Serviced offices have become the go-to choice for small businesses, growing teams, and remote workers who want a professional base without the overhead of a traditional lease. The appeal is obvious: flexible terms, a reception desk, meeting rooms, and — crucially — Wi-Fi and internet included in the monthly fee.
But here's what a lot of serviced office tenants discover the hard way: "internet included" is not the same as "IT sorted." The building's shared connection gets you online. It doesn't protect your data, support your devices, manage your email, or help when your laptop crashes at 9am before an important client call.
This article explains exactly what serviced offices provide on the IT front, what you need to arrange yourself, and how to set up IT support that works whether you move offices tomorrow or stay for three years.
What Serviced Offices Actually Provide
Most serviced office providers offer a shared internet connection — typically a fibre broadband or leased line split across all tenants in the building. You get Wi-Fi access and usually a wired ethernet port at your desk. That's the infrastructure layer sorted.
What they generally don't provide:
- Support for your specific devices — your laptops, desktops, or phones are your responsibility
- Your own business email setup or Microsoft 365 accounts
- Data backup for your files and documents
- Cybersecurity monitoring or antivirus management
- A helpdesk to call when something goes wrong with your systems
- A dedicated, private internet connection (you're sharing with all other tenants)
- A business phone number or VoIP system
Some premium serviced office providers do offer add-on IT services, but these tend to be expensive for what they include and are rarely the right fit for businesses with more than a handful of people or any specific compliance requirements.
The shared Wi-Fi in a serviced office is fine for getting online. But it's not appropriate for transmitting sensitive client data, accessing financial systems, or anything where network security matters. Your own IT provider can set up a secure, segregated connection or a VPN overlay that keeps your data separate from other tenants on the same network.
The IT Challenges Specific to Serviced Offices
Shared infrastructure you don't control
Because the internet connection is shared across the building, you're at the mercy of your neighbours' usage patterns. During busy periods, speeds can drop. If another tenant has a security incident on the same network, there's a risk it affects other businesses in the building. And when the connection goes down — which it will at some point — you have no direct line to the ISP; you go through the building manager, who goes through their contract, and you wait.
The solution is either your own dedicated business broadband line into your office (where the building structure allows it), or a 4G/5G failover device that keeps you connected if the building's line drops. For businesses where connectivity is genuinely critical, this is worth the additional cost.
No onsite IT support
In a traditional office, you might have an IT person on hand or at least a regular visit from your IT provider who knows the building layout. In a serviced office — particularly if you're a small team in a single room — you're likely starting from scratch each time something needs fixing. The building's own IT support (if they have any) covers the building's infrastructure, not your business.
A good managed IT support provider will handle most issues remotely without needing to visit — but when they do need to come onsite, they need to know the building and be able to get access. Worth setting this up before you need it, not during a crisis.
Moving offices is common — your IT needs to move with you
One of the advantages of serviced offices is flexibility. But that flexibility can create IT headaches: phone numbers tied to a physical line that don't travel, email setups that need reconfiguring, broadband contracts that need cancelling and restarting. Getting your IT set up in a cloud-first, location-agnostic way from the start avoids most of these problems entirely.
What IT Support for a Serviced Office Should Include
If you're setting up IT support as a serviced office tenant, here's what to make sure you have covered:
- Device support and helpdesk access. A team you can call or email when a laptop, desktop, or device has a problem — with fast remote resolution so you're not waiting half a day for an engineer.
- Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace setup and management. Your email, calendar, Teams or Meet, and file storage should be cloud-based from the start so they work from any location.
- Cloud data backup. Your files need to be backed up to a location that isn't just your laptop or a drive on your desk. If your laptop is stolen or fails, your data should be recoverable within hours, not days.
- Endpoint security. Managed antivirus and security monitoring across your devices — particularly important on a shared network where you have no control over other tenants' security practices.
- A business phone number that travels with you. A VoIP phone system means your business number isn't tied to a physical line. Your team can answer calls from their laptops or mobile phones, wherever they are.
- 4G/5G broadband failover. A mobile data backup connection that kicks in automatically if the building's internet goes down. For most businesses, this prevents any meaningful downtime from a connectivity outage.
Do You Need a Dedicated IT Support Contract?
That depends on your team size and how much you rely on IT. For a solo operator or a two-person team using cloud-based tools, you might manage with block hours — pre-purchased support time you draw on when you need it. For a team of five or more with devices to manage, email to maintain, and data to protect, a managed IT support contract is usually the right call.
The key advantage of a managed contract for serviced office tenants is that your IT provider maintains a relationship with your systems regardless of where you're based. When you move to a new office, the transition is managed — you're not starting from scratch with a new provider each time.
Questions to Ask Your Serviced Office Provider
Before signing a serviced office agreement, it's worth asking the following about the IT setup:
- What is the shared internet connection speed, and how many tenants share it?
- Is there a dedicated ethernet port at each desk, or is it Wi-Fi only?
- Can I bring in my own dedicated broadband line or 4G/5G router?
- Is there a patch panel or comms room I can use for network equipment?
- What happens to my internet access if I need to move to a different room or floor?
- Do you offer any IT support services, and what exactly do they cover?
The answers will tell you a lot about how much flexibility you have and what gaps you'll need to fill yourself.
Getting Set Up: The Right Order
If you're moving into a serviced office and want to get IT sorted properly from day one, here's the order we'd recommend:
- 1. Choose a cloud-first approach. Use Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace for email and files. Keep everything in the cloud, not on local drives or a server in the room.
- 2. Get a VoIP phone number. Don't tie your business number to the building's lines. A VoIP number works from any device, anywhere.
- 3. Set up cloud backup. Automated, cloud-based backup for all devices from day one. Before anything important gets created or stored.
- 4. Arrange IT support. Whether that's block hours or a managed contract, have a provider in place before you need them urgently.
- 5. Consider a 4G/5G failover device. Particularly if your business can't afford to be offline for even a few hours.
Done in this order, you'll have a setup that's portable, secure, and supported — regardless of where your business is based.
If you're moving into a serviced office and want to get your IT sorted quickly and without fuss, give us a call. We work with serviced office businesses across the City of London, Waterloo and London Bridge, Hammersmith, and many other locations across the UK — and can have you properly supported in a matter of days.