You’ve made the decision. Your business network needs a refresh.
The signs are clear: aging switches, outdated wireless access points, limited capacity for today’s applications, and structured cabling that may no longer support future growth.
A network tech refresh is one of the best investments you can make to keep your business connected, secure, and ready for what’s next. But here’s the risk that often goes overlooked: refreshing your network can expose your business to costly downtime if not carefully planned.
Business Impact Mapping: This is a simple but powerful approach that can help you avoid those hidden costs. In this article, we’ll show you how this tool helps organizations plan upgrades that don’t disrupt business-critical operations, and how CORE Cabling applies it to help clients refresh networks with confidence.
The Hidden Risk of Downtime During Tech Refreshes
Too often, network refresh projects are treated as purely technical exercises; replacing switches, pulling new cabling, and installing new wireless access points with the assumption that the business will simply work around the process.
But for many organizations, that approach is a recipe for disruption. Without careful planning, downtime can occur during:
- Physical cable installation or removals
- Switch migrations and cutovers
- Wireless network hardware upgrades
- Network reconfiguration and IP address adjustments
- Testing and validation stages
The result? Lost productivity spreads across departments, customer service and sales are interrupted, revenue takes a direct hit, and your brand’s reputation suffers when clients can’t reach you or complete transactions.
According to Cradlepoint’s State of Connectivity in Canada report (April 2024), 53% of Canadian businesses experience 1–2 hours of weekly connectivity downtime, and 28% encounter 3–4 hours of downtime weekly due to fixed-line or fibre service disruptions. The average cost of IT downtime is widely reported to be approximately US $5,600 per minute, based on research from Gartner, a figure that highlights the importance of minimizing disruption during critical periods such as a network tech refresh.
Business Impact Mapping: Your Key to Refresh Resilience
The good news is that these risks can be managed, and much of that management comes from taking a business-first (not tech-first) approach to your refresh.
That’s where Business Impact Mapping comes in.
The concept is simple: before any cabling or infrastructure work begins, map out how different parts of your network support key business functions.
For example:
| Business Function | Network Dependency | Risk Level if Offline | Priority for Protection |
|---|---|---|---|
| Payroll Processing | VPN, core switch, server room cabling | High | Must remain online during refresh |
| Customer Support Lines | VoIP system over Ethernet and Wi-Fi | Very High | Temporary failover required |
| Retail POS Terminals | Fibre backbone, access switches | Critical | No disruption acceptable |
| Employee Workstations | Wi-Fi APs, switches | Medium | Can tolerate staged cutover |
| Office Printers | General network connectivity | Low | Can be upgraded during business hours |
This type of mapping allows IT, project managers, and business leadership to make informed decisions:
- Which systems must remain operational at all times
- Which parts of the network can be upgraded in phases
- Where temporary failover or backup services are needed
- When to schedule certain phases of the refresh
Practical Strategies to Avoid Downtime During a Tech Refresh
When Business Impact Mapping informs the project plan, it opens the door to practical strategies that keep your business running smoothly:
Run parallel systems where possible
Where space and budget permit, new cabling and switching can be installed alongside legacy systems, with a well-planned cutover once validation is complete.
Stage cutovers
Work can be divided into floors, zones, or departments to ensure that no organization-wide outage occurs. Staging is particularly valuable in multi-floor office spaces or warehouses.
Leverage after-hours windows
For critical systems such as POS, cutovers and testing can be performed outside of business hours to avoid impacting customers or revenue.
Use cellular backup or edge caching
Where required, temporary backup connections can be put in place, particularly valuable for businesses with branch offices or remote teams.
Communicate clearly across the organization
Business Impact Mapping also drives better communication. By informing all stakeholders (executives, department heads, IT teams, staff), everyone is prepared for what to expect, and confidence in the process is higher.
How CORE Cabling Supports Impact-Aware Network Refreshes
At CORE Cabling, we’ve seen firsthand how much smoother a network refresh runs when it is guided by Business Impact Mapping.
This is the kind of planning CORE brings to every tech refresh engagement. It’s not just about installing cables, it’s about ensuring the right cabling and network upgrades happen without costing you more in lost revenue or damaged trust.
Tech Refresh Without the Hidden Costs
Modernizing your office network is essential, but downtime during that process is not inevitable.
Business Impact Mapping is the key to building a tech refresh plan that protects what matters most to your organization: your revenue, your reputation, and your operational flow.
At CORE Cabling, we help businesses across Ontario and beyond take this strategic approach to network upgrades, delivering improved connectivity and improved business resilience.
If you’re planning a network refresh, let’s talk. We’d be happy to help you map your business needs to your network strategy and ensure your next upgrade supports your success without costly surprises.
