Whether you're replacing a tired firewall, moving offices, or rebuilding a network that grew one switch at a time, the goal is the same: people come in Monday morning and everything just works.
After years of migrations, from carrier-scale network operations to single-office upgrades, here's the playbook we follow.
1. Document what you actually have
You can't migrate what you don't understand. Before anything else:
- Map every switch, access point, firewall, and circuit
- Record IP ranges, VLANs, DHCP scopes, and DNS settings
- List every device with a static IP: printers, cameras, door controllers, phone systems
- Identify anything that "just works" and nobody knows why
That last category is where migrations break. There's always a label printer or a badge reader configured by someone who left years ago.
2. Define success before you start
Write down what "done" means: which services must be up, which users must be able to do what, and how you'll test it. A short checklist turns a vague cutover into a verifiable one.
3. Build and stage in parallel
Wherever possible, build the new environment alongside the old one. Pre-configure the new firewall and switches, test them on the bench, and label every cable before cutover day. The less configuration happens during the maintenance window, the less can go wrong.
4. Write the rollback plan first
Every change gets a rollback plan before it gets scheduled. If the new firewall isn't passing traffic at 11 p.m., you should know exactly how long it takes to put the old one back. Usually it's minutes if the plan exists, and hours if it doesn't.
5. Pick the right window
Schedule the cutover for your lowest-impact time, which isn't always Friday night. If something goes wrong Friday, you may lose the weekend finding people. Many teams prefer a weeknight with staff available the next morning.
6. Test like a user
After cutover, walk the checklist from step 2. Log in as real users, print, scan, make a phone call, open the line-of-business app, connect over VPN. Don't declare victory based on "the lights are green."
7. Hand over clean documentation
Finish with as-built documentation: diagrams, configs, credentials stored in a password manager, and a summary of what changed. The next person to touch the network, including you, will thank you.
The short version
Good migrations are boring. All the excitement happens in planning, so the cutover can be uneventful. If you have a network upgrade or office move coming up, talk to our projects team. We'll help you plan it, run it, or both.