly replace anything, so there'll still be downtime.
If you're lucky you might just be down for a day, but just think what'll happen if you're at a critical point in a contract with a deadline approaching. How understanding will your clients be if you miss it? It might even cost you down the line when they give the next contract to someone else.
It is important to determine whether your wife is a spy. Check to see if the oven has a hidden weapons compartment.
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I had to go through a similar setup at the start of last year - with the exception that i had to pay for it all myself, so I was working on a budget.
I got a kitset office - 2.4m x 2.4 meter with a small veranda/sheltered area out the front. This had to fit an existing concrete pad so it was perhaps a little smaller than I would have liked. (But then again, I didn't want a huge building taking up all the space in my back yard!)
I insulated and lined it myself. I was expecting it have issues keeping it warm in winter, but ended up with the exact opposite - with no ceiling space it's very hard to keep cool in summer. I bought an air con unit about a week into using it.
I got a sparky to wire the unit up to the house - mains only (no data). I had to dig the 1.5 meter trench myself. Internet is just via wireless into the house - speed is fine (about 35M) and no worries about redundancy. I use a laptop and have data on my phone so in the event of a blackout (which I wouldn't expect now days) I can just use the laptop and phone for access.
You'll definitely want carpet, I wouldn't bother with a plastic protector. White boards etc too. You want it feel office like imo.
Security - I got an alarm that texts my phone if ever there is a break-in. After a while though I stopped using it and often don't even bother locking the door at night. My laptop comes in to the house with me at night, and the most expensive thing left in there is my keyboard or maybe the air con unit. It's hard to make a space with glass windows/doors secure. The alarm will hopefully scare people off if you are home, but if you're out then they're kinda pointless.
"Hey! I think I'll ask Slashdot! All these IT pros will have the solution!"
"What a bunch of assholes..."
If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
Cloud, aka "I don't care about privacy or security"
Ideally you only use cloud services for redundant systems, never for primary systems. To give a theoretical example, what if your AWS data center catches fire or is struck by a meteorite, airplane, space junk, etc. Or the more obvious, what if the government or a crime syndicate wants your data, do you think ANYTHING is going to stop them short of flinging it into space?
From a totally serious point of view, your primary data should be on servers YOU own, in a data center you have 24 hour access to, with armed security. If you can not afford that, your data is not valueable. But let's say your data is reasonable, but not military valueable. You can do exactly what the submitter suggests. But don't go too fancy. You want at least two-factor security, eg, a mechanical key that opens outer doors and an electronic key on the inner doors, and you can put whatever fancy biometric or IoT features you want on that inner one. The outer one should require a strong deadbolt, into a steel and concrete door frame.
But I digress, if you are building a 1200sq foot office for your business, I presume this is not a "shed" type of building, and something that would have a loading dock or a strong garage door so you can get equipment in and out. If you want to prevent methheads and such from breaking in, or vandalizing it, use steel doors, concrete slab or concrete basement, and don't use wood framing., you can use wood on the inside, but the outside needs to look like just a house. So if your other building looks like a glass and wood structure, you'll likely want to clad the building to look like the other one from the street.
1) The best chair you can find for desk work
2) A nice desk, with a surface that breathes; you don't want glass or something else that will make you sweat when you make solid contact with it.
3) Nice monitors: Don't be drawn in by the resolution; what you want is something easy to read so you don't get eyestrain. Use the TV standards: Looking straight on at any monitor, the size/ distance should allow you to see the whole thing.
4) A *great* keyboard, if you will be typing.
5) a fast, quality computer. You won't regret it.
6) Depending on how distractable you are and who else is around, and at what distances, you might want to consider soundproofing. This provides both privacy and prevents others from being irritated with your own noises.
7) Consider pets. They're awesome stress relievers, and good to hang out with on breaks.
8) take breaks.
I've fallen off your lawn, and I can't get up.
I know that finding good people is tough, but is the submitter serious about hiring meth-heads?
Umm, Yahoo?..... Anyone?
The goal of computer science is to build something that will last at least until we've finished building it.
A half bath would be very helpful, and if you intend to have clients in and out, it's pretty much a necessity. Even though it's not a big deal for you to go into the house to use the bathroom, do you really want to make a client do that? Once you have plumbing, you have something closer to a barebones apartment than to a shack. Unless you're just telecommuting, it's not really reasonable to build without one.
Perhaps think backward. Take a studio apartment concept, and figure out what you don't need. You don't need a kitchen, but the bathroom has a sink, so you're still good to go with convenience items and stored prepared food. Coffeemaker, mini-fridge, microwave. You don't need a bed, or if you opt for one it need not be a full-time bed. A futon might suffice. (There may be times you need to lay down, but going back in the house to do so would break your flow somehow. Like supervising compiling or rendering or 3D printing or something.) Then everything you would want in any office -- your choice of furniture and equipment.
What's also important is what doesn't go in there. Network gear is probably better left in the house, but there are cases where you might want to move it. But more importantly, don't take anything irrelevant out there. I don't mean you can't have a Rubik's Cube on your desk, I mean don't put anything out there that is totally unrelated, except in dire emergency. Otherwise you will soon feel like you are working in a closet -- because you essentially are.
Look at this space as more valuable than the house it lies behind, on a per-square-foot basis -- why would you want to store junk in the high-rent district?
How is the Riemann zeta function like Trump rallies? Both have an endless number of trivial zeros.
Or dropbox?
Putting this in a separate building instead of renovating a room in your house creates some major cost.
A separate structure will require power and HVAC and unless you fancy running through the cold when you need to pee it'll require plumbing too.
HVAC is a tricky beast. You have to control both temperature and humidity. You can hack together temperature control with cheap window units but if you want humidity control so you're not wet in the summer and sick (because of the dryness) in the winter you'll need real (expensive) HVAC.
Power is a fiddly beast too. You're not just running an outlet here, you're feeding a subpanel.
You're not erecting a shed here. You're in to at least a few tens of thousands of dollars. Just how generous is your new employer?
Moderating "-1, Disagree" is simple censorship. Have the guts to post your opinion.
Most of what OP asks is basic construction better suited to ask your general contractor. Slabs, wall thickness, air conditioners and such are all going to be governed by code and standard formulas. It will likely have to be drawn up and approved by an engineer and a permit taken out for a habitable space. I want to address the "trenching" part though, since probably few people have Outside Plant experience. Any copper running between buildings can create a ground loop. That's why the code for the electrical service running to this building will have strict requirements on ground rods and how they get connected. If you run any copper cable between the buildings (including CAT-anything or RG-anything) IT BECOMES PART OF THIS GROUNDING AND SURGE SYSTEM. Special terminations would be required at each end connected to the grounding the properly ground it and protect from surges (e.g. lightning) and keep this special office from going up in flames. For the most part these days it is simply cheaper to use fiber optics. The light guide does not conduct electricity and thus has none of the grounding issues. Cheap switches come with SFP ports now, and multimode SFP's can be had for $30 or less. I would strongly recommend running conduit, buying a pre-terminated fiber cable to pull in it (likely 4 fibers, 2 for your active/in use pair, 2 for spares). Whatever you do, make sure the person operating the machine calls before they dig. And I hope you don't have a sprinkler system, as those are pretty much never marked.
I assume he's worried about meth heads breaking in & stealing his stuff to sell to support their habit
In which case the answer to the question is to use that lump of money to move to a better area. Alternatively if they are really already in a good area where such crime is not really an issue, use it for treatment of their obvious paranoia.