Zero Downtime. Two Locations. One Migration That Couldn't Fail.
When a long-established Midwest manufacturer needed to replace aging servers and networking infrastructure across two Chicagoland facilities, failure wasn't an option. ConsultNet delivered a complete after-hours migration — no disruption, no data loss, no drama.
7 Servers Replaced
2 Locations Migrated
0 Hours of Downtime
About the Client
A Midwest manufacturing company based in the western Chicago suburbs — with facilities in Aurora and St. Charles, Illinois — has been operating since the 1960s. With a team of 60 employees across both locations, they've built a reputation for precision and reliability in their market over six decades.
Their technology expectations match those values: systems need to work, all the time. When equipment fails on a production floor, the cost isn't just financial — it's contractual, reputational, and immediate.
ConsultNet has served as this company's technology partner for over 15 years. We know their systems, their team, and what's truly at stake.
The Situation
Like many manufacturers that have been in business for decades, their IT infrastructure had aged alongside the company. Servers and networking equipment that once served them well were approaching, and in some cases past, end of life.
The risk of failure was no longer theoretical. It was growing. And so was the business. Systems sized for the company as it existed years ago were no longer configured to match current production demands.
A technology refresh wasn't a future initiative. It was critical.
The Problem
For this manufacturer, the consequences of an unplanned infrastructure failure during business hours were direct and costly:
- Production lines stop. Work on the floor grinds to a halt — orders in progress can't be completed.
- Order processing fails. Customer commitments are put at risk the moment core systems go down.
The challenge wasn't simply replacing old hardware. It was doing so without introducing even a moment of disruption to a business that operates across two locations and couldn't afford it.
That added a layer of complexity: coordinating a major infrastructure migration across the Aurora and St. Charles facilities simultaneously, while keeping both locations fully operational throughout the process.
The Solution
Because ConsultNet has been this manufacturer's partner for over 15 years, we didn't approach this like a new client engagement. We approached it like we owned the outcome — because our reputation and their operations were both on the line.
What we delivered:
Replacement of 7 aging servers
Upgraded networking equipment across both the Aurora and St. Charles locations
New backup and recovery infrastructure designed for fast recovery and data protection
How we protected their business:
Every critical migration task was performed after hours. Our team coordinated the complete cutover — servers, networking, and backup systems — so that when employees arrived the next morning at both locations, everything worked exactly as expected. No transition period. No "bear with us while we work out the kinks."
The entire migration was completed with zero business-hours downtime.
How we crushed it
Planning That Comes From Partnership
A migration of this scale requires more than technical skill — it requires knowing the client. Our 15-year relationship meant we could anticipate exactly what each team at each location needed, what couldn't be touched during business hours, and how to sequence the work to eliminate risk. Every step was mapped before a single cable was moved.
After-Hours Execution, Across Two Locations
To protect the client's production and order workflows, all critical migration work was performed after hours. Coordinating a simultaneous cutover across Aurora and St. Charles required precise scheduling and a team that communicated flawlessly. The result: when doors opened the next morning, employees didn't miss a beat.
Redundancy Built In From the Start
For a manufacturer where downtime means stopped production lines and missed orders, backup and recovery infrastructure isn't a nice-to-have — it's foundational. We designed and implemented redundant systems so that even in the event of an unexpected failure, recovery would be fast and data would be fully protected.
Part of a Larger Hardware Refresh Commitment
This migration is one chapter in a longer story. ConsultNet manages regular hardware refresh cycles for our long-term clients — replacing equipment before it becomes a liability. For this manufacturer, we have now completed nearly four generations of hardware refreshes, adapting as technology evolves to always deliver solutions sized for their current needs, budget, and uptime requirements.
