Chapter 7 — Network Upgrade

With IS calculated and MCP tiers designed, you now know exactly what needs to change. This chapter translates the IS gap into a prioritised upgrade plan covering bandwidth, redundancy, growth, and the three-phase implementation roadmap.

In this chapter

• Gap Analysis — AI Readiness Score, bandwidth deficit, and upgrade quantification
• Redundancy & Growth — Resilience design and capacity planning for AI expansion
• Upgrade Roadmap — Three-phase upgrade sequence with justification per item

The upgrade principle

Never upgrade everything at once. Phase the work so that the most critical blockers (the five items that prevent any AI from running) are completed first. A Phase 1 completion in 90 days enables an AI pilot, which builds business case for Phase 2 funding.