Enterprise Router Installation in Datacenter

Problem context: A client in the automotive sector contacted us urgently — the main router in their datacenter was technologically obsolete, the vendor no longer offered support, it could no longer be patched, and the risk of complete failure was imminent. Immediate replacement with a modern enterprise model was required.

The real challenge wasn't just technical — any replacement had to be carried out without stopping services. The datacenter was active 24/7, with interdependent systems that could not tolerate any interruption. A standard maintenance window was not an option.

How we approached the situation: The project was coordinated internationally, with teams from Romania, the United Kingdom, France and Japan. Our role was to ensure flawless execution on the physical installation and replacement component, in close coordination with the configuration teams across other time zones.

The first step was an on-site audit — identifying the existing topology, the critical points of failure, and the procedures required for a downtime-free transition. We identified that the old equipment was the only exit point for internal traffic, which meant we had a single chance to get it right.

The new enterprise router was delivered to us pre-configured by the international team. Our task was the physical installation, connection and on-site validation, in line with the agreed execution plan. We also prepared a detailed rollback plan in case of any issues.

The intervention itself was scheduled for Saturday night, between 01:00 and 05:00, outside of any business activity. We carried out the replacement step by step, with checks at every stage, synchronised with the technical teams in the UK and France over a live call. Automatic failover was validated before declaring the intervention complete. At the end, we stayed on-site for another two hours of active monitoring before handing over the system.

The outcome:

• Complete installation in 4 hours, zero downtime for users
• 99.9% uptime in the first 30 days post-installation
• Full redundancy in place — a secondary device automatically takes over if the primary fails
• Successful coordination with teams across 4 countries and 4 different time zones
• Complete handover to the client: technical documentation, emergency procedures, escalation contacts
• Elimination of the single critical point of failure from the client's infrastructure