Hey kids, Santa delivered!

Okay, so, further to my post here, I consulted with two local MSPs. We lined up not only Meraki and Ubiquiti, but also took a look at Ruckus and Aruba. We ruled out Meraki due to their subscription model and cost, and eventually we concluded that Ubiquiti will be a suitable option for our needs. Since the hardware is cheap, my boss has accepted that if any of the Ubiquiti stuff fails, we'll just keep a cold spare ready to rack/fit and swap it out.

As a result, I've got this trolley full of toys to rack today: https://imgur.com/a/bFlX1sq

2x Security Gateway Pro firewalls
2x 10Gb core switches
3x 1Gb PoE client switches
10x UniFi AC Pro wireless APs
4x Executive and 1x Pro VoIP phones (Pro one is mine, need the desk space!)
MM fibre connections for everything

I also heeded the advice and scheduled two days for a professional to configure the setup (with me watching over his shoulder) and do a wireless survey of the office space to site the APs. I'm also learning how to subnet/VLAN correctly and have adjusted my plans accordingly.

Thanks to all who replied. I know some will question why we went for the cheap option over some more established brands such as Cisco/HP/Arris SMB ranges, but there are two main factors - 1. my boss and I strongly object to the idea of licensing hardware we bought, and that license expiring meaning not just no updates, but complete loss of functionality, is a real slap in the face considering the cost of the hardware 2. many sources, even on here, cite that Ubiquiti is great value for money, performs great and is reliable.

I'm also re-thinking my 'Do It Right, Once' idea as others have pointed out it contradicts what I'm trying to do here. I admit now, if I were to DIR-O, I would build the whole LAN with Cisco from the start, configure it once and leave it for 10 years. However, I have no experience with IOS and the company doesn't see the need to hire someone just to manage our LAN when all we need is an internet connection. What I meant more is that I want to build a stable foundation that will not need constant revisiting - as long as I can build on the core, add more switches/phones/APs as required without rebuilding the whole LAN, then that feels like 'Done It Right' to me. If Ubiquiti can provide that for us reliably, that'll do us fine.