Hello,
I am moving into a new building in the near future. I will be in my own office, but in an area with mostly non-IT folks. I need to furnish the office with a desk, workbench and storage cabinet that are all functional and professional for an office environment. While in an enclosed office I will still be visible and don’t want the typical metal racks with parts and equipment exposed. Overall I need to have an office that will be functional for an IT pro, but professional for a standard office.
To help a bit more, let me describe the type of work being done. I perform technical support to about 400 users and spend a decent amount of time on the phone as well as having my hands inside various pieces of technology. The workbench is mostly used to perform PC and printer maintenance as well as prepping systems (i.e., installing OS and/or software). I do not do a lot of tear downs requiring soldering, but do regularly fully disassemble printers, computers and laptops to service them. I have a number of tools that would be nice to have managed as well as something to help manage the normal rats nest of cabling found on most workbenches.
Regarding storage, I have a lot of the common items many IT folks keep around. I have a sizable number of spare components like power supplies, drives, video cards, memory and motherboards. I also store larger items such as a couple printers, some monitors and a couple computers and laptops. I would like the storage to be enclosed for aesthetics, but lockability is not important as my office will be locked when I am not in it.
I will have about 10 foot x 20 foot to work with though there are a couple doors and windows that I would prefer not to block if possible. I am initially thinking of having the workbench on one 10 foot wall, the storage cabinet on the other 10 foot wall and then the desk somewhat centered in the room facing the doors. That said I can definitely be convinced to change the placement for the right setup. Cost is a factor, as always, so I cannot have a mahogany desk with platinum trim but can spend a bit to get the right setup. All in all, I am looking for a professional, functional and cost effective setup.
Any thoughts?
Chris