How to Avoid Costly Downtime During a Business Network Refresh
Outdated switches. Aging wireless access points. Sluggish speeds. Limited capacity for modern applications. Structured cabling that’s no longer scalable. These are all signs that your network infrastructure needs a refresh.
A well-planned network upgrade is one of the most strategic investments you can make to improve performance, security, and scalability. But here’s the risk that often goes overlooked: refreshing your network can expose your business to costly downtime if not carefully planned. In this article, we’ll walk you through some of the ways we help our clients plan upgrades that don’t disrupt business-critical operations.
The Real Cost of Network Downtime During Upgrades
Too often, businesses treat a network refresh as a purely technical task - replacing switches, upgrading access points, and pulling cables without full consideration of how those systems support their operations.
This approach can result in unexpected interruptions during:
Cabling installations and removals — for example, disconnecting a cable bundle linked to your finance team’s servers could halt invoicing operations mid-cycle.
Switch cutovers and migrations — if not coordinated, a mid-day switch migration can knock out connectivity for your customer support team, leaving phone and chat systems offline during peak hours.
Wireless hardware upgrades — updating access points in a warehouse or logistics area without staging can interrupt barcode scanners, handheld devices, or real-time inventory tracking.
IP reconfigurations — changing IP addresses without a synchronized plan can block access to cloud applications your marketing or HR teams rely on, cutting them off from essential tools.
Network testing and validation — when testing takes place during business hours, temporary outages may disrupt sales terminals or CRM access, stalling transactions and sales activities.
The consequences of unexpected network downtime can ripple across every corner of your business. Productivity stalls as teams are locked out of essential systems. Online transactions fail mid-process, causing revenue loss and damaging trust. Sales teams lose momentum, missing out on opportunities. And most critically, your brand’s reputation takes a hit — often in ways that are hard to recover from.
According to the State of Connectivity report, 53 percent of respondents experienced one or two hours of connected downtime per week on average in the last 12 months. These downtimes were the result of fixed line or fibre network failure. Moreover, 28 percent experienced three to four hours of downtime per week.
A Smarter Way to Refresh Your Network with Business Impact Mapping
To avoid the hidden risks of downtime, organizations need to take a business-first approach to IT infrastructure planning and that’s where Business Impact Mapping comes in.
What is Business Impact Mapping?
It’s a strategic process that aligns your network upgrade with your operational needs by identifying:
Which systems must remain online
Which departments are most vulnerable to disruptions
Where to stage upgrades for minimal impact
When and where to apply temporary failover measures
Here’s an example:
Strategies to Avoid Network Downtime During a Tech Refresh
With Business Impact Mapping in place, organizations can implement practical tactics to protect uptime:
1. Run Parallel Systems
Where space and budget allow, install new infrastructure alongside existing systems for a smooth transition.
2. Stage Upgrades by Zone
Divide the project by floors or departments to keep operations running.
3. Use After-Hours Windows
Schedule critical cutovers during evenings or weekends to avoid business-hour disruption.
4. Deploy Temporary Failover
Use cellular backup or edge caching to keep remote sites and retail branches online.
5. Communicate Across Departments
Inform teams early and often — transparency boosts confidence and minimizes pushback.
Why Businesses Trust Cabco for Strategic Tech Refreshes
At Cabco, we don’t just install cables, we help you build a resilient network that supports your business goals.
Our team brings Business Impact Mapping into every refresh project. That means fewer disruptions, better planning, and no surprises when it’s go-time.
We’ve helped businesses across Atlantic Canada, from healthcare and retail, to corporate offices and warehouses, modernize their networks without compromising operations.
Upgrade Your Network Without the Downtime
A network refresh shouldn’t come at the cost of your revenue, customer trust, or team productivity. Business Impact Mapping gives you a strategic edge and Cabco gives you the team to execute it.
Ready to refresh your network the right way? Let’s talk.
Ahona Saha
Marketing Manager
Cabco